<p>Wow flutegirl and Andrew should get a room…</p>
<p>Looks like CC has turned match.com…</p>
<p>This thread gets better and better.</p>
<p>To answer the OP’s question though:</p>
<p>Your knowledge of Princeton will help in an interview, in a “why Princeton” essay, and perhaps it will show through in other parts of your application. No-one will notice if you watch a class… The only way it could possibly help is if you somehow got an in with a prof and he send a recommendation, but that is unlikely to happen as I doubt profs would be interested in someone not even in their class.</p>
<p>The truth is that you can only measurably increase your chances is by having your parents give a boatload of money – sufficient to endow professor’s chairs or build buildings with your family’s name on it. The kids accepted EA to Stanford this year from our town all had families who had donated buildings; the rest were denied. quod est demonstrandum. All other advice is too subjective for you to improve upon (be a"student leader" blah blah – there are 23,000 high schools in the US, all of whom have student council presidents). So, right now, go up to your mommy and daddy and demand that they give a building. Then you will get in.</p>
<p>I LOVE this thread. <3</p>
<p>^^ That is simply not true…</p>
<p>You can increase your chances in 100 different ways (which if you disagree with me I will list)… Visiting a lecture just happens not to be one of them.</p>
<p>Back to the original question again (boy this thread veers often!): </p>
<p>to andrewm: like another poster said, simply attending Princeton lectures shows that you have the fortune to be in the vicinity of campus and have first hand knowledge of the campus. If you were a file reader why should you confer an advantage to this kid versus the same kid in Chicago who only visited Princeton once during a summer tour of East colleges?</p>
<p>It’s like a similar thread where someone was paranoid about his submitted application having a date stamp close to the submissions deadline. He worried that file readers would assume some sort of “laziness” or “lack of interest” as compared to someone who submitted an application at the beginning of December.</p>
<p>Ask yourself this: what would a rational person do? We have to work under the assumption that file readers aren’t petty people, no? Then apply the same scenario to yours. </p>
<p>Saying that one happened to be able to sit in on lectures at campus one day says nothing of value about you as a potential student.</p>
<p>1) I’m glad everyone loves the thread.</p>
<p>2) In all seriousness, I understand that seeing the lecture would not make me or break me, but in general I would want to see a class for personal interest as well, not just to boost my chances of general admission, but just to see how I would fit anyway. I was looking at a class on the Princeton website called Religion In American Society, and I would love just to see what that class would have to offer considering I come from a Catholic School and that I’m taking a World Religion course this year.</p>
<p>3) Idio - I would love to hear your opinion on some of the ways, just out of curiousity.</p>
<p>Bumping because I love this thread. You are welcome, everyone.</p>
<p>What are you guys talking about? Of course there’s a way to improve your chances…</p>
<p>Get your parents to donate millions to the school! When you attend Princeton, you may even get to see your name on a building! How cool is that?</p>
<p>Idiosyncra3y, I’d like to see your list</p>
<p>Really obvious stuff - first the numbery things</p>
<p>boost scores, GPA</p>
<p>Then just do things that you care about, and do them well</p>
<p>Play an instrument, join a service club, start a club, help someone, get work somewhere…</p>
<p>Just the basic boring things will help as long as they are things that you love and do well.</p>
<p>If you really really want a boost though you have to be awesome at something. My point was that everything you have done counts, as long as it is done with passion. There are hundreds of things like that.</p>
<p>Nothing new here… we all know them.</p>
<p>the OP is looking for an easy way to distinguish him/herself</p>
<p>^Yep. No such thing. If it was easy, then everyone would do it, and you’d no longer be distinguished from the other applicants.</p>
<p>I didn’t say that any of them were quick and/or easy…</p>
<p>Can you guys tell me if this makes me stand out? I’m kind of relying on these along test scores:</p>
<p>Grew up in the rural countryside of China for 6 years. Relocated over 8 times over 4 different states and 2 countries (moved from the east coast to the midwest during sophomore year in high school)</p>
<p>Piano is by far my biggest extracurricular. Received the highest score in a State Competition with over 5000 participants, biggest annual contest in the state of MN. Invited to play in the State Honors Concert. + Some minor regional awards that I couldn’t fit on the Commonapp, but w/e.</p>
<p>Just be yourself and apply sideways. :)</p>
<p>I’ve to agree that you guys are really mean to OP, but … the first couple replies were hilarious.
Even if I don’t get into Princeton, this thread makes it all worth it :)</p>