Princeton SCEA Class of 2020 Applicant Thread

Colleges and Universities A-Z Princeton University
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OK I’m new to CC so I hope I’m posting this correctly - I just had a question (or two) on the application process/parts (yes I’m applying SCEA) and couldn’t figure out how/where to start a new thread so here goes:
should I include an arts supplement even if my intended major has nothing to do with art? I’m a art hobbyist. I do it in my free time but I wouldn’t consider a career in it (no matter how much I’d want to) until I could support myself elsewhere. Does it show admissions officers that I have more sides or is it unnecessary and only looked for in arts applicants?

Also the teacher that I’m asking to write a rec is an alumni (although I would have asked her for any other school too, it’s not like she’s a stranger and I’m asking her for that sole purpose), I’m wondering - does that help at all? One tiny jot?

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FWIW, when we attended the admissions session at Princeton, they encouraged submission of an arts supplement even if you had no intention of majoring in the fine or performing art that you are showcasing.

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@kcarpenterfan
When my son applied, he also sent his music cd even though his intended major is Engineering. I think anything that can differentiate you from other applicants can help. The recommendation letter from the alumnus maybe a little help depending on who she is( this is my pure guessing.)

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  1. Why are you applying to Princeton for SCEA?
    I always knew that I wanted to attend a really fantastic, highly ranked university, but I didn’t know what that was yet. I spent a summer at Stanford through their EPGY program and really loved it, so for awhile I wanted to go there. However, this past summer my mom and I did a ‘college roadtrip’ on the East Coast: we visited a lot of the Ivies and some non-Ivy but still highly ranked. I had never really considered Princeton but just stepping onto the campus felt like a dream come true. It was so incredible and I was absolutely stunned. Doing research online and visiting the schools’ websites is in no way indicative of the real thing! For me, it was a sort of ‘the one’ moment. I want to go to Princeton and nothing will come close to that for me. (It’s awful because it’s really a lottery shoot, but I really do have my heart set on the school.)

  2. What draws you to Princeton?
    The town and campus are stunning. I love the atmosphere of a small town but the convenience of NYC only one hour away if I wanted to go for a weekend. The academics are obviously superb, but Princeton in particular has a big undergraduate focus that really attracts me. As well, it’s especially known for its physics and math programs among the Ivies, which I am interested in! But, honestly, there are so many other things… The huge amount of funding for personal projects… Senior thesis… There’s even a rabbi on campus which is amazing! A lot of other schools will have a Hillel center but no acting rabbi on campus, they just bring them in for the high holy days.

  3. What makes Princeton stand out from other schools?
    ^^^

  4. Where else are you applying for RD?
    Stanford, Harvard, Yale, Cornell, Columbia, Amherst, Rice, NYU, Northwestern, UChicago, possibly more!

  5. What are your summer plans?
    This summer I received a full scholarship to volunteer in a hospital in Nepal for 4 weeks following the earthquake in April. It was such an incredible experience to be able to travel to this amazing country and to help treat victims of the catastrophe. I was also able to spent 10 days in Tibet (which borders Nepal).
    The previous summer I attended NFTY-EIE summer in Israel. I arrived there a week before the Israeli-Gazan war broke out and stayed until about 2 weeks before its end. I learned a lot about myself and my faith especially having never lived in a conflict zone before.

  6. What is your intended major?
    I have indicated astrophysics or math.

  7. What tips/advice do you have for applying?
    I don’t know anymore than anyone else. I just say put your best self forward and trust in the admissions committee to accept if Princeton is truly a great fit for you!

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@thetsaria: That was absolutely lovely. I would let you in. (Don’t tell my daughter.)

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@Waiting2exhale Wow, thank you, that means a lot! I’m assuming your daughter also wants to go to Princeton? :slight_smile:

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@thetsaria: Yes, she does. She has been saying “Princeton,” since she was in 5th grade, without really knowing her reasons were her own. Well, we visited last Spring and she (we) fell in love with the experience of the campus, the mood of the day, and the spirit of welcome we received.

Here’s to the both of you: You have worked hard, and you’re still willing to challenge yourselves. To community; to excellence; To dreams. To You.

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@Waiting2exhale Thanks for the kind words. But woah, 5th grade? That’s some serious dedication. University wasn’t even on my radar until I did the program at Stanford.
Can I ask what majors she’s interested in? I’m hoping to stand out as an ironically very tiny (5’0") girl going into physics or pure math, haha.

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@thetsaria: How interesting. The two of you are probably similar. While she does not want to major in physics, she loves what she has been exposed to, and is a true mathematically minded child. She had been looking at theoretical mathematics as well, and then in the middle of this calendar year began to talk about the intersection of mathematics and predictive human behavior, so we’re thinking applied mathematics for her. She says, “Math!” We say, “Really? That’s great. Let’s go, then.”

No tiny here, though. She has grown taller than me by a bit, and I am among the shortest of my group of female relatives, some of whom stand at 6’1".

Great to know she’ll have company. She’s kind of … tired of talking to people where we live and telling them what her interests and plans and dreams are, only to be met with, “Huh?,” or “Wow!,” or “You’re a genius!” (She’s not sure if these people know other people…)

The admissions rep at Princeton was the most wonderful kind of encouraging I have met, and when he told the room that as a student at Princeton, one would work harder than one has ever worked up to that point, and one will be in good company, and in the end have this amazing final year’s work that was emblematic of the curious, active, engaged and educated mind of students who reach for excellence, I tell you, I could have walked out of the meeting room, headed to the registrar’s, signed her up, and then gone home and sent her belongings to her.

