I was recently accepted to Princeton and I am most likely attending. I want to major in mechanical and aerospace engineering and perhaps a certificate in materials science and engineering or engineering and management. Is that too much on my plate am I good? Also, should I AP out of chemistry freshman year? Doing so would clear up a lot of space in my schedule. But if I place out of chem will I still have to take 9 classes freshman year? If I have to still take chem id rather not place out and keep the grade since I know the material. Also, what is the atmosphere at Princeton Like? I am going to Princeton preview soon but still. Are the kids snobbish or more down to earth? Is the environment filled with healthy competition and collaboration? Also, what courses should I take first year for engineering, like i said I am debating placing out of Gen CHEM and calculus 1.
First of all congratulations!
I’ll try to answer the questions that I know…MAE is a great program at Princeton. For your freshman year, you won’t need to decide whether you are planning to take a certificate. I’d recommend giving yourself that year to settle in and assess your course load. By that time you’ll have a better sense of what you can handle and what you can’t.
Advanced placement and advanced standing (I believe that’s what they are called but either way you’ll get the gist) are entirely two different things at Princeton. Advanced placement allows you to place out of a course and take a different one (generally the next in the sequence) in its place. It will get you into higher level courses that meet your interests more quickly. However a word of caution…the courses taught in high school at the AP level are not even close to being as detailed or in depth as at Princeton. This usually means that skipping a lower level course can be done following an AP course in high school but you will need to work hard at the next level course. My son opted not to skip Calc I (even with a 5 on the AP test) because he self-studied the AP course in high school and was sure he had missed a lot. He was right. But it all depends on the student. If you place out of Chem then yes you will still need to take 9 courses that first year…you’ll just take something else in its place.
The other option (depending on your background) would be to apply for advanced standing. A friend of my son’s came into MAE with 25 AP courses from a magnet school and is doing a 4-year BSE degree in 3 years at Princeton. In this case an entire year of introductory courses was skipped (but not writing sem which is mandatory for everyone). This is not common at Princeton from what I understand but it does happen. You could send Dean Bogucki an e-mail inquiring as to any other options. He can advise you as to the best course of action as will your assigned academic advisor should you accept your offer of admission.
Students - there is a great and diverse student population at Princeton. It is not the preppy, snobbish environment you might envision at an Ivy school (yes there are a few of those…don’t take them too seriously!). Most are helpful and engaging and fun. You’ll have more than 1300 students in your incoming class…there are lots of great people to hang around.