Princeton-specific Questions
In addition to the Coalition Application , Common Application or the QuestBridge Application , Princeton University requires you to answer Princeton-specific questions. Below you will find the questions for the 2023-24 application cycle. Depending on which degree you wish to pursue at Princeton (A.B., B.S.E. or undecided), you will answer one of the two academic prompts, then there are three additional sections meant to help us get to know you even better.
First-Year Essay Questions
Please note: Princeton also requires you to submit a graded written paper as part of your application.
For A.B. Degree Applicants or Those Who Are Undecided
As a research institution that also prides itself on its liberal arts curriculum, Princeton allows students to explore areas across the humanities and the arts, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. What academic areas most pique your curiosity, and how do the programs offered at Princeton suit your particular interests? (Please respond in 250 words or fewer.)
For B.S.E Degree Applicants
Please describe why you are interested in studying engineering at Princeton. Include any of your experiences in or exposure to engineering, and how you think the programs offered at the University suit your particular interests. (Please respond in 250 words or fewer.)
Your Voice
- Princeton values community and encourages students, faculty, staff and leadership to engage in respectful conversations that can expand their perspectives and challenge their ideas and beliefs. As a prospective member of this community, reflect on how your lived experiences will impact the conversations you will have in the classroom, the dining hall or other campus spaces. What lessons have you learned in life thus far? What will your classmates learn from you? In short, how has your lived experience shaped you? (Please respond in 500 words or fewer.)
- Princeton has a longstanding commitment to understanding our responsibility to society through service and civic engagement. How does your own story intersect with these ideals? (Please respond in 250 words or fewer.)
More About You
Please respond to each question in 50 words or fewer. There are no right or wrong answers. Be yourself!
- What is a new skill you would like to learn in college?
- What brings you joy?
- What song represents the soundtrack of your life at this moment?
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How to Approach Princeton's Essays (with Real Princeton Essay Examples from 2023)
Kate Sliunkova
AdmitYogi, Stanford MBA & MA in Education
20 min read
Introduction:
When it comes to college applications, writing the perfect essay can make all the difference. And for those applying to Princeton University, crafting standout essays is a must. But what sets a Princeton essay apart from the rest? In this article, we'll explore tips and tricks for nailing each of Princeton's essay prompts, along with examples from successful applicants. Whether you're just starting to brainstorm or putting the final touches on your essays, read on for expert advice on how to impress the admissions committee at one of the most prestigious universities in the world.
Princeton's Essay Prompts
250 word essays (princeton's "your voice" essays):.
- At Princeton, we value diverse perspectives and the ability to have respectful dialogue about difficult issues. Share a time when you had a conversation with a person or a group of people about a difficult topic. What insight did you gain, and how would you incorporate that knowledge into your thinking in the future? (250 words)
- Princeton has a longstanding commitment to service and civic engagement. Tell us how your story intersects (or will intersect) with these ideals. (250 words)
Princeton's Extracurricular Essay:
- Briefly elaborate on an activity, organization work experience, or hobby that has been particularly meaningful to you. (150 words)
50 Word Essays (Princeton's "More About You" Essays):
- What is a new skill you would like to learn in college? (50 words)
- What brings you joy? (50 words)
- What song represents the soundtrack of your life at this moment? (50 words)
Princeton's Degree-Specific Essays:
For ba / undecided applicants:.
As a research institution that also prides itself on its liberal arts curriculum, Princeton allows students to explore areas across the humanities and the arts, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. What academic areas most pique your curiosity, and how do the programs offered at Princeton suit your particular interests? (250 words)
For BSE Applicants:
Please describe why you are interested in studying engineering at Princeton. Include any of your experiences in or exposure to engineering, and how you think the programs offered at the University suit your particular interests. (250 words)
How to Write Princeton's Essays:
Princeton's "your voice" essays:, princeton's difficult conversation essay:.
"At Princeton, we value diverse perspectives and the ability to have respectful dialogue about difficult issues. Share a time when you had a conversation with a person or a group of people about a difficult topic. What insight did you gain, and how would you incorporate that knowledge into your thinking in the future?" (250 words).
When approaching this prompt, it's important to reflect on a time when you engaged in a conversation about a challenging topic. Choose a topic that you are passionate about or have experience with, and be sure to highlight your ability to listen actively to others' perspectives.
