@collegebound1915 Probably around December 14th. It’s often the Monday that week, but I’m not totally sure if that is the case this year.
interesting Yale, Brown and Penn flat early applications, princeton +10% mission accomplished by dropping subject test requirement!
Princeton recommends but does not require two subject test scores. The same goes for Penn and Yale this year so I don’t think you can attribute Princeton’s increase smokey to the change in testing policy. They probably stepped up their academic recruitment and outreach efforts.
I had my interview yesterday! It was over the phone but I think it went well. Not sure if I expanded enough on the “why you want princeton” question…still praying #:-S
I still haven’t gotten an interview notification… I know it doesn’t really affect my application a whole lot but it’s just a mental thing. I feel like they already discarded my application so I don’t even deserve an interview. I know its all hogwash, but I can’t help worrying about it. :-SS
@meaa7130 Don’t worry about it! Interviews are conducted independent of the application, so the absence of an interview invitation has nothing to do with your application status. It probably means that there aren’t many alumni interviewers available in your area. (Also, given your qualifications, I don’t think Princeton would have discarded your application this early.)
Here’s a nice post about Princeton’s interview process (Post #24): http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/16602812/#Comment_16602812
Also, check out Post #139 on this thread. The poster’s daughter got into Princeton through SCEA but didn’t receive her interview until the first week of December.
Hopefully this helps! 
Also, just as a general comment, I will have a phone interview with Princeton tomorrow morning. I’m currently looking through a lot of Princeton related material to prepare; it’s really nerve-wracking! Hopefully, however, the whole thing will go well. They say that the interview won’t hurt my application, but there’s always that annoying apprehension that I’ll mess up or something… maybe it’s just me though.
Tomorrow I will update you guys on how my interview went. The good thing about having a phone interview is that I am able to note down all the questions asked and have some notes in front of me so that I don’t have to formulate responses on the go.
Once again, good luck to all!
Good luck @azwu331!!! I know you’ll kill it :-c
Best of luck @azwu331!! If your posts on CC are any indication, you seem like an exceptionally kind, interesting, and easy to talk to kind of person. You’ll do great 
I received an email from Princeton Admission Office saying that I should expect to be contacted by my interviewer. It’s been 2 weeks and there’s no news yet 
and I googled my interviewer and it says he lives in New York, while I live nowhere near NY. Was it a mistake?
It’s likely a skype/phone call interview!
I agree with @Manwithaplan. My interviewer also lives in New York even though there’s at least one alum in my city. Princeton pays very good attention to your interests and EC’s and tries to match you with the best fit, even if it means having the interview over the phone.
Try not to google your interviwer too much though. Part of the interview is getting to know someone on the spot with little background info. I personally think you’re lucky to be having a phone interview; you don’t have to worry about showing up on time and you can always use flash cards as backup! @mprut0987
Yeah, good luck azwu331!!! I know you’ll do amazing 
Ok - so I was reading the somewhat-contentious thread about the office takeover at Princeton. Someone posted there an opinion that “rabble-rousers” will not be admitted this application season…my DS picked that “Wasow” quote and wrote a fairly strongly-worded essay about fighting for justice. Do people think that this will be a reason he won’t be admitted…??
I second everyone azwu331! You seem like a great person, and your posts on this thread have been very helpful. You’ll do great at the interview.
And @fretfulmother, unless that someone was an admissions officer or someone extremely close to the office, I wouldn’t believe them. I don’t think Princeton would deny your son because he wrote about something he feels strongly about. If Pton somehow does, they wouldn’t have deserved your son in the first place.
@memelover - thank you! I don’t think the person in question has any idea, really, but the comment sounded like it could be reasonable, like “P doesn’t want to take the next person who will occupy the President’s office” - I hope my DS didn’t sound that angry or anything, but he did speak openly about resisting unearned privilege and looking for solutions until we actually have an equal opportunity society.
Introduction (Post #219)
I tried to post this whole thing as one comment, but CC threw a fit and refused to let me post it due to its huge size. So, instead, I will separate it into several parts and post it all in several smaller-sized chunks.
Before I start, I would like to personally thank @sugar98, @asappebble, @meaa7130, and @memelover for the encouragement. It really means a lot!
Table of Contents
Interview Questions: Post #220
Questions About Princeton: Post #221
A Bit About Me: Post #222
Final Remarks: Post #223
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Interview Questions (Post #220)
Hello everyone!
