I just submitted my EA application for Princeton through the common app, but I found a minor error that I made when filling out my information on the common app site. Does anyone know if Princeton will let me make a minor change to the app?
Edit: The error was that I listed my future career goal as the wrong thing. Is it not worth calling them about it?
What’s happening here is called “Buyer’s Remorse” or more appropriately called “Applicant’s Remorse.” My guess is that 75% to 90% of applicants made some small mistake on their Common Application – and chances are that Admissions will NOT care about the mistake, and do NOT want applicants calling them to correct the error. (Can you imagine 30,000 students calling about such errors and what that would do to an Admissions staff in the middle of a year!)
FWIW: Princeton does NOT recruit by future career goals. In fact, Princeton admits all applicants as Liberal Arts Majors, as admitted students don’t have to choose a major until their sophomore year. Princeton, and most other colleges, ask about your “intended major” to gauge your interests. However, as more than 60% of US college students SWITCH their major at least once during their 4 years of college, Admissions cannot use your interests – or future career goals – for any sort of acceptance criteria, so you should NOT - NOT - NOT call Admissions and bother them about this issue.
If you stated that your future goal is Math, Admissions hopes to see lots of Math originated EC’s, but if you don’t have that – it’s no big deal. The main take-away here: just let it go!
Well, I called them yesterday and they were very nice about fixing the mistake. Maybe it’s because I submitted my application so early?
I used the think I wanted to be an engineer when I started filling out the common app this summer, but I changed my mind about it and forgot to update the common app.
The reason I thought the mistake I made was important was because Princeton requires an extra essay for engineering applicants, so they might think it was strange that I said I wanted to be an engineer but wasn’t applying to be an engineer (and writing the additional essay).
I think if you had described the error more clearly as you did in your second post you might have received different advice from @gibby above. Wishing you the best.