Start your essay by setting the scene, describing the context of the conversation and the people involved. Then, explain the issue being discussed and any differing opinions that arose. Show how you demonstrated respect for diverse perspectives and how you contributed to the discussion.
Next, describe the insights you gained from the conversation. Did you learn something new about yourself or others? Did the conversation change your thinking or perspective on the topic? Be specific about what you learned and how it impacted you.
Finally, discuss how you would incorporate this knowledge into your thinking in the future. What changes would you make to your approach to difficult conversations? How would you ensure that you continue to be open-minded and respectful of differing perspectives?
Remember to keep your essay concise and focused, while still showing depth and insight. By highlighting your ability to engage in respectful dialogue about difficult topics, you'll demonstrate that you embody the values that Princeton University holds dear. Here's a great example from Ryder, a current Princeton student. You can read all of his essays here.
Most people wouldn’t consider flutes and peas controversial, but at my family dinner table, they are. Years ago, my dad proclaimed flutes an inferior instrument stating, “Nobody likes the flute” (my mom does), and asking, “What great band features a flute?” (Dave Matthews Band), adding to the conversation some incendiary comments about peas culminating in the claim that “Peas are the least liked vegetable.” At the time, I couldn’t put my finger on why, but his assertions irked me. Irritated, I went to bat for flutes and peas with an inexplicable passion for all they had to offer, though neither are my favorite instrument or vegetable.
Since then, many dinnertime conversations and debates have taken place, the most volatile invariably circling back to touch on the value of flutes and peas, and I have come to understand why I have repeatedly championed their worth. When it comes to flutes and peas, my dad treats his opinions as fact—defending his views as “right” with googled information and naming as evidence a mysterious, undocumented majority of flute and pea haters. To this day, he remains convinced his opinion is irrefutably correct; those who think otherwise are brainwashed, don’t know better, or are lying.
Go ahead, call me a “flute and pea fanatic”; all I was ever fighting for was to stay open-minded. Thanks to my dad and his steadfast condemnation of flutes and peas, I watch out for opinion masquerading as fact and choose my own words carefully, believing that conflict often springs not from differing opinions, but from the way those opinions are asserted.
Princeton's Civic Engagement Essay:
"Princeton has a longstanding commitment to service and civic engagement. Tell us how your story intersects (or will intersect) with these ideals." (250 words)
To approach this prompt, first reflect on your experiences with service and civic engagement. Consider instances where you've made a positive impact on your community or participated in activities that align with Princeton's commitment to service. Begin your essay by briefly sharing your personal background or story that led you to engage in service and civic activities. This could include your upbringing, family values, or any transformative experiences that have shaped your commitment to service.
Next, provide specific examples of your involvement in service or civic-related activities. These could be volunteer work, community projects, leadership roles, or advocacy for social issues. Highlight the impact of your efforts, the skills you've gained, and any challenges you've faced along the way.
After discussing your past experiences, connect your story to Princeton's ideals by explaining how your commitment to service will continue during your time at the university. Research Princeton's service and civic engagement initiatives, such as the Pace Center for Civic Engagement or Community House, and identify programs or opportunities that resonate with your interests and goals. It also helps to briefly discuss your long-term aspirations and how your dedication to service will play a role in your future career or personal life.
Here's a great example of Princeton's civic engagement and service essay from Aileen, who got into incredible schools like Princeton, Harvard, UPenn, Dartmouth, Cornell, and Brown. You can read all of the essays that got her into those amazing schools here.
What makes a neighborhood feel like home? For me, it is cohesion, mutual dependency, and trust, but not necessarily residence: I don’t live in [Place Redacted]’s Chinatown, but it has nonetheless made an impact on me.
I became involved with Chinatown community organizations volunteering at one housing nonprofit’s annual summer film festival and neighborhood gathering. Witnessing the mutual obligation between neighbors and residents’ love for their community, I felt a connection to the neighborhood that ultimately motivated me to explore my cultural roots as an Asian-American and continue working with Chinatown organizations.
As part of a research project on economic inequality, I learned about the challenges Chinatown faces, from redlining and gentrification to language capability and racial discrimination. I became a tour guide with an organization to give college students and nearby young professionals a view of the neighborhood through an urban planning lens. I’ve continued this commitment to educating communities about the consequences of urban development and lack of awareness by holding similar conversations and workshops through school clubs.
