Majors

[Alamalaki]

Could someone please post acceptance rates by major? Is CS under engineering or CS under A&S is more popular?

[psywar]

@Alamalaki Princeton, to my knowledge, doesn’t accept by major (they call majors “concentrations” by the way).

BSE comp sci appears to almost 3x as popular as AB comp sci, if the number of degrees conferred is any indication:

Computer Science (AB) = 29 degrees in 2015
Computer Science (BSE) = 88 degrees in 2015

https://registrar.princeton.edu/university_enrollment_sta/degconf_06_24_2015.pdf

• psy

[Alamalaki]

Thank you @psywar. This is what I was thinking too, but it looks like if you apply to engineering, you have to write one more essay. Also I am not sure if I get better chances applying to one CS or another.

[psywar]

@Alamalaki here is what Princeton says:

From: https://admission.princeton.edu/applyingforadmission/admission-faqs/reviewing-applications

"Will my choice of a main field of study affect my chance for admission?

On the application we ask you to indicate the degree program (A.B., B.S.E. or undecided) and the departments that most interest you. These choices don’t affect your chances for admission, nor do they commit you to a particular course of study. We look closely at the math and science background of students interested in the B.S.E. program, and we consider every applicant’s abilities across the academic subjects. Princeton engineering students choose a field of concentration (major) after one year and liberal-arts students after two years. More than 70 percent of our undergraduates are majoring in fields different from those they indicated when they applied."

Given they have a ton of money, and can reconfigure class sizes / teachers accordingly, I bet they honestly don’t care for any one candidate.

• psy