I had my interview today at 10 AM, and it lasted exactly 41 minutes. I think it went pretty well, but I kind of fear that its short length may be a negative indication or something — my interviewer didn’t really go too in depth and had no knowledge of my stats going in (although she and I shared many of the same interests). Perhaps I’m just overthinking it though; my University of Michigan interview on Friday lasted 33 more minutes, but maybe that was because it was a face-to-face interview rather than a phone interview.
My interviewer was a history major who switched out of Chemical Engineering and then ORFE after deciding that they were not for her. Here were the questions that she asked me (in order):
- What draws you to Princeton? Why do you want to come here?
- Why are you interested in your intended major?
- What kind of math and science courses have you taken at school? i*
- What was your favorite science course? Why?
- Have you looked at any other interests that you may want to pursue?
- Can you tell me more about your participation in the arts? i*
- What type of music do you like most? i*
- Tell me a bit more about your other extracurriculars.
- Is there anything else that you would like to tell me?
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Questions About Princeton (Post #221)
After those nine questions, I got the opportunity to ask her some questions about the school. Here are some of her responses:
First, I asked her about what she liked most and least about the school. She told me that what she loved most about Princeton was the community of people there. On the other hand, she said that she wasn’t a big fan of the senior thesis, not because it was in any way bad, but because it was very laborious.
On the housing experience at the school, she told me that Princeton’s housing system was amazing, and that many of the people she met in her house are now some of her very best friends.
On clubs and sports, she told me that what you get out of them all depends on how much you are willing to put in. She said that varsity sports and clubs take up a lot of time, but that she also knew some people who participated in many activities and still did well.
When I asked her about the workload at Princeton, she told me that her Princeton years were the hardest that she had ever worked in her life. She told me that, for the humanities, it was pretty much impossible to finish everything with all the readings and assignments that were given out. Engineering was a bit better, but it was still a rather tough burden. She said that most students often just did enough to do well in their classes, in which grades were determined by test scores. The senior thesis, she continued, was also a whole lot of work and made her senior year pretty stressful. Nevertheless, completing the thesis was rewarding.
I then proceeded to ask her about the competitiveness of the community. She told me that the campus was pretty cooperative most of the time, with the exception of the pre-med students who wanted to get a good GPA for medical school.
My next question regarded the difficulty of completing two certificates, especially in engineering i*. She told me that it was extremely difficult to complete two certificates given the workload, and that the one certificate she did take had some overlap with her major. Nevertheless, completing two certificates was indeed possible, but doing so required extensive preparation and planning right at the beginning of freshman year.
She also told me that many of her classmates traveled abroad during their junior year.
Breaks are often spent differently among each student. Some students decide to go home while others decide to explore the community, travel the country, and conduct community service.
Finally, I asked her for any advice that she would give to an incoming freshman. Her reply was simple: the most important ability for new students is time management. While most high schools often use a set schedule, Princeton doesn’t — what classes you want to go to, what you want to do, the amount of homework you complete — all depends on you. You have to make your own educational decisions at Princeton, so you have to stop yourself from procrastinating, wasting time, etc. — otherwise your grade will suffer. However, she also said that the process of managing time gets easier to accomplish throughout the four years at the school.
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A Bit About Me (Post #222)
That’s pretty much it for the interview. I’m kind of relieved now; finally, my Princeton application journey has come to an end. It’s been such a long time, but now I’ll finally have the opportunity to temporarily put Princeton off of my mind and start researching and applying to my other schools.
One thing that I’ve realized is that this website seriously impairs my productivity (the problem isn’t you guys, but my unstoppable urge to check this thread non-stop). Now that thanksgiving break is coming up, I want to get as much done with my other applications as possible. I hate doing this, but I’m seriously going to try really hard not to sign on to this website and view this thread for the next couple of weeks, as attaching myself to the school and its applicants will make my imminent deferral experience in December a whole lot worse.
However, before I sign off, I’m going to answer the questions that I asked on the first page myself. Just as a bit of background information, I am an Asian male (yeah I know, the most competitive demographic out there; hopefully it doesn’t hurt my chances too much, but it’s going to be a lot harder for me to get in :P) that goes to a public school in the Midwest (MI).
1) Why are you applying to Princeton for SCEA?
I first started looking at my college options in my junior year, and during that time I often jumped around in terms of what my #1 choice was. First, my top choice was UChicago, then it became Columbia, and then it became Harvard, and then it became UChicago again. I discovered Princeton in May, and when I started researching more about the institution as the year passed, I realized that it was the school that I wanted to go to. I can see myself as a student at Princeton, and getting an acceptance letter would truly be a dream come true. The school is honestly a perfect fit. Because of this, I decided to apply in the early pool, where my application would receive more attention and consideration from the admissions officers.