I am so thankful to have engaged with the intricacies of a deeply connected neighborhood like Chinatown, but I am even more grateful for the skills its community has taught me. I have learned to advocate for community empowerment and reflection and combat economic inequality in a neighborhood by understanding its nuanced causes. Chinatown fostered in me the spirit of community organizing, which I will take with me for the rest of my life.
"Briefly elaborate on an activity, organization work experience, or hobby that has been particularly meaningful to you." (150 words).
When approaching this prompt, focus on an activity, organization, work experience, or hobby that has had a significant impact on your personal growth, interests, or values. Choose an experience that showcases your dedication, passion, and ability to make a meaningful contribution.
Begin by briefly describing the chosen activity or experience, providing context about your involvement. Be specific about your role and responsibilities, and explain why this experience is particularly meaningful to you. Be sure to also discuss the impact of this experience on your life. Consider the skills you've gained, the lessons you've learned, or the personal growth you've experienced as a result of your involvement. If possible, highlight any challenges you've faced and how you've overcome them, demonstrating resilience and adaptability.
Although the word limit for this prompt is short, it's crucial to convey a strong sense of purpose and passion in your response. By focusing on one meaningful experience and articulating its significance, you'll provide the admissions committee with a glimpse into your values and interests, making your application more memorable and compelling.
The incredible Princeton essay example below comes from Ryan, who got into Princeton, Stanford, Columbia, and Brown. You can read his entire college application here.
Since the cards were first dealt four years ago, I have not only become infatuated with the game of poker, but I've finally felt the warmth of genuine, requited best-friendship.
For its own sake, poker is an amazing game. A game of statistics, psychology, and luck, poker keeps objectivity enjoyable; whether through a sneaky play or just bad luck, the mathematically "correct" play is often wrong—you can't master the game.
But as much as I'm attached to poker, it'd be nothing without the "regulars": "Silverman"—the stone-cold bluffer. Jack—the sly psychologist. "Kato"—the careful calculator, and Jaden—the poker guru. Poker introduced us, but our friendships grew beyond the game: We get along like family.
I've made other friends along the way. I've grown as a student, as a friend, and even as a son over the same period. But nothing has made my life enjoyable like these four friends—through a game most see only in casinos, my dreams of authentic friendship have finally been realized.
Princeton's 50-Word Essays:
Princeton's new skill essay:.
"What is a new skill you would like to learn in college?" (50 words).
When approaching the "What is a new skill you would like to learn in college?" prompt, start by selecting a specific skill that genuinely interests you and aligns with your academic or personal goals. In one or two sentences, explain why this skill is important to you or how it might enhance your college experience. Then, briefly discuss how learning this skill at Princeton could contribute to your long-term aspirations. Throughout your response, convey enthusiasm and curiosity, showcasing your eagerness to grow and learn during your time at the university. Remember to keep your response concise yet impactful within the limited word count.
Here is a great example of Princeton's new skill essay from Gabi, who got into incredible schools such as Harvard, Yale, and Princeton. You can read all of her college applications here.
From hip-hop to choreopoem, I want to learn how to critically analyze, histioculturally deconstruct, and stylistically perform dance. Studying or daydreaming, a rhythm constantly flows through my head, and I hope to channel it through Lewis Center’s co-curricular and academic offerings.
Princeton's Joy Essay:
"What brings you joy?" (50 words).
To approach the "What brings you joy?" prompt, reflect on a specific activity, hobby, or aspect of your life that genuinely sparks happiness and fulfillment. Describe it briefly and vividly, capturing the essence of why it brings you joy. Within the limited word count, aim to convey your passion and enthusiasm, allowing the admissions committee to gain insight into your personality and values.
Below is an excellent example from Adem, who got into Princeton, Yale, Dartmouth, and Brown. You can read all of his amazing essays here!
I pedal up the steep, 4-mile long Kancamagus Highway climb. Despite being 67 miles into my ride, I still maintain my power and efficient turnover. Cycling is my secret escape, and nothing brings me more joy than spending hours on the saddle exploring backroads on a perfect fall day.
Princeton's Soundtrack Essay:
"What song represents the soundtrack of your life at this moment?" (50 words).
