Now that the May 1 commitment deadline is past, I’d like to learn from the new class of 2021 as well as previous classes and alumni (parents are also welcome to comment) as to what led you to commit to Princeton over others. Please share your story in the following: 1) List of Other Colleges Admitted, 2) Why Princeton, and 3) What Your Intended Major is.
For my son:
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Williams, Amherst, Pomona, UPenn, Dartmouth, Duke (and 2 in-state universities)
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In helping my son in choosing the school for his “right fit,” choosing Princeton over the LACs, particularly Williams, was a very difficult one for me as a parent. As a parent I felt a greater sense of assurance that my son would thrive and succeed at Williams than anywhere else. But my son didn’t care for William’s remote location and its insulated environment. What we both looked for – our top priority and criterion – was a school with the primary focus and mission on the quality of its undergrad education and experience. So, we looked at the size of undergrad student body, endowment per student, students to teacher ratio and curricular programs. Princeton’s impressive endowment per student has been well known and its 5:1 students to teacher ratio is equally as impressive. We were also impressed by its precept system, which I think really plays into my son’s learning style and preference. As for the senior thesis, I look at it as a pain but a good kind of pain that would really help my son to grow intellectually.
The last thing that allowed us to choose Princeton relatively easily over all else was its most generous FA package. Without getting into any details, I’ll just say that no other colleges admitted came close to Princeton’s offer.
- Another reason why we chose Princeton over others is his intended major in music and pre-med track. Each of the schools he was admitted to has something unique to offer in this regard, but Princeton stood out with its dual-degree program with the Royal College of Music in London. Not only it offers this dual-degree program but the program is structured in such manner that a music major can just enjoy a semester of “study abroad” at the Royal College of Music during the undergrad years without having to go through the dual-degree commitment upon graduation. It’s structured thus so that music majors can explore and “test” to see whether a career in music is right for the student. The fact that Maxim Vengerov, one of my son’s favorite violin virtuosos, is a faculty at the Royal College of Music was an icing on the cake.
My D is a freshman at Princeton. She absolutely loves the place and as a parent, I’ve been impressed with Princeton as an institution of higher learning - one which encourages intellectual freedom among its faculty and students. Also, the opportunities seem endless because of its huge endowment, active alumni and advantageous location. She was accepted to UVA (Echols), Oxford (Christ Church), Stanford and waitlisted at Dartmouth. (She also seriously considered applying to Williams, so I know the struggle there!) All 5 of the colleges to which she applied had robust humanities departments. She chose Princeton because of that elusive thing we call “fit.” She just felt most comfortable there. She most likely will major in history. She likes the size (not too big, not too small), dedicated focus on undergraduate students, access to phenomenal professors, quality of courses (she has a great advisor who helps her choose terrific classes and she loves them all), her peers (she calls herself a nerd in the capital of nerdville) all found within a bucolic setting. She’s had her bumps as she adjusted to her new college life and nothing is perfect. But every time she comes home for a scheduled break, she thanks her parents for supporting her along the way and allowing her to attend Princeton (!). @TiggerDad, congratulations to your son. I hope he enjoys his time at Princeton as much as my DD!
@srlilly - It’s always reassuring, as a parent, to receive an input such as yours with a child one year in at Princeton. For new students with no ties to the school, it’s hard to gauge what they’ll be faced with. Would you mind sharing why Oxford and the reasons for eliminating it from the list at the end? For history major, I’d think that it’s perhaps the strongest of the list.
@TiggerDad - for D, turning down Oxford had a lot to do with flexibility (or lack thereof) regarding her own undergraduate pursuits. In the British system, one is invited to “read” a subject, such as History, or French, or Philosophy, Politics & Economics (PPE) - in other words, a prospective student interviews with her course of study (similar to a college major in the U.S.) already set. So, my D was invited to read a subject, but ultimately she wanted the freedom to explore a variety of subjects first, which is traditional in the U.S. system. Turns out she didn’t even interview for history, so it was a good thing she was able to “try on” different subjects at Princeton. In addition, thanks to Princeton’s generous financial aid, the cost of attending was much less than that of Oxford. We did our best to stay neutral throughout the evaluation process last year; as such, she remains very happy with her decision:).
@TiggerDad son (class of 2020) chose Princeton over many free rides in Texas and schools like Rice or MIT because he loved Princeton’s feel and wasn’t sure what he wanted to study so why not attend a place that offers so many options. He got in as a ChemE, but loves all subjects. At Princeton Preview, instead of attending a ChemE talk, we took a random detour to listen to an ORFE talk, he fell instantly in love with the program. He just declared for ORFE this week.
Aside from ORFE and COS classes, he has taken two Freshman Seminars - one on nuclear proliferation and one on ancient civilizations. He has learned to write well I his writing seminar, and studied math and economics, while being surround by brilliant peers and professors. All of this in a small school setting with a heavy undergrad focus.
