<p>This is going to be a rather brief inquiry, but would being Jewish impact my chances at Princeton? I know that Princeton has one of the smallest Jewish populations, if not the smallest (I believe that title is taken by Dartmouth), in the Ivy League, and I recall reading an article in which the Princeton administration discussed wanting to change public perceptions that it was an anti-Semitic establishment. With this in mind, and holding academic achievements and extracurriculars constant (by this, I mean, assuming they are on par with the majority of worthy applicants), would being Jewish increase one’s chances at all (assuming that it wouldn’t decrease one’s chances, as I am ALMOST certain they’ve done away with Jewish quotas - I joke!)?</p>
<p>Schools can’t discriminate with regards to religion, and this goes in all directions. If you’re leading Shabat services then it will help you because it’s a strong activity, not because you’re Jewish. So to be blunt, no, being Jewish will not help you.</p>
<p>NB: Jewish quoatas were originally put in place not because of blatant anti-Semitism, but because to that point, a good deal of the spots in university classes were taken by Jews so putting in a place a Jewish quota was to create diversity (though this could certainly be construed as anti-Semitism). Richard Feynmann was actually a victim of this, as his first choice, Columbia, had filled their Jewish quota. As a result, he went to MIT (and then Princeton for grad school).</p>
<p>Ummm, the original Jewish quotas were in no way about diversity, unless by “diversity” you mean having an appropriate mixture of white, male, Anglo-Saxon Episcopalians, Presbyterians, and a smattering of Catholics, Methodists and maybe Baptists. And they replaced the situation where the “quota” was effectively zero. Elite colleges started admitting Jews on a regular basis because people were no longer comfortable with outright anti-Semitism, but some alumni and administrators became concerned that Jews were going to infect the colleges with their alien values (such as: too much emphasis on academics over sports). So a more-or-less conscious effort was made to limit the “problem” while admitting Jewish applicants in much greater numbers than had been true in the past. The quotas were more or less public until the 60s, when that sort of thing fell out of fashion. </p>
<p>At the time, Jews (and Catholics) WERE diversity. Black, Hispanic, and Asian students in elite universities were not entirely unknown, but they were few and far between, and no group had to be limited to make room for them.</p>
<p>I have to agree with JHS that Jewish quotas were about limiting the number of Jews in the class–and nothing more. Well, maybe a little bit more. Jews were more likely to be socialists than the population at large. But mostly it was just about not having too many Jews.</p>
<p>Cmorris, as for your application to Princeton in 2011, being Jewish will have no effect whatsoever. There are universities that are trying to increase their Jewish enrollment, but I really don’t think Princeton has an actual shortage or either Jewish students or Jewish applicants. If you’re looking for colleges and universities that are seeking Jews, look at the ones that don’t have a Hillel (or have one that’s classified as “small and mighty”). Princeton’s Hillel, by contrast, has its own building, multiple *minyanim<a href=“Orthodox,%20Conservative/Egalitarian,%20and%20Reform”>/I</a>, and kosher dining.</p>
<p>Read “The Chosen” by Jerome Krabel for a historic perspective on the discrimination against Jewish applicants. JHS and Sikorsky are right.</p>
<p>Yanks:</p>
<p>I assure you that the original quotas had nothing to do with promoting diversity.</p>
<p>There wasn’t even a concept of promoting diversity back then.</p>
<p>Back then, there was REAL discrimination against jews. Until the early 1960’s, many top companies, such as the investment banks, and big insurance companies, would not hire jews. The purpose of the quotas were to keep jews out. Plain and simple.</p>
<p>That’s the reason why Brandeis University was formed, to take highly qualified jews excluded, by and large, from the Ivy League.</p>
<p>My mother’s brother was one of only a handful of jews who got into University of Pennsylvania Medical School. </p>
<p>Back in those days, for example, it was unthinkable for a wasp to marry a jew.</p>
<p>In fact, the Kennedy family disowned one of their kids because they married a non-Catholic.</p>
<p>It was a different world back then.</p>
<p>Watch the movie Gentleman’s Agreement, with Gregory Peck.</p>
<p>Jews were not allowed into certain hotels.</p>
<p>I even remember in my own time (I am 55) where Leonard Bernstein performed in Palm Beach, but was excluded when a member of a WASP country club invited him to the club after the performance. Palm Beach actually had covenants in some neighborhoods barring the sale of homes to jews.</p>
<p>And many jews in WW II who deserved the Medal of Honor and other awards were routinely awarded a lesser medal.</p>
<p>And jews were routinely excluded from organizations like the CIA, which were like special clubs for wasps.</p>
<p>And it wasn’t only jews. Look at the big deal that was made because JFK was a Catholic.</p>
<p>
Thi assertion is incorrect, too. As an example, BYU has a two tiered tuition schedule; Mormons pay one rate and “gentiles” pay more.</p>
<p>Only at BYU would a Jew be considered a gentile.</p>
<p>Anyway, I think the main thing here is that Princeton isn’t lacking for high-quality Jewish applicants (including, I’m sure, the OP). So on the off chance that someone in authority at Princeton said, “We should admit more Jews,” that wouldn’t be much of a boost to anyone’s application. Underrepresented minorities get a meaningful boost because a disproportionately large number are admitted compared to their presence in the pool of qualified applicants. I don’t think there’s any chance that a disproportionately large (in any meaningful way) number of Jewish applicants will be admitted compared their presence in the pool of qualified applicants.</p>
<p>This article may help give you a sense of how things stand with Jewish recruitment at Princeton.</p>
<p>[Choosing</a> the chosen people - The Daily Princetonian](<a href=“http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/2009/10/23/24251/]Choosing”>http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/2009/10/23/24251/)</p>
<p>“[Dean of Admissions Janet Rapelye] has been working strategically with us to get the word out and encourage more [students] to come,” [Center for Jewish Life executive director Rabbi Julie Roth] said, adding, “I found a very willing partner.”</p>
<p>Together, they have devised a “multi-year and multi-pronged” recruitment strategy. Among other steps, Roth has traveled to Jewish day schools to promote the University, and Princeton alumni attend Jewish college fairs and donate money to the CJL specifically for recruitment purposes.</p>