Haha, the paranoia is real. You getting the email 10 minutes earlier than your others is not an indication of anything. The emails have time delays because Princeton doesn’t want to beat its servers to a pulp.
I didn’t get a Princeton alumni interview, even though many people from my school and region got it. Does that mean I’m rejected? I know sometimes alumni aren’t available, but if they were planning on accepting me, they would have offered at least a Skype interview. I’m an international student btw.
@MSYP100 Theoretically, if others in your region were given interviews, you should have gotten one too. But I do not think that whether or not you received an interview has any indication of whether you will be admitted or rejected. According to Princeton’s website, even if you were not given an opportunity to interview, they will still “give your application full consideration.”
I’ve been told that they somewhat randomly dole out interviews to the alumni volunteers in the area, and if the alum drops the ball, then they definitely don’t hold that against you. Also, they tend to dole them out in order of who submitted first. Lastly, they most likely haven’t even looked at your app by the time they doled out interviews, so I don’t think you can read into it.
Just got email . Decisions on the 30th.
@prospector1 @bluenette23 Actually, I submitted my Princeton application 7 days after the deadline and got no interview. I submitted my Dartmouth and Yale applications 11 days after deadline, and still got interviewed for both of those. I got my Yale interview email in like mid February, and Dartmouth interview email on like 2nd February, but haven’t gotten any interview from Princeton, even though it’s commonly known in my region that Princeton interviews almost all applicants. So I’m just worried. If they were reading my application in like February, when the intensive review of applications is taking place, they must have noticed a lack of interview report, and if they were genuinely interested in my application, they should have assigned an interviewer or something. It’s unlikely that an interviewer would choose not to contact an applicant, and even if that happened, they could have just assigned me to someone else if they were interested in my application. However, if someones application didn’t make the cut, they wouldn’t really go to the trouble of getting that person an alumni interview, would they?
…you can submit apps after the deadline? :o
Hey!
Are the results given at 5 PM for all Ivy’s? Or just Princteon? I was always sure the results are given at 5 AM…
All Ivy’s make their decisions after 5pm .^
@MSYP100 A couple thoughts. One is that it is NOT helpful to post your question on two different threads and that in fact what happens is it creates a mess for other applicants trying to find answers to the same questions as well as those who respond to your questions. Please try to keep a line of questions to a single thread. All of those who regularly answer questions here read all the threads and will respond where there is something helpful to be offered.
Second, you are understandably in that part of the decision process where nothing more can be done to sway the decision that will come out in 5 more days and are looking for hints or probabilities about what you will find out as decisions are released. If you are denied admission, it is extremely unlikely that it is related in any way to not having an offer for an interview. All indicators point to the number of applications being greatly increased this year so this is more likely the reason Princeton is unable to offer interviews to everyone.
Try not to over think and over guess at this point. Princeton is a far reach for almost everyone so treat it as such. Keep yourself busy, stay off CC and trust that you will land somewhere great.
Well, I officially had one of the worst nights of my life.
Last night at around 11:30 P.M. I received a call from a man who asked for my name, claimed he was from Princeton University, and that I was “being considered for a full 4-year scholarship at Princeton University.” Obviously, major red flags here. 1.) Why would someone from Princeton be calling me this late on a Friday night? Or at all, for that matter? 2.) Ivy Leagues don’t give out scholarships. 3.) The caller ID was from Marathon, FL. Way south of where I live, albeit in the same state.
However, realizing these signs I still somehow tried to make sense of it all; perhaps this was really happening. 1.) I don’t know. Maybe admissions officers may call at odd times. Maybe he expected it to go to voicemail so he can leave a message. Maybe because Ivy Day is so close, calling applicants for “scholarships” is customary. I don’t know, it’s Princeton. It didn’t help that Princeton also sent out their “decision notification” e-mail last night either, further adding little cues to help confirm my assumptions. 2.) Perhaps he meant “financial aid.” It would make sense considering if admitted I am likely to receive a lot of aid due to my independent status. 3.) Maybe it’s my regional admissions officer calling. Who knows? I don’t know anyone else who would have my information, including cell number, knows I applied to Princeton, and would for some reason call me stating I am being considered for a scholarship (and on a day where it would almost make sense, e.g decision notification date e-mail).
So, I managed to stutter out the word “what?” He repeated it again. And again. “what?” I said. I could obviously hear him, I was just both skeptical and shocked, the latter emotion overriding the other. He asked me if I had bad service and I told him I didn’t, I was just shaking a bit. I asked him if this was some kind of prank, and he very seriously said “No, here at Princeton we take our admissions decisions very seriously. Although, I can very easily rescind your offer, if you’d like.” Another major red flag. What kind of admissions officer says that to an accepted applicant?
Of course, I was too hysterical and wanted to believe it was all real. “No, I’m sorry about that… this is just so odd.” I said.
