Princeton Supplement

Colleges and Universities A-Z Princeton University
1

<p>This may seem like a random question to some, but it has been bothering me lately:</p>

<p>The Princeton supplement asks you to write an additional essay in their supplement, and we can choose from four topics. The first one is the standard, "Talk about someone who has influenced you, etc., etc." and the last three are longer prompts with quotes and a more sophisticated je-ne-sais-quoi about them
However, I am planning on doing the first one (influential person essay) because other colleges to which I am applying ask that as a supplemental choice as well, so I thought, "why not kill multiple birds with one stone??"
Still, I don't want Princeton to think that I am copping out by choosing to write the first "lesser" essay instead of the three more sophisticated ones--I don't want them to think I am afraid to answer them or something!!</p>

<p>Any thoughts on this and how the different essays are treated in Princeton's Supplement??</p>

2

<p>Don’t think about it that much. Pick the essay you can do the best. I chose the first option because, as you said, I wanted to kill multiple birds with one stone. It was also the option that allowed me to create a very personal image of myself, which I think helped get me accepted.</p>

3

<p>Pick the essay that you think will be best. This is not the time to be lazy. Princeton definitely won’t penalize you for picking the first essay, but I’ve found that interesting prompts tend to produce more interesting essays. If you know you can write a better essay for one of the other prompts, put in the extra time and do it.</p>

4

<p>Just know that an essay would not be an option if the school didn’t consider it legitimate…Princeton isn’t trying to trick you into choosing an “easier” essay so that they can root you out from the serious applicants.</p>