Although a near perfect student with amazing test scores, he has been seriously challenged by the engineering workload at Princeton. Being really good at all subjects, but not an expert at any one, is a frustrating experience for him because there are always a few students in each class that are exceptional in that subject. A great opportunity to learn some important life lessons!
Anyways, he is about a week or so away from completing his first year at Princeton. Time flies, treasure your kids, they grow up too damn fast…
@psywar - Thanks for your input. My son’s friend is also finishing up her first year at Princeton. Apparently, she really struggled with her engineering work load. Am I glad that my son’s not an engineering major! But then, I don’t think pre-med courses are a walk in the park…
@psywar @TiggerDad My '16 son also struggled greatly in his first year as a BSE. It is quite an adjustment to go from the top of your class/region to being quite average among your peers! He also grappled with the engineering workload - particularly as he was also a varsity athlete. A few weeks into his freshman fall semester he called home in tears convinced he would fail out and needed to switch concentrations. We encouraged him to seek out some help by going to the McGraw Center for help (he was able to secure both group and individual tutoring), attending office hours, and seeking out the graduate instructors he had for his classes. Unlike high school, no one at Princeton judges you as less intelligent for asking for help. The work load is challenging enough that a large percentage of students ask for help at one point or another. He did all of these and also worked very hard to hone his time management and study skills.
In the end, he not only succeeded in his academic career as a BSE concentrator, but graduated summa cum laude with academic departmental awards. A very challenging workload, hard work and asking for help allowed him to develop what we believe is his maximum potential as an undergraduate student and ultimately matured his character. Admittedly, not everyone thrives under this kind of pressure but he certainly did. Choosing Princeton means being stretched. If that is really how you are wired as a student, I think you would be hard pressed to find a more beneficial and supportive environment.
@Cantiger - Wow, going from the tears of fear of failing to graduating summa cum laude!! That’s impressive! Congratulations, I’m sure that process was truly a character building, I’m sure!
The thing that worries me more than anything else is the fact that my son has had to endure 4 years of a rather poor public high school education and preparation. I envy those kids who went through either top public high schools or those top private boarding schools with teachers all holding a Ph.D. in their subjects. My son’s high school is unranked public with many of his teachers with questionable qualifications. He just took an AP Physics exam and he bemoaned the fact that at least 20% of the exam wasn’t covered by his teacher. He’s now taking a bunch of IB exams, and the same thing. All throughout his high school years, he survived through by his own independent studies and his own formation of group studies to supplement the course teachings. One thing this situation has given him is his ability to do independent studies and initiating group collaborations which I believe and hope that would be an asset in the Princeton environment. As a classical violinist and as a varsity athlete with a whole bunch of other ECs, he’s honed his multi-tasking skills, so the time management is another of his strengths. I just worry that he’d be behind at a place like Princeton with a large percentage of students who were better prepared by their high schools as far as subjects go. But I’m sure what I’m describing is very typical of many more kids in such an environment with poor high school preparations.
@TiggerDad Thanks for the kind words! DS '16 was an international student so came from a different educational background than the US. He also experienced feeling somewhat ill-prepared at the beginning of his freshman year, particularly as many of his peers had extensive AP preparation (he only took one in high school which he self studied). If your son can manage that ‘fish out of water’ feeling through the first year, things level out significantly in the subsequent years. Your son’s experience in needing to be a self starter and with time management will serve him well at Princeton. Encourage him to seek out help when he needs it - early and often! His offer of admission means Princeton is convinced he can succeed. Enjoy! The years go by quickly!!
My daughter is finishing up her freshman year. She cast a wide net, so ended up with many options, but her top 4 at the end were Princeton, Ga Tech (full ride with Stamps), Messiah College in PA, and Dartmouth (which matched Princeton’s generous financial aid offer and had mountains and nordic skiing.)
There was no one perfect school, but Princeton ultimately made the most sense for her. She thought she would do engineering, but wasn’t 100% committed, and Princeton had lots of other options if she changed her mind. Their engineering program was less quirky than Dartmouth’s. The students seemed a bit more serious minded than Dartmouth’s overall. The aid was better than Messiah’s full tuition offer. Ga Tech’s program was very attractive, but it was going to be more difficult to change majors. She was also not crazy about Tech’s urban setting.
She really wishes Princeton had Dartmouth’s geography though.
She is electrical engineering now, but doing the pre-med track, and hoping to earn a Chinese certificate.
@Tiggerdad, if your son is a strong multi-tasker with a decent work ethic, I think he will do just fine. That is my daughter’s strength as well. She was actually homeschooled, so no strong public or private education in her background, but she ended up in the top quintile of the freshman class first semester, despite a pretty intense number of extracurricular activities.