For the "What song represents the soundtrack of your life at this moment?" prompt, choose a song that resonates with your current emotions, experiences, or aspirations. Briefly describe the song and artist, then explain why it's significant to you at this stage in your life. Within the limited word count, aim to convey a personal connection to the song, offering a glimpse into your thoughts and feelings as you navigate this moment in time.
Below is a stellar Princeton essay example from Ryan S, who got into Princeton, UPenn, Cornell, and CMU. You can read all of his college applications here.
“Une Belle Histoire” by Michel Fugain. The guitars, trumpets, and chorus of the “Big Bazaar” mirrors my desire to explore all the unknowns. As I sing along, not understanding a lyric, I’m reminded that I may not understand everything in the present, but that’s okay.
Writing Princeton's Essay for BA / Undecided Applicants:
"As a research institution that also prides itself on its liberal arts curriculum, Princeton allows students to explore areas across the humanities and the arts, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. What academic areas most pique your curiosity, and how do the programs offered at Princeton suit your particular interests?" (250 words).
To approach this prompt, start by identifying the academic areas that genuinely pique your curiosity. Reflect on your passions, experiences, and future goals to determine which disciplines align with your interests. Be selective and focus on a few specific areas to provide depth in your response. Next, research Princeton's programs and offerings related to your chosen academic areas. This could include courses, majors, minors, research opportunities, or extracurricular activities. Familiarize yourself with the unique aspects of Princeton's liberal arts curriculum and how it encourages interdisciplinary exploration.
In your essay, briefly discuss your chosen academic areas and explain why they interest you. Share any relevant experiences, achievements, or personal connections that showcase your passion for these subjects. Then, demonstrate your knowledge of Princeton's programs by explaining how they suit your particular interests. Discuss specific courses, research opportunities, or resources that you are excited about and how they would enhance your academic journey. Additionally, consider mentioning any professors or ongoing projects at the university that align with your interests.
Finally, connect your exploration of these academic areas at Princeton to your long-term goals, whether they be professional or personal. Show how the university's approach to learning will equip you with the skills and knowledge necessary to achieve success in your chosen fields. By showcasing your genuine curiosity and demonstrating a deep understanding of Princeton's academic offerings, you'll convey your enthusiasm for learning at the university and illustrate how you would thrive in its intellectual environment.
The amazing Princeton essay example below comes from Kaya, who got into Princeton, Columbia, and JHU. You can read all of her essays here.
My life experiences and classwork have shaped my passion for neuroscience, psychology, and philosophy. Princeton's environment will deepen my understanding of my interests and allow me to develop new ones.
My concussions and visits with my neurologist and psychologist interested me in their fields, as I want to understand how the brain changes after trauma and how that affects behavior. Then, in junior year English, we read works by Emerson and Thoreau, and my previous tolerance of the humanities transformed into a love of philosophy. Philosophy allows for dissent and multiple interpretations, creating an ambiguity that balances the rigidity and clarity of science. The cognitive science certificate program combines neuroscience, psychology, and philosophy into one concentration, so I can explore the interconnectedness of all my interests.
Majoring in psychology gives me an opportunity to get an additional certificate in neuroscience. Instead of double majoring and taking all of the required neuroscience courses, I can just take neuropsychological classes that interest me, such as "Depression: From Neuron to Clinic" and "The Brain: A User's Guide." The psychology major also offers courses such as "The Psychology and Philosophy of Rationality" and "The Psychology of Moral Behavior," which combine my interests in psychology and philosophy.
Additionally, the "Princeternship" will allow me to apply classroom learning of psychology and neuroscience in my shadowing experiences with alumni in the field. It also gives me an undergraduate opportunity to create personal relationships with potential employers to begin my career path as a clinical psychiatrist.
Writing Princeton's Essay for BSE Applicants:
"Please describe why you are interested in studying engineering at Princeton. Include any of your experiences in or exposure to engineering, and how you think the programs offered at the University suit your particular interests." (250 words).
To approach this prompt, begin by reflecting on your interest in engineering and any experiences or exposure you've had in the field. Consider personal projects, internships, competitions, or coursework that have shaped your passion for engineering.
Start your essay by discussing why you're interested in studying engineering, highlighting any specific areas or fields within engineering that particularly excite you. Share relevant experiences or achievements that showcase your dedication to the subject. Next, research Princeton's engineering programs and resources, including majors, courses, research opportunities, faculty, and facilities. Familiarize yourself with the unique aspects of Princeton's engineering education and its interdisciplinary approach.
