<p>Please read that first for relevant information before asking new questions.</p>
<p>I will generally answer anything except for chances questions, because I have no authority over admissions and can only offer hopeful encouragement.</p>
<p>Have a good application season everyone.</p>
<p>P.S.: here's a repost of the classes I'm taking; feel free to ask anything you want about those.</p>
<p>Intensive Elementary Chinese
Ecological and Evolutionary Biology
Active Geological Processes (Freshman Seminar, which includes a one-week trip to California for fieldwork)
Writing Seminar entitled "Culture and Memory" </p>
<p>Clubs/activities:
Chapel Choir (paid to sing!)
Club Riflery
various ethnic group clubs</p>
<p>What do you think of the diversity at Princeton, not just ethnically but socially as well. I am a fairly liberal guy, so is it easy to find like-minded individuals there? My parents are concerned that I might not fit into the possibly preppy, elitist atmosphere of the eating clubs, and I wanted to allay their concerns.</p>
<p>In general, is there a lot of cultural pride and individuality, or are students often forced to conform, as one of my tour guides at Princeton said about the eating clubs and social atmosphere?</p>
<p>"the possibly preppy, elitist atmosphere of the eating clubs"</p>
<p>Eating clubs by far do not have all preppy, elitist people.
Considering the fact that about 75% of upperclassmen join eating clubs, many of the sign-in clubs (you simply sign up with friends to get in, first come first serve) have a diverse range of students of all interests.</p>
<p>There are lots of liberals here. College Dem meetings have up to 300 people or so show up, which is a lot. </p>
<p>I don't see how people are forced to conform. You join an eating club if you want to. Not joining one saves money, and you can still eat at eating clubs if you have friends there. I'm surprised tour guides would say that there's no individuality here, as everyone has diverse interests and skills.</p>
<p>Writing seminars are writing intensive and are required.</p>
<p>Freshman seminars cover all sorts of topics and are not mandatory.</p>
<p>If you enter at the 101 level Chinese starts you off on traditional and then teaches you simplified later. If you enter at any of the higher levels (including 103 - Introductory chinese for chinese speakers) then you have free choice as to what you want to use.</p>
<p>I understand that Princeton offers the AB and BSE and over 30 majors. However, the ones that you checked off on your application, is that what they actually place you in when you attend? Or do you have a choice to decide on whether you want to go into AB or BSE after you have attended the school for a week or so? I just don't know how hard it would be for me to change from BSE to AB or vice versa after i declare it on my application.</p>
<p>In addition, do you know anything about the oppurtunity that students have to receive education and attend programs in the other degree, meaning AB students taking courses in the Engineering school or BSE students participating in activities and lectures for AB students. I know that minors offer the chance for students to explore a different area of academic interest. is there any other possibilities? I have always felt that if someone were to go to SEAS, then they are kind of segregated from the Princeton University. I don't know if that's right... but i do want to get a liberal arts education with a bit stronger concentration in Physics and Math...</p>
<p>this may seem like a stupid question.