2) What draws you to Princeton?
If there is any one thing that draws me most to Princeton, it would be the strong undergraduate focus that the school has. It’s what makes Princeton stand out from all of the other schools that I am considering; most of those other institutions focus more on their graduate students. Other factors that draw me to Princeton include its location (far enough from a big city to escape the noisiness and bustle of city life, but close enough to provide the opportunities of one), its wonderful community, its beautiful campus, and its strong math and science programs.
3) What makes Princeton stand out from other schools?
As stated in the above question, Princeton stands out from other schools due to its strong undergraduate focus. In addition to that, the small engineering classes, campus environment, research opportunities, study-abroad programs, close-knit community, and residential system also distinguish Princeton from its peers. The senior thesis also stands out as well; it has been widely said that Harvard is the home of the A++, while Princeton is one of the toughest ivies to go through. I see this challenge as an excitement, an incentive to test myself intellectually — something that I look forward to most in my college education.
4) Where else are you applying for RD?
I’ve already been accepted to the honors college of Michigan State, and will be waiting on my University of Michigan decision in mid-December. Schools I will apply to for RD include UChicago, Harvard, Columbia, and Northwestern (and perhaps Dartmouth, Yale, Duke, UPenn, and Stanford if I get deferred in December). My plan is to cast a wide net so that I can have some options in the spring.
5) What are your qualifications?
3.98 UW/4.36 W GPA, 35 ACT, 800 Math II, 780 Chem, 12 APs, National AP Scholar, National Merit Semifinalist, NHS, several piano awards, member of the Symphony Orchestra at my school, 2nd degree black belt, Science Olympiad state awards, robotics awards, etc. This is probably where I’ll run into trouble though, since nothing about me really stands out, and my ECs aren’t really “focused” in any one area. This is especially troublesome within an ethnic group that is ultra competitive. I’m not an Intel finalist, nor have I done any notable research.
I’m currently relying on my essays to stand out from the crowd. I tried really hard to display my thoughtful personality through my essays, but such a task was quite difficult to express in just 1300 words (which, quite coincidentally, both my Common App essay and Princeton Supplement were exactly 650 words). But I guess it’s just as difficult for everyone else, so who really knows what will happen?
In the end, I’ll probably just end up as a member of the Ivy League “Asian test-taking reject club.” I know that mindset is awfully cynical, but it’ll probably make me feel a lot better when I get my deferral in December. I mean, I can still hope for the best, but @ambitious19 got deferred and ultimately rejected last year and she was a Youth Ambassador to Finland, so my pragmatic self tells me that my chances aren’t probably that great. 
6) What are your summer plans?
I asked this question in June, so I’m not sure if this totally applies right now. I guess I’ll tell you guys about what I did this past summer though: I volunteered in some community events, became a certified lifeguard, tried out music composition, and undertook photography. Nothing really special though.
7) What is your intended major?
Operations Research and Financial Engineering. As for my certificates, I’m interested in Finance, Environmental Studies, and Planets and Life. Not completely set on these though.
8) What are your hobbies/interests/extracurriculars?
My biggest hobbies/interests are probably music, photography, and science. When I say music, I don’t mean today’s radio music, but classical/contemporary/piano music (when it comes to modern pop music, I’m pretty much illiterate :P). Photography is something that I’ve gotten interested in over the summer, and science, well, I think that’s self-explanatory.
As for my extracurriculars, I play the violin and piano, play varsity tennis, participate in martial arts (TKD) and robotics, update the website for my district library, and am a member of my school’s Science Olympiad team. I also coach the meteorology division of my district’s elementary school Science Olympiad team, which is actually a whole load of fun.
9) What tips/advice do you have for applying?
Well, technically applications are already in, so there is really nothing more that can be done about Princeton right now. However, if there’s any single piece of advice I would give for future applications, it would be to be yourself. The best you can do is give an honest impression of yourself to the admissions officers, and they will take it from there. Keep your head up, explore all your options, and hope for the best. Don’t look down at yourself if you get deferred or rejected! As I’ve said in Post #197, top-tier colleges select students based on what kinds of people they need for their campus — thus is why they have holistic admissions. Plus, there are many other great schools out there, and they might open the doors to many new opportunities and experiences.
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