<p>Hello!</p>
<p>For prompt 1, the one that asks you to describe how a person influenced you in a significant way, can this person be a fictional character from a book?</p>
<p>Thanks,</p>
<p>My impression is that Princeton’s supplementary prompt #1 (“Tell us about a person who has influenced you in a significant way.”) is asking you to write about a person in your life, not a fictional character. If Princeton’s supplementary prompt #1 wanted you to write about a fictional character, then I think its language would more closely track common app prompt #4 (“Describe a character in fiction…”) than common app prompt #3 (“Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you…”). If you really want to write about how a fictional character has influenced you, then a safe route is to write that essay for common app prompt #4.
JP</p>