I understand the nerves but understand the interview is probably the least weighty part of your application. Princeton interviewers are not required to follow a regimented set of questions so it’s difficult to say what they will ask. One question you might ponder is “why Princeton?” but beyond that it is intended to be an informal meeting to bring you face to face with their alumni. You might consider asking your interviewer some questions as well…see it as an opportunity for you to get to know more about the school and the person you are meeting.
For my son’s interview (four years ago!) the interviewer talked much more than my son did. The alum did ask a few questions but my son felt that he came away feeling as though he learned much more about the school than what he shared about himself. Later when my son received an offer of admission he also received an e-mail of congratulations from his interviewer. In all it was a positive experience.
Attire - business casual is always appropriate. To bring - nothing except a few dollars to buy yourself something (tea/coffee/juice) if you are meeting in a café or restaurant. Be polite, listen carefully and answer thoughtfully. Be yourself! Unless you say or do something outrageously inappropriate, the interview will do little to affect your application or the likelihood of being admitted.
Try to relax and enjoy this part as much as you can. The admissions process can be stressful enough!
I read somewhere that people should bring a couple of their resume as a refresher for the interviewer and offer it if asked - is that so?
I haven’t been contacted but think I will… is 15 dec still the big day for decisions?
@neptunepaw I think clothing depends on the location of the interview. If you are being interviewed in a coffee shop, it would be okay to dress more casually (no jeans though) than if the interview was being held in an office or somewhere of the like. I would err on the side of formality though; it doesn’t hurt to be too formal!
As for the questions you should prepare for, here are some general interview questions that may pop up. Think up some answers before you go:
Why are you interested in your intended major?
Why do you want to go to Princeton? IMPORTANT!
What are your future plans? What do you see yourself doing 5-10 years from now?
What do you hope to get out of college?
Why you? Why should Princeton accept you over anyone else?
If you had to stand in front of the committee right now to advertise yourself, what would you say?
Which book/movie/article/song is your favorite, and why?
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
Tell me a bit about your extracurricular activities.
Why are you doing your specific extracurricular activities? What do you get out of them?
What is your greatest passion?
Did you ever experience failure? How did you handle it?
Who is your role model? Why?
Which subject do you like the best in school? Why?
Which subject do you like the least in school? Why?
What is important to you?
What other schools are you applying to EARLY? Why? i*
What did you do last summer and what did you gain from that experience?
What are your plans for the coming summer?
How do you spend your free time?
How do you think your friends would describe you if you were not in the room? What about your teachers?
What books are you reading for pleasure these days?
Who was your favorite teacher? Tell me a little bit about him or her.
What are you really excited about doing in college that will be new to you?
What are your apprehensions about college?
Do you have brothers or sisters? What role do they play in your life? Tell me a bit about them.
Do you feel that your grades and test scores are an accurate reflection of your ability? Why or why not?
Which subjects come more easily to you that others?
If you had a year off from school and could choose to do anything at all, what would you do?
When you think about the “college you,” how do you imagine yourself?
What event going on in the world right now has most caught your interest and why?
Where do you receive your inspiration?
Do you have any more questions to ask me? **IMPORTANT: Prepare at least 5 good questions beforehand. Do not ask questions that can be answered by a simple google search or are just plain stupid (i.e. “Where is Princeton located?” or “Is Princeton an ivy league?” or “Are you going to reject me?”). Ask legit questions, such as
i What do you like most about the school?
(2) How much work is required for a certificate? Is it hard to complete two certificates, especially if you pursue engineering?
(3) How much do you know about [college major]?
(4) How high is the workload? How many hours are spent on homework every day?
(5) What does the college do to assist students with career planning, internships, and future job placement?
(6) What preparations has the college made to deal with emergencies, such as school shootings, violent crimes, and extreme weather conditions?
(7) What opportunities does Princeton give for travel to foreign countries?
(8) What do Princeton students do over the breaks (including summer)?
(9) What advice would you give me as an incoming freshman?***
Lastly, just relax and remember that this is just an opportunity to learn more about the school, not an opportunity for Princeton to reject you. Just don’t do anything stupid and have a good time; unless you get a cranky old man as your interviewer, have a bit of fun! Your interview should be a conversation, not a staged recitation of your application — Princeton already knows that stuff anyways.
Good luck on your interview and the rest of your college applications!
@azwu331@Cantiger Thanks so much for your comments! You’ve been VERY helpful, and it means a lot to me. I’ll be confident and friendly when I go in the interview, I’m just freaking out now, hah.
@kcarpenterfan Your interviewer most likely will not have been given a copy of your application or resume unless things have changed since my son’s interview.