In your response, demonstrate your knowledge of Princeton's engineering offerings by explaining how they align with your interests and goals. Discuss specific courses, research projects, or resources that you're excited about and explain how they would contribute to your academic and professional development. Additionally, consider mentioning any professors or ongoing research at the university that resonates with your interests, showing your eagerness to engage with the academic community at Princeton.
Lastly, connect your pursuit of engineering at Princeton to your long-term aspirations. Explain how the university's approach to engineering education will equip you with the skills, knowledge, and opportunities necessary to succeed in your chosen career path. By showcasing your genuine passion for engineering and demonstrating a deep understanding of Princeton's engineering programs, you'll convey your enthusiasm for learning at the university and illustrate how you would thrive in its intellectually stimulating environment.
The incredible essay example below comes from Princeton student Lily. She also got into MIT and UPenn, and you can read all of her essays and activities here.
My parents’ focus on maintaining our Chinese restaurant meant I grew up entertaining myself with origami formed from menus and indestructible towers of cardboard boxes between a broken sink and a dusty cash register. However, Computer Science brought me to a community that supports and fuels my desire for innovation.
In eighth grade, after learning about Scratch (a platform where beginners can create and share coding projects) my classmates started gathering around each others’ desktops to test our projects. Scratch taught me block coding, but also the endless lessons contained in others’ creations. The communities it created through its website and in my computer classes reminded me I didn’t have to work alone. Unlike my origami folds, my creations were no longer limited to my little designated corner; my programs could touch the lives of people beyond our restaurant.
At Princeton, I want to learn from Assistant Professor Andres Monroy-Hernandez, a developer of Scratch. His interest in systems that emphasize consumers’ benefits resonates with my aspiration to create community-driven programs that give people who feel isolated a place to thrive with other like-minded individuals. I strive to give others the same drive that comes from participating in college engineering summer camps and HTML classes with passionate professors and students, sharing the satisfaction of explaining doppler equations to a classmate that helped me debug a Python program.
Wincing at the amounts of abandoned crab rangoons every time I cleared a table at the restaurant also sparked an innate desire to reduce waste and increase sustainability in everyday life. With the ENV certification program, I would customize the sustainability courses I take to complement my Computer Science major. Electives like Economics of Food and Agriculture will give me a deeper understanding of the economics and source of the bulk boxes of broccoli we ordered every Friday. Joining clubs like Green Dining, I would directly impact my local environment by creating programs that will analyze the amount of produced food waste.
Princeton Engineering’s focus on learning to help humanity will nurture my desire of developing programs that’ll create thriving communities and increase sustainability.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, crafting standout essays for Princeton University requires a deep understanding of the prompts, genuine self-reflection, and a clear demonstration of your passions and goals. One of the most effective ways to master this process is by learning from real-world examples of successful essays that have helped students gain admission to prestigious institutions like Princeton.
By examining these examples, you can glean insights into what makes an essay stand out, identify patterns and strategies used by successful applicants, and ultimately apply those lessons to your own writing. Fortunately, we've built out a platform that lets high school students and parents access thousands of real-world examples of successful essays and extracurriculars that have landed students at incredible schools.
You can explore this vast repository of winning essays, learn from their successes, and refine your approach to tackling essay prompts from great schools like Princeton. Ultimately, by leveraging the power of real-life examples and the expert guidance provided in this article, you'll be well on your way to crafting compelling essays that capture the attention of Princeton University's admissions committee and pave the way for your future academic success.
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College Info , College Essays
Got your heart set on Princeton—the #1 ranked university in the US ? Then you'll need to learn how to write amazing Princeton essays for your Princeton Supplement, a key part of your application for admission.
In this detailed guide, we go over the different types of essays you'll be required to write for your Princeton application and provide you with some expert tips on how to write your most effective and unique essay possible.
Feature Image: James Loesch /Flickr
What Are the Princeton Essays?
The Princeton application requires five essays and three short answers from all applicants. One of these essays must answer a prompt provided by the Common Application , Coalition Application , or QuestBridge Application (depending on which system you choose to submit your Princeton application through).
The other four essay prompts , as well as the three short answer prompts, are part of the Princeton Supplement . The Princeton Supplement also requires an Engineering Essay from applicants who have indicated on their applications an interest in pursuing a BS in Engineering (B.S.E.). Students applying to the Bachelor of Arts (A.B.) degree program and those who are undecided must submit a supplemental essay as well.
