<p>I found this quote from a current Princeton undergrad, and i am posting it because i have heard supporting evidence for what he is saying from everyone I have talked to in the process:</p>
<p>"Obviously, it's very selective. I did, however, take a class on the
admissions process (including a private interview with the admissions
dean) and so I happen to know a lot in this area. Firstly, if at all
possible, do early decision. Your chances improve greatly (I mean
about 10x more likely to get in) by doing so. And if you are deffered-
write letters and additional essays in between ED and regular decision.
Secondly, be a minority, even if it is a stretch. If your father lived
in Africa for a year during the peace corps, you are partly African
American, and everybody in that situation will say that. Never leave
that spot blank, unless you are Asian and have a strong opposition
fudging the facts. Now as far as the essays, there's about a 1 in a
million chance they will affect your decision. I would suggest,
however, that you remain formal. The old dean, Hargadon, loved humor,
but this new one doesn't seem quite the same. I
probably shouldn't be saying this, but, the University is hoping to
expand its dance, theater and arts departments. This means they want
to enroll more of these students- ie- if possible emphasize any
artistic talents clearly on your application- they don't know anything
so just make it sound impressive. ALSO- the deans are TOTALLY into
women in science (if you read the news you would know this) so ladies,
for the love of God, write that you are a BSE student (preferibly an
electrical engineer or something) and then <em>change your mind</em> as soon
as you get there- it is VERY easy to do and you won't get in trouble.<br>
If you are a male, I would suggest you say you are thinking of majoring
in woman studies or classics or theater or something girly. I don't
care if you like it- just do it! Oh, and indicate somewhere on your
essays that you are poor- they don't see your actual financial aid app
(or lack thereof) so you might as well try. Unless your parent is an
alum, it is better if you are the first to attend college in your
family- so let's say, your mom took one semester at hicksville
community college and dropped out- you should just leave that out of
your application. On the activities section- it is better to be "well
lopsided" than "well rounded" THIS IS CRITICAL- so, especially in
ordering and saying how much time you spent at each, be sure to really
emphasize ONE THING (preferibly- as I said before- performing arts) and
go into great detail. Then, you can highlight your well roundedness by
mentioning community service, class council, athletics, etc. In your
essays- try to write something unique but not too far out there. Like,
say you are an origami professional who taught classes in Asia, or
toured Europe with your rock band opening for Semi-Sonic or had a
brother with a brain tumor (and yes, these are just SOME of the people
on my floor) then be sure to mention that in your essay. Exagerate-
don't go nuts- but everyone does it- and that's what these people
love. The interviewers are pretty insane and don't make a difference
either way. They will almost always write how perfect everyone is and
blah blah blah - so the interview can break you if you screw up real
bad- but it can't make you. So just be pretty and polite and relax and
don't worry about it. I'm sorry if any of this is offensive to
anyone. I left out the obvious stuff (like proofread your essays, get
good grades) because everyone knows that- this is the last minute-
check up- get as much as an advantage as possible list. I personally
didn't know any of it (I guess I was just lucky), so I hope you guys
can use it to your advantage."</p>
<p>oh, and why does it matter if the old dean loves humor or the new dean doesn't? do they always read/finalize each application? is it possible to get a decision without it being read specifically by the dean?</p>
<p>can someone explain exactly what a dean does, and how he/she is different from the rest of the adcom officers?</p>
<p>I agree with most of these but with some exceptions. For the major part you should only apply to something you are qualified for. Example if all of your activites are math/science/engineering based dont apply to the arts. They want to see your passion for what you are applying to</p>
<p>yes, omz, this is just a student talking...and you should take everything they are saying with a grain of salt...just thought it was interesting/amusing diversion.</p>
<p>clen- when i visited the music dept (not my intended major btw), they told me that there are only like 10 music majors in the whole school, but on the other hand, they said there were over 750 students participating in the music departments choirs/orchestras/acapellas/etc.</p>
<p>mitch- i dont believe that princeton thinks people should be dedicated to a major from the offset, infact many of the admissions reps i have talked to say that college is the time to figure out what you like, and that when they see students who think they have their entire life planned out from there small high school science experiences, they get a little skeptical. i am not saying that there aren't some people who are passionate about ONE thing, and they would be terrific in that field, however.</p>
<p>i forgot to add that my interviewer graduated with a prestigious Princeton engineering degree, and then went to law school at USC and now practices business law (you dont have to know exactly how your life is going to play out...with the beginning being your intended major set in stone.)</p>
<p>gah I wanted put down music as my major, but I didn't know if you had to audition or not, so I was just like screw it.</p>
<p>lmao So is it bad that as a woman
I put Philosophy as my major
And women's studies as my certificate
Because those things are too "girly"
And I should do something more "mannish"
XD</p>
<p>But I plan on going Pre-Med so it's all good.</p>
<p>i didnt mean to sound like since there were only 10 music majors...they wanted more.</p>
<p>on the contrary, the music prof sounded like he liked the students who had other majors but were dedicated to music as well. he made it sound as if the music majors were kind of just "there"</p>
<p>True True, but I definitely think from an admissions perspective they would rather admit someone applying to the engineering department with a passion in engineering and who has shown numerous unique activities in engineering. Although I definitely see your point.</p>
<p>definitely agree on engineering...especially critical that you have good math/science grades and SAT scores, and are involved in some sort of engineering.</p>
<p>You know, I actually was going to apply to engineering (because of my parents) but I took the bio sat II instead of chem or physics, so I guess I didn't meet the requirements.</p>
<p>And my dad was like, do it anyway.</p>
<p>And I was like okay maybe...but then I didn't feel like writing that extra essay. haha</p>
<p>Ya, im applying to engineering, so I was thinking about it from that perspective. By the way, if anyone is from Florida the next Rocket launch is in January, id love if some CC people could attend!</p>