What is the difference between a Physics major and say a Mechanical Engineering major? What i am getting at is that can't i take the EXACT same courses that can satisfy BOTH major requirements since Physics and Mechanical Engineering is closely related? In addition, if i were to get a minor in a math related area, can't i just use some of the math course i have taken for Mecanicial engineering to satisfy that requirement? Since Princeton offer such great flexibility, can't i play a little bit with my degree and major choice if they are closely related since i can satisfy both requirements?</p>
<p>And lastly, as for declaring degree and major, did you have to do that officially after you have enrolled at Princeton, or do they just place you in whichever degree you chose on your application?</p>
<p>Thx.</p>
<p>P.S. if you find my first question ambiguous, i would be happy to try to rephrase it.</p>
<p>You declare your major after you are at Princeton. If you are a BSE you declare your major at the end of freshman year, and if you are an AB at the end of sophomore year. It is not uncommon to change majors sometime after that.</p>
<p>The courses required for mechanical and engineering are not very similar after freshman year. Physics tends to be a bit more math heavy, and mechanical engineering is a bit more practical, and involves a lot more building things. Most mechanical engineering students do not take any physics courses after freshman year, but many mechanical engineering courses involve a lot of physics. You can see the course requirements on their websites. You would not need to make a decision until the end of freshman year, and by then you would probably have a better idea about how the majors differ. It is certainly possible to change later than that. I majored in electrical engineering, although I took a lot of classes that were in the electrical engineering department but were essentially physics classes, because that is where my interest lies.</p>
<p>is there a process where i have to declare which degree i am pursuing? or is the declaration of the major also a process for me to declare my degree since a specific major is related to one of the two degrees? And is changing majors across degrees the same as chaning major within a degree? for e.g. changing from mechanical engineering to physics or changing from mechanical engineering to electrical engineering.. are they the same process?</p>
<p>I am not sure if I understand the question. You need to apply to either the school of engineering or the school of arts and sciences. If you switch out of engineering at any time, you need to get a dean to sign a piece of paper. He always tries to talk people out of switching, but never prevents people from switching out. I think usually one third to one half of the engineers end up switching out of the engineering school. I believe switching into the school of engineering is also very eash, if you have taken the appropriate classes, you need to have taken physics and math first year. Before the end of the first year, it is very easy to switch between any engineering field and physics, as the freshman class requirements are very similar.</p>
<p>After freshmen year it is more difficult to switch between mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and physics, because all three have different course requirements. It probably involves less paperwork to switch within the engineering school than out of the engineering school. The engineering majors have more requirements in the sophomore year, so you would have fewer classes to make up if you switched out of engineering into physics than vice versa. The only people I know who switched majors within the engineering school after freshman year switched into computer science or ORFE(Operations Research and Financial Engineering) which have slightly fewer required classes. I know a lot of people who switched out of engineering after the first year, but none of them switched into physics. I know of one person who switched into engineering from physics after the second year, and he did have to take a heavier than average course load, plus he had to take some courses out of order, which can be tough. He did not regret switching at all, though. I know of someone who was an AB but took the required BSE classes freshman year because he thought he might want to major in engineering, but he ended up not.</p>
<p>I would say it is more common to switch from physics to engineering than vice versa because physics is considered a more difficult major, although it has fewer required classes. I think it does not matter at all what major you apply to. If you attend Princeton, and have the physics and math background, you should take physics 105 which should give you some idea of what it is like to be a physics major.</p>
<p>Swithching majors and between the schools is trivially easy as far as paperwork, but it may be difficult to make up the classes for the major if you switch after freshman year.</p>
<p>"I would say it is more common to switch from physics to engineering than vice versa because physics is considered a more difficult major, although it has fewer required classes."</p>
<p>wow, mlf.. Physics is harder than engineering huh? now i don't even know if i should go into physics anymore... lol.... but thx a lot for your answers... i guess ill decide on my major and stuff IF i get into princeton.. for now, ill just put BSE on my app...</p>
<p>"Which is more appealing between technology/science and law in terms of the application, assuming I could go either way?"</p>
<p>It's up to you to make up your mind whether you want to apply as AB or BSE.</p>
<p>"Hey mzhang23, how's politcal science at Princeton, good, bad, mediocre?"
I'm pretty sure it's a good major. Politics and POlitical philosophy is one of the more popular majors here.</p>
<p>Is it a lot easier to get into Princeton as an underrepresented minority? I have below-average stats for Princeton, but since I marked Mexican-American/Chicano on the PSAT, I've been getting lots of information from America's top colleges. Princeton just sent me a viewbook, application, and fin. aid info. Does that mean they would actually consider accepting me? Thanks.</p>
<p>I would guess "beer"
...those are your biggest concerns? yikes...
I would imagine that all the ivies (with the possible exception of Brown) would fall under the "beer" category, but I dunno.</p>