Having a pre-med son at Princeton ('22), I know that Princeton is academically tough and challenging. Although Princeton has done away with the grade deflation policy in 2014 and has seen a glimmer of improvement in the average GPA since, it’s still far from some of its peers. However, as long as you have the right attitude toward self-discipline and hard work ethics, you should do just fine. By Princeton’s standard, I considered my son academically mediocre going in, but he’s doing just fine with a very strong work ethics.
Never heard of this before. Care to provide the source of this info? You do realize that Princeton doesn’t have the trio of professional schools – law, medicine and business – unlike Princeton’s closest peer institutions? These professional schools tend to pick their own undergrads, so often they constitute a class plurality each year at their respective schools. The Harvard Medical School, for example, has a large percentage of students from its own college, and likewise with Yale. One source I had a chance to look at (no longer have it with me), the average GPA of those admitted to the Harvard Medical School, students from Harvard College had a lower GPA compared to those from other colleges, clearly evidencing tribal favoritism.
You also have to remember that Princeton, compared to its closest peers, also has the lowest number of graduating class each year; for example, compare Stanford’s 1700 to Princeton’s 1340, approximately, and roughly likewise with Harvard.
In spite of all these at play, Princeton seems to be doing just fine in any given professional fields. If you’re interested in concentrating in ORFE, you’d be in the right place, as Princeton provides a strong pipeline to the Wall Street nearby.
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One very possible reason that Princeton doesn’t win the cross admit rates to H-Y-S is precisely because of students like you with a professional school in mind as a career and the anxiety the grade deflation produces. That’s reasonable and perfectly understandable, but it certainly doesn’t translate into anything silly like “slightly lower name brand.”
Princeton is a niche school with the mission of providing and focusing primarily on undergrad education. The fact that it has no “glamorous” professional schools (where the “name brand” gets largely manufactured) wasn’t an oversight by the overseers in the history of its institution. It was an institutional philosophy and intention, for which reason why we were so drawn to Princeton when we were researching colleges for my son’s application list. Even Princeton’s motto reflects what we truly love about the school: “Princeton in the nation’s service and the service of humanity.” For those students who want to enter Princeton as a way to become fabulously rich and for self-aggrandizement, I’d be happy to see Princeton continuing to lose in the cross admit race.
It’s my understanding that your applications to other schools were already submitted? Then, you’re done with the college application process and just enjoy your senior year. There’s no reason to commit to Princeton now, is there, unless you want to vacate your spot at Stanford, Yale and MIT in the interest of creating one less waiting list should you be admitted to any of them?