<p>Does princeton want both summers or it only needs one?</p>
<p>Both .</p>
<p>It says "past two summers".</p>
<p>so two seperate essays or combine them into one</p>
<p>i kind of lumped it together into categories like sports, summer classes, work experience, what i did for fun, etc... and within each category I distinguished by year.</p>
<p>I did one paragraph/summer.</p>
<p>ok, 1 paragraph, but how many words?</p>
<p>i wrote 250 words total</p>
<p>200 words total</p>
<p>mine was around 300 words</p>
<p>In this essay, are they looking for basic facts, as in
I worked ______ and did _______ at my job?
Or are they looking for something a little more essay-like? On my Stanford app, there was enough room for about 2 sentences on this question, but I'm assuming since we have more space on the Princeton app we can expand a little?</p>
<p>I think the first choice is more like it--something between a list and an essay, like a list of sentences or something.</p>
<p>Rather than a laundry list, use the summer question to explain in a very pointed way how you used your summers to discover or explore a passion. This is a chance to help them get a clearer sense of your identity and of what you would contribute to campus life. Good luck.</p>
<p>^I think that the main essays and the EC essay are major opportunities to do that; if you've taken full advantage of those opportunities, I don't think you don't need to do that in your summers essay.</p>
<p>Mine is just over 100 words right now. I basically state in a very straightforward way what I did each summer ("I worked at ______ and volunteered at <strong><em>, then spent the rest of the summer in _</em></strong>"), but I guess I should probably add some details.</p>
<p>I think the summer essay is a “hidden” opportunity to shine. More and more, admissions offices have become concerned about the extent to which students are getting assistance in writing the “standard” essays and often look at the responses to questions such as the one about summers as a chance to see students in what might be less “scripted” moments. I thought my child’s answer to the summer question was the best thing in his/her application. When my child went to the admitted student’s weekend, the regional rep. from the admission office remembered what my child had written. So if you can think of a way to present your summers in a memorable way, you might stand out from the crowd.</p>
<p>^ this section doesn't help couch potatoes! :(</p>
<p>lol, luckily i get up to things during my breaks. however, i was wondering how much emphasis they put on work experience because here in switzerland you can't even legally have a job until you're 16...</p>
<p>Do you think 400 words is too much?</p>
<p>I think 400 words is a little excessive. Try to trim your essay down until it is at least shorter than your 300 word essay.</p>