Princeton factors Freshman grades into admission?

[psywar]

This keeps coming up and I’d like to try to settle it, so we don’t pass on old, or incorrect information to potential applicants.

According to Princeton’s admission FAQ (https://admission.princeton.edu/faqs#academic-preparation) they say:

Do weighted grades or class rank matter in the evaluation of applicants?

In trying to get a sense of the strength of the academic program you have pursued in high school, we look at your transcript course by course and consider all the information your school provides about your academic performance. We also ask the school official completing your School Report to comment on the rigor of your academic program in the context of what is available at your school. Weighted grades or class rank can be another measure of the strength of your academic program as compared with other students who also have many As, but we give equal consideration to applicants from schools that don’t weight grades or rank.

In the above text, it seems to me they consider ALL information, e,g. freshman grades. The above text and my conversation with a Princeton admissions rep (at the school during Princeton Preview) gives me the belief that they DO consider freshman year grades.

If someone has a source for them NOT looking at freshman year grades (that is current), I’d love to see it. I found older references from 2009 saying they ignore freshman year, but that text doesn’t seem to appear in the Princeton admission site anymore.

Thanks!

[WeTheBest]

I always thought it sounded suspicious that they would not consider freshman grades. Thanks for clarifying that the rumor is false.

[midatlmom]

I spoke to an admissions rep about this topic a few years ago and Princeton DOES factor freshman grades into its admissions decisions.