<p>I've been looking at Princeton and they seem to have everything I want as far as majors/fields: engineering, classical guitar, literature, mathematics, creative writing . . . I haven't been able to narrow it down. My question is: do the tours (especially the engineering tour) help with getting more information about the college, and these areas in particular? I'm visiting an aunt in that area on Thursday and Friday and will probably stop by the campus, but you have to make an appointment ahead of time for the engineering tour.</p>
<p>the tour would help with getting more information about the college, generally, but probably not with getting more info about your areas of academic interest. if you can't make the live tour, though, you can always take the virtual one:</p>
<p>Most definitely. It sold me 100%</p>
<p>visiting the campus made the decision easy for me! Princeton immediately became the obvious choice. I did, however, visit in April once I had already been accepted, not before applying : ) !</p>
<p>--David--</p>
<p>the tour gave basically the same info you'd find anywhere else, but just going there and being on campus and hearing some of the great stories from the tour guide... it's amazing. You really get a feel for the place. It gave me that warm, fuzzy feeling, and I've been feeling warm and fuzzy ever since. :)</p>
<p>Yeah, the info on the tour itself wasn't anything special, but walking along those paths of such an extraordinary campus gave me chills. I took my tour after I got in, but I have a feeling the effect would've probably been even greater had I taken one before I'd applied. Do it!</p>
<p>The tour is definitely for visual confirmation, it won't really give you any extra info on academics (mine tour group was huge so I couldn't even hear the tourguide all the time) but you can see the gorgeous campus and talk to some people there after the tour.</p>
<p>The engineering tour is pretty useful because it primarily focuses on answering academic questions, as opposed to the Orange Key campus tour which can sometimes be a little "ooooh, look at the pretty buildings, let me tell you an anecdote!" No offense to Orange Key, but they're trying to cater to a diverse audience... tourists, parents, alumni, history buffs, as well as prospectives. I'd highly recommend going for an engineering tour. Which areas of engineering are you interested in?</p>
<p>Feel free to PM.</p>
<p>Definately take the tour, but remember to turn off your cell phone. It can get embarassing when your cell phone rings in the middle of an anecdote and it's your mom yelling about how the parking meter is running out and that you must get to Nassau and Washington NOW.</p>
<p>Oh, to get back on topic, take the tour. I know in a couple of interviews, I said, oh I like the campus, and the person started asking specific questions about the campus to make sure that I was truly interested. Then again, that is all up to chance, too. Ideally, you should visit AFTER you get in to a) save gas and b) save time. However, it does show your interest in the school, so in the end, visit before applying.</p>
<p>It does show interest if your interviewer happens to ask, or if you mention it in your application, but Princeton DOES NOT TRACK visits, so it won't count as a point of contact (something that other schools may use to gauge interest). I think you should definitely visit before applying though (unless it's a huge strain on your family) because it gives you a good idea of what you're applying for...something concrete to think about as you're writing your app essays and interviewing. It also helps if you're trying to decide whether to apply.</p>
<p>Did any of you attend an information session? Where are they held?</p>
<p>I did. There was one up in Dallas (at a nice hotel), so my mom and I drove up to see what they had to say. It's not all that big of a deal, but it gives you the opportunity to ask questions if you have them. Plus I stole a pretty nifty poster from them :cool:</p>
<p>One more point. IF you choose to apply to Penn, please note that there is one essay topic that asks you to describe what you like the most about Penn. I definately bombed this question on my app, because a) I'm 20 minutes from Penn, and b) I haven't visited the campus in 6 years. Anyway, This is one essay topic where visiting would help. However, I don't think Pton asks this, because I don't recall answering this question. Maybe it does, but it's not a required essay topic. </p>
<p>Once again, the interviewing question is all up to chance. I happened to have an interviewer who wanted my impression of the campus and wanted to know how I got to know about Pton and its campus and academic issues and such. I live in Jersey, so I guess she was expecting that I would have taken a tour at the very least.</p>
<p>Yea Princeton doesn't have that question...</p>
<p>I went to an info session at Princeton. It was with adcoms in Nassau Hall. </p>
<p>I know people who answered that Why Penn question without ever having visited...you just have to do your research.</p>
<p>thanks for the info on the engineering tour in particular, lithoglyphic . . . I will keep that in mind! I'm not sure what areas of engineering I'm interested in, but I live around Penn State and went to one of their women in engineering days. The ones that interested me were mechanical, aerodynamic, nuclear, and acoustic (although that's a graduate degree). Princeton probably doesn't have nuclear because you have to have a nuclear reactor, but what are their strengths? Does the tour give you info on each specific field or just the department in general?</p>
<p>Thanks to everyone for all your advice-- I'm planning on doing the Orange Key and engineering tours in the morning and the Admission Info session early afternoon.</p>
<p>Have fun and take lots of pictures! :p</p>
<p>As the tour's given by an undergraduate junior or senior, their expertise on the fields you're interested in will depend a lot on their major. However, they should be knowledgeable about all. If you're really interested, possibly you could ask when you call to set up the appointment if you could meet with someone in MAE, or you could drop by the department office.</p>