I was at a public high school 9th, 10th, and 11th grade. Then, I switched to private school, repeated 11th grade, and am going into 12th now. My old school deleted my entire account/email attached to all of my essays on Google Docs and turnitin.com, where there is teacher feedback and grading.
This past year, at my new school, I did not write anything significant at all. Honestly, absolutely nothing to submit to Princeton from this past year of English class. So, I have to submit something from my old school (and think I have good stuff there), butā¦thatās all gone.
I do have access to one good paper (through my dad, since I sent it to him back when I wrote it) I wrote from the past school that I would totally submit, BUT itās over 4,000 words (11+ pages double spaced, size 12 Times New Roman) and I donāt have the teacher feedback/grade on it (though I do remember the grade).
What do I do?? Is there any possibility my old school would be able to recover the account?? Panicking!
Arenāt you starting school on Tuesday? If you see a writing assignment (English, history, whatever) on the syllabus, explain your dilemma to the teacher, write the paper over the next two months, get it graded and voila, problem solved. This is not āmassiveā- just needs you to figure out which assignment works best for both the class and the Princeton application.
Iām not taking an English class. And for a history paper, I wasnāt sure if they were really looking for an AP history DBQ as the submission? Seems really boring and would be avery rubric-oriented piece of writing from me, with none of my voice/actual style like those past English essays have.
A paper is a paper is a paper. Read any of professor David Blightās essays on Lincoln, the Civil War, Slavery, etc. His voice/actual style comes out in every thing he writes. You donāt need to be a world renowned historian to write a history paper with personality. Thereās a reason why writers like Doris Kearns Goodwin are not just respected historiansā¦ but respected writers as well.
Did you know that Winston Churchillās Nobel prize was NOT for Peace but for literature?
This will be my 5th year of high school! So no English class needed. The other four years have three been grade-level English everyone is in and one AP English.
Iāll ask the old school but I have a feeling it cannot be recovered.
You have a feeling but then you asked us. If I were you, I wouldnāt assume - and Iād ask them (the old school). That, or you get a graded 1-2 page paper this yearā¦.this is your choice.
btw - records donāt just disappear.
Princeton has a requirement - you can meet it or not. That is up to you. You may have to submit the paper you donāt want. You might get a C on itā¦who knows.
But I suspect applying with a paper, even if itās not the one you want, is better that not.
And again, you are making assumptions about your old school. How about reaching out to them?
A student was panicked earlier today about college classes they took - they said the transcript was unavailable. Guess what - they were wrong.
I know history papers in general can show voice/style, but in the specific AP essays I would write for my AP history class this coming year (and have written in the several other AP histories Iāve taken), that is not the place to do so. My teachers would give me a worse grade. They just want yoou to do well on the AP, which is writing fully academically and very rigidly with advising against any writerās craft. So I still think it would not be a good thing to submit to Princeton?
I bet if you explained the situation to your history teacher, you would not get a āworse gradeā for writing something with your own flair. Or- get your old school to retrieve an old paper. As you know, nothing EVER disappears online so itās just a matter of how hard they are willing to try, not that something has been āerasedā forever!
I took AP Lang first junior year, and then English 11 (required English for the grade; all take it) my second junior year. I can find one essay I wrote, and itās not my best work, and I also donāt have the grade/feedback anywhere. Itās on a paper (long gone). We wrote others, but they were in-class, timed essays, so thatās also not good work, and I also donāt have access to those. They were handwritten.
My old school used turnitin which is perfect for proving the grade and having actual feedback right there.
The great thing about being at a private school is that your counselor can talk to your history teacher and explain your dilemma! surely you are not the first person to apply to Princeton? The teachers know the drill!
Academic records donāt disappear (i.e., transcripts), but if a studentās Canvas (or Powerschool or Schoology or Google Classroom whatever) account is canceled, then everything in that account could well be gone.
One idea is to contact individual teachers to see if they downloaded and saved papers. I actually do this, partly for record-keeping, and partly so I can write recommendation letters later. So, OP, you might contact your teachers and ask if they saved old papers.
Btw, a history paper would be a fine submission, as long as you do well.
This, in of itself, is more concerning than the actual paper IMO.
You can submit a paper from September or October of this year. It does not have to be long. Nor does it have to be an A+ paper. IMO Princeton is more interested in the comments provided and grading standard than the content of the paper itself. Donāt over think it.
My D asked her teacher for a statement on the paper, with the grade. She attached the email to the paper.
Also, itās not about āwriterās craftā of āvoiceā they are interested in your analytical skills. This is why you cannot submit a creative writing piece.
As others have noted, contact your school and potentially past teachers. If they used TurnItIn, the teachers would likely be able to recover your paper (although maybe not comments - depends on the teacher and how TurnItIn was set up and used).
Turning in the paper that you sent to your dad could work if you donāt have a good paper in the next 2 months from your new school.
fwiw, my youngest (1st year at Princeton) turned in an A- history paper with no teacher comments plus the writing prompt. It was a good writing sample and, at the very least, did not put my kid in the ārejectā pile.