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This tread has been very quiet. How is everyone doing with essays? My son has been revising his a lot the last couple of weeks. It is so nerve racking to think that for most students the decision to admit or not will be determined by their essay. That is a lot of pressure after you have worked so hard to get good grades and test scores over the years. Well, good luck to everyone and hopefully we are all happy in December.

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@momofthree55: Better quiet than students pulling their hair out, tears streaming. I think everyone who is looking forward to Princeton is just trying to pace themselves, and get it done. Trying to find the balance between the prompts, their responses to the prompts, and their best ideas of themselves.

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Are those short questions in the supplemental app (the 150 word ones) supposed to be elaborate like the essay or are they just supposed to be average, straight forward answers?

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C+ and still 3.98, woah. I think they look at everything and believe me a 3.98 UW is faboulous. They arent going to not admit you bc of one bad grade your freshman year in gym
@HariboGoldBear

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Does Princeton accept additional letters of rec?

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  1. I’m applying SCEA because Princeton is my #1 school and when I visited it just felt like the perfect place for me

  2. I’m drawn to Princeton becuase of their great econ program and the Woodrow Wilson School. I also love the eating clubs and the beautiful campus!

  3. Princeton stands out because of it’s location near NYC & Philly but in a nice suburban/rural area.

  4. I’m applying to a lot of schools RD but will most likely withdraw the applications if I’m lucky enough to be accepted EA. The schools include: Harvard, Yale, Stanford, UPenn, Dartmouth, Notre Dame, Vanderbilt, Georgetown

  5. 32 ACT 10 APs ranked top 10 ap scholar with honor 4.7 W 3.89 UW (4 b’s, 3 were soph year) national hispanic scholar
    ***Will being Hispanic make a difference in my application??

  6. I plan to continue coaching this summer

  7. economics or woodrow wilson :slight_smile:

  8. so many hobbies lol i also swim but not getting recruited

  9. My only tip is to stay calm cause at this point there isn’t much else we can do to help us get in (this scares me though)

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I am going to do this for my daughter. She does not do CC, which is probably a good thing.

  1. Why are you applying to Princeton for SCEA?

It is by far her number one choice. Her cousin attended a private school nearby and we would take her to lunch in Princeton whenever we were heading up north. D just fell in love with the place over time. She has been on two campus tours and one local P’ton event. She can’t get enough! Why SCEA - well, its her number one choice, so why not?

  1. What draws you to Princeton?

D wants to go into international relations - no better program.

  1. What makes Princeton stand out from other schools?

What my D says is that, while she loves the program and the location, the students are by far the coolest she has met.

  1. Where else are you applying for RD?

Brown, GU, UVa, William & Mary (St Andrews program), AU maybe one or two other safeties.

  1. What are your qualifications?

Top 10% of class in a very diverse public HS. Most of her lower grades came from taking HS classes in MS, oh, and Calc. She will finish with 10 APs. SAT could be better, about 2100, I think. Took the SAT again a few weeks ago. Her SAT subject tests are all mid-700s.

  1. What are your summer plans?

She trained for athletic competition. See ECs below.

  1. What is your intended major?

International Relations

  1. What are your hobbies/interests/extracurriculars?

Well, this is where I hope she will stand out. She got into kickboxing a couple of years ago - before it was a fitness craze, and has really done well. She won a silver medal at nationals this spring and is on the US team going to Spain in 3 weeks to fight at the world championships.

People are shocked that she does this, but it has been the best thing for her physically and emotionally. She had been a meek adolescent, and now she is this confident (maybe even powerful) young woman - anyway, she has really excelled and developed in so many ways. My hope is that the admissions team realizes that grades and test scores would have been better if she had not spent 3 hours a night at the gym for the last several years. Not sure they will care because it is not a collegiate sport, but one can always hope!

She is also very passionate about women’s rights, specifically girls education. She started a club at her HS along those lines. She has spoken on a panel at a UN conference regarding women’s rights and had an essay selected for another event at the UN.

  1. What tips/advice do you have for applying?

I have been reading these boards for about 4 months now. My only advice to others is to just be yourself. Your resume is pretty much done. Now just try to let your personality shine.

I wish everyone the best of luck and sanity over the next couple of months. No matter where you go to school, make it fantastic. You only do this once!

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My son’s SCEA application is in and compete. He has worked hard and now the wait begins (8 long weeks!) Good look to you all!

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Just submitted my application a few minutes ago! I know that my chances are slim, but I hope that a miracle will happen. I guess I won’t know until mid-December though…

The wait begins! Hopefully I will get to know all of you guys over the next two months while we wait. Good luck to all!

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@azwu331 You can’t win if you don’t play! Good luck. :slight_smile:

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@vnervous Just by looking at your qualifications, I would say that you have a good chance of getting in. You have excellent extracurriculars, and your URM status further strengthens your application. However, Princeton admissions is a crapshoot for everyone, so I can’t really give you a definite answer. (If I were a admissions officer, I would accept you though.)

Also, are you by any chance planning to major in the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs? (Sorry if this is an odd question.)