<p>Soomoo how do you feel about admissions policies? Do you think there is a “drive” to recruit minorities, women, LGBT in order to change the face of Princeton? And do you think there should be more transparency regarding the engineering of Ivy communities? I think most parents wonder not only how the selection process works but who is engineering these communities during the admissions process and what is the longterm strategy of the school. Parents are a bit more sophisticated and understand these issues believe me. And I believe the administration is disappointed in the female student body regarding leadership. As a matter of fact several speeches by the President indicate this.</p>
<p>This was a really interesting post to read after having just visited Princeton with D, a strong leader—SGA president, National Merit, GS Gold Award, city youth orchestra 1st chair, etc. and potential engineering major with research at a national lab. After listening to the asst. admissions director and taking the engineering tour, we came away with no new information (heard a lot of name dropping) and were underwhelmed with the engineering labs and tour guide, but most importantly, we felt Princeton wasn’t looking for her. Maybe we were right.</p>
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<p>Rest assured, twopence, that if your daughter is the top scholar you describe and if she also has an interest in engineering, she will most definitely be the type for which Princeton is looking. At the same time, it’s useful to remember a couple of other things. Places like Princeton receive a great many applications from outstanding scholars including women in the sciences so the competition is tough. Also, until the admission officers actually see the details of your daughter’s application, it’s not likely that they’re going to be actively recruiting her. In my experience (and those of the students I’ve interviewed over the years) Princeton does an outstanding job of providing warm welcomes to those who are interested in applying and I’m sure they would welcome an application from your daughter as well. She sounds like she must be a winner.</p>