@azwu331 Those are great questions and my son prepared answers to a very similar list - in the end he was asked very few of them. However, most people applying to Princeton are the over achieving type and preparation instills confidence so I’d say why not think about how you’d answer them? One day you’ll need to be able to respond to those things in a job interview so this is great practice.
Oh, and thank you for the good wishes but I’m a Princeton parent of a senior BSE student…thankfully the application process is now something of a distant memory but I am around CC to offer whatever help and encouragement I can to those who are going through the process. I wish you the very best!
@Cantiger Ahh… sorry about that! How is your son doing at Princeton? I’m also applying for a BSE degree and am wondering how tough the classes really are… I’ve heard that Princeton is the hardest and most stressful ivy league out there. I like challenges, but it would be really great if I could familiarize myself with an idea of how tough it really is.
What type of engineering is he majoring in? How strict are his professors; I know that Princeton got rid of its grade deflation policy a few years back, but I’ve heard that the harshness of engineering classes are still relatively unchanged. How hard is it to get an A?
Also, congratulations to your son! Getting in is a remarkable achievement, and I hope that I will be able to receive the opportunity of a Princeton education as well. A person can dream.
I just had a thought: with SCEA I know I can’t apply to any private school’s binding or early program, but would I be allowed to apply to private schools through their regular decision? I know Harvard allows this but I think they have restrictive and not single choice ea. Not that I’d want to go anywhere else, but that I want to get some applications done earlier if possible (especially the free ones so I wouldn’t be losing money if I applied somewhere then found I actually really got in to princeton)…
But that aside, we’re definitely allowed to start other applications and not send them yet, right? Georgetown for example doesn’t use common app and said to set up an account as early as possible to get a file created but I haven’t just to be safe.
@azwu331 - No apology needed! My son LOVES Princeton and loves his major (area of concentration they call it there). Engineering at Princeton is really hard but the environment is remarkably collaborative…not at all cutthroat. First year was the toughest and several times he called home saying he didn’t think he could do it. But he went for tutoring, office hours and worked to organize his time well (as a varsity athlete this is especially important). Now in his senior year he is near the top of his department and in many ways is wishing his senior year would slow down so he could enjoy it.
After getting through all the prerequisite work of first and second year, he has had incredible profs and loves his classes. He’s developed great relationships with a number of them which will be key as he applies to grad school. Grade deflation never really affected STEM fields - in many cases grades are belled upward rather than downward. Getting an A is still reserved for the very best work in the class but it is certainly doable. His departmental average is in the A range, even with a varsity sport.
Thanks for your words of congratulations…I certainly wish the best for you and others on these threads as you go through the admissions process. I remember how stressful it was four years ago so any time you have questions ask away! Most of the people on these threads really do want to help.
Hey guys! I’m sorry, but do we email princeton to ask for an interview?
I know i have read on the website that they contact you… but im just making sure…
@Cantiger That’s really awesome! You just made me want to go to Princeton even more now…
I’m probably going to spend the next month off College Confidential and keep Princeton out of my mind until decision day. I know that getting accepted is really hard, and I don’t want to attach myself to just one school. In the meantime, I’ll probably finish up my regular decision applications and prepare to send them just in case I get deferred.
To everyone applying to Princeton SCEA, I wish you the best! Hopefully we can all call ourselves Tigers come December!
My S did a lot of interviews last year, including Princeton. The only preparation he ever did was to review the college websites for important information/talking points before showing up. Every interview was completely different with different questions and a different vibe. The specific interviewer sets the tone, not the school, and you can never know what to expect. They aren’t trying to trick you or weed you out-they are doing the interviews because they enjoy doing them and want to stay connected to their alma mater.
As for attire, an interviewer may or may not care about what you are wearing. They may show up in a suit, or jeans and a t shirt. You will never be offensive or inappropriate with business casual, so don’t worry about it.
None of S’s interviewers ever asked him for a resume, nor did he ever bring one. No they don’t have access to your application. They wanted to find out about him through conversation, not by spending the time reading about him. I think only one interviewer even asked him his grades and test scores. It is not their role to screen your stats and ecs, they are there to ADD to what you have already submitted in your application.
Has anyone encountered this problem? I applied SCEA and sent my SAT scores on Oct 7th, rush mail, but according to the Princeton tracking system, they still have not received my scores…
I am in the same situation at the moment! Funny thing is I received an email this morning saying that my application is starting the review process since it is “complete” now.
@kcarpenterfan yes, you can apply regular to private colleges, and you can start working on applications whenever they’re available! and restrictive and single choice early action are essentially the same thing
@thetsaria: Yes, she did. From what I remember of your profile, you are going to be disired at any institution to which you apply, so I hope you get the outcomes you seek. Have you had a chance to visit/tour Harvard?
