What does Princeton look for most?

slakedlime
Wed, 06 Jan 2010 15:32:39 +0000

According to Princeton, there’s nothing that it looks for ‘most’:
[Princeton University | Reviewing the Applications](http://www.princeton.edu/admission/applyingforadmission/faq/reviewing_the_application/)

What does Princeton look for in its applicants?
We review each application individually to get a sense of that student’s particular combination of strengths. We don’t have a profile of the ideal applicant or the ideal class. In fact, one of Princeton’s greatest strengths is the variety of talents, personal qualities, experiences and points of view in each incoming class. There are some qualities we hope all Princeton students share: integrity, a deep interest in learning and a devotion to both academic and nonacademic pursuits. Many students also bring distinctive academic and extracurricular talents and achievements. Beyond those fundamental qualities, we consider how each candidate might contribute to the community we will bring together for that year’s class.

Is different weight given to different parts of the application?
No. We do not have a formula for weighting different parts of the application. While the transcript is the most important part of an application, we consider all of the components of each application and consider each applicant’s particular strengths.