He then said something along the lines of “you’ll be receiving your admissions packet in the mail in a couple of days and you must complete a 100-word essay to be considered for the scholarship.” At this point, I was shaking so hard and on the verge of tears. Of course, still skeptical. But it was late and I was shaking and Princeton is my dream school and I had that slight hope that maybe, just maybe my deferral somehow turned into an acceptance and perhaps this was the man that fought for me. Didn’t help that I recently watched the movie “Admission”, either. “However, you have to make sure not to get into any trouble.” he said. “With your stats, you’re on the verge.” That sentence set it off, it really did. At least I think that’s what he said. I couldn’t hear him anymore over my hysterical crying and anxiety setting it. My stats were nowhere near great… Maybe this was real. Maybe I got in! I was crying so hard, I couldn’t believe this was happening. I managed to ignore all the seemingly obvious signs that something was wrong and simply cried of joy and excitement.
Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! I’m shaking and crying all over my couch and at this point the man is asking if I’m alright. I told him I was and thanked him ad nauseam. “Thank you so much, sir!” He stopped me and said “You don’t have to call me sir.” I managed to choke out a nervous “Okay, can I have a name?.. Just so I don’t call you sir again?”
He laughed, stuttered, and said “John.”
That’s it. No last name. Hesitant stutter. A million red flags and I’m still crying because I truly want to believe I got into Princeton, because who in their right mind would carry on with a cruel “prank” like this?
The phone call ended with him listening to me crying of joy, me somehow choking out the question “so, I’m accepted into Princeton, right?” and him saying “Of course. I hope to see you at Princeton University.”
The call ended. I couldn’t believe that just happened. That just happened. I’m a hot mess; crying because I not only believed that I got into my dream school, but somehow was being offering a scholarship/financial aid for 4 years. That just happened.
On a whim, I called my best friend Kevin and my “legal guardian” (for the sake of brevity I’ll refer to her as my mom). They were so excited and congratulated me. All of a sudden, I see a FaceBook post from my mom congratulating me. Crap. The reality of it all was hitting me. The ecstasy and ignorance that overcame me slowly deteriorated and all the red flags blared like huge sirens. What the hell just happened? I promptly asked her to take the post down until it was “official.”
What the hell just happened? Who just called me? I’m covered in tears. Am I going to Princeton?
What kind of sick joke is this… Should I apologize to the guy on the phone for being hysterical? Will this affect my decision?
I tracked the caller and the name that appeared was completely different than “John.” Maybe it was a student using a different phone? I tried tracing a “John” at Princeton University Admissions. Nothing. I tried tracing the name that appeared when tracking the number. Nothing.
I’ve been overthinking the hell out of this and don’t know what to do. It’s amazing the amount of things you’re willing to overlook when you really want something. However, if this really was a prank… who would do this?
I later sent a fairly long text to the man who called me and apologized for my hysteria. Told him I don’t usually cry during all of my conversations and it would be nice if we can chat again to discuss any further questions I have…
This was around 12 A.M.
1:32 P.M. I finally received a text back saying “Sorry, my friends and I were just joking around. We called a bunch of people. We didn’t think you’d take it seriously.”
Are you kidding me? What kind of cruel, messed up joke is this? Take it seriously? I was crying on the phone, if I didn’t emphasize that enough. Of course I took it seriously. How did this random person that I don’t even know get my number, name, and the fact that I was applying to Princeton. Apparently, he didn’t. Him and his friends retrieved random numbers from FaceBook and didn’t even know I actually applied to Princeton. He apologized to me with “I am so sorry, the chances of calling a random girl who actually applied to Princeton…I didn’t know. I’m sorry.”
Screw him. Screw this. I can’t believe anyone would think this is funny. Sure, in hindsight it was never to be believed in the first place. However, it is truly messed up that anyone would think this is even remotely funny - another reason why I wanted to think that maybe, just maybe I got into Princeton. Sigh. It was nice while it lasted, I guess.
My family and friends members now think I’ll be going to Princeton. I haven’t been this upset in a long time. I don’t know what to tell them, besides the embarrassing truth. I wish this never happened. I wish people like those “pranksters” didn’t exist and I wish I wasn’t so impulsive. I wish they could be punished for toying with other peoples lives and emotions like this. It may have been a joke to them, but this has cost me so much pain and anxiety. I can’t believe this happened.
I haven’t slept at all last night and it’s currently 3:45 P.M.
…geez. that’s horrible…
Hopefully things work out and you do get in.
@Gnarling that is absolutely awful, and I’m so sorry you had to suffer through that 
@Gnarling that was so long but very fun to read tho. I bet your essays were amazing. Anyway I’m sorry that had to happen to you but good luck!
if you get in you should call him back
…or just prank call him lol
Amazing. My mom just texted me “How did it feel to wake up a (tiger emoji)?”
Is this real life?
I’d like to think my essays were amazing. I do like to write, although this anecdote was a bit furious to relive. Lol.
Thank you for the good luck. I wish you luck as well.
@Gnarling I’m so sorry that you had to go through that. That guy is a jerk. I truly hope that you’ll be hearing good news next week.
@Gnarling I’m so immensely sorry you had to go through that. If it helps at all, I’m sure you do have an amazing chance at Princeton. And even if you don’t end up getting accepted, you will accomplish your dreams somewhere else.
^^^^