Below, we'll look at each prompt in the Princeton Supplement. So let's get started!
While the Princeton supplement is submitted electronically, you might find that brainstorming the old fashioned way (with pen and paper!) helps you get your ideas organized.
The Bachelor of Arts/Undecided and the Bachelor of Science and Engineering Essays
Your first long essay is 250 words long and is assigned based on what you plan to major in. You will only need to answer one of these prompts .
The first prompt is for Bachelor of Arts (A.B.) degree and undecided applicants to respond to. If you are applying for the A.B. degree program or if you put undecided on your application, you must respond to this essay prompt in the first section of the supplement.
The second prompt is for Bachelor of Science and Engineering (B.S.E.) applicants to respond to. All applicants who indicate they'd like to pursue a bachelor of science in engineering degree must respond to this prompt. Next, we'll break down what each prompt is asking you to do and how to respond to it.
The good news is that both prompts are versions of the "Why This College?" essay, which is a pretty common essay to encounter on college applications. If you want more info on how to answer this type of question more generally, be sure to check out this article .
The A.B. Degree and Undecided Applicants Prompt
For A.B. Degree Applicants or Those Who are Undecided:
As a research institution that also prides itself on its liberal arts curriculum, Princeton allows students to explore areas across the humanities and the arts, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. What academic areas most pique your curiosity, and how do the programs offered at Princeton suit your particular interests? (Please respond in 250 words or fewer.)
This question is asking you to make a case for why you'll be an excellent fit as a liberal arts student at Princeton . You can make your case in your response to this prompt by showing that you understand the value of the liberal arts education that Princeton offers, and that you've thought about how Princeton's programs fit your academic and future goals.
In addition to asking you to show how Princeton is a good fit for you, this prompt is really asking you to highlight why you are a good fit for Princeton. Everyone knows that Princeton is highly competitive, so your response to this prompt is your chance to show that you'll bring valuable intellectual interests and perspectives to the Princeton community as well.
What Makes A Good Answer?
#1: Show how you're unique. Are you excited to geek out about the connections between critical human geography and twenty-first century Arabic literature? To explore the relationships between psychology and social media? If you've got a weird, quirky, or unique set of academic interests, this is the place to go into detail about them. A good answer to this question will nail down one or more specific academic areas that you get genuinely pumped about and why you're interested in them. This is your chance to show the thought processes behind your choice to pursue an A.B. degree at Princeton...or why you put "undecided" on your application.
#2: Connect to Princeton's program offerings. You could name specific professors you hope to work with who share your interests, courses you'd be thrilled to take, or special program offerings you hope to participate in (like study abroad or research opportunities). In order to make your response to this part of the question genuine, you'll have to do your research on the programs you're interested in and really know your stuff. This will show admissions counselors that you're interested in going to Princeton because it's a good fit for you, not because it's ranked #1 on college lists.
#3: Be honest . Your response should make it clear that you've spent a lot of time thinking about your academic interests. Make sure you're telling the truth: don't pick an academic area just because you think it's impressive. To show your sincerity, make sure you're being specific about why you're interested in the area you're writing about. This will help your passion come across on the page.
What Should You Avoid?
#1: Avoid generalities. You don't want to respond to this question with general fields of study or disciplines. For instance, saying that "history" or "art" piques your curiosity won't be specific enough. Instead of "history," you could say, "I'm curious about how war monuments and memorials in the U.S. impact the communities they 're located in." Above all, you want to describe specific issues, questions, or perspectives in your areas of academic interest that you hope to explore when you become a student at Princeton.
#2: Don't focus on past achievements. This question isn't the place to talk about your academic achievements and awards from high school. Here's why: Princeton admissions isn't necessarily looking to learn about why you're good at the subjects you're interested in. They want to understand why you're curious about those areas and why you want to study them at Princeton.
3 Tips For Answering This Prompt
#1: Start with your interests. Start by brainstorming which academic interests you want to talk about. You might have to think for a little while! If you know you want to major in African American Studies, take some time to write out the historical, political, and economic issues and questions that get you excited about majoring in this field. Let the specific aspects of the fields of study you're considering be the foundation for your answer.
#2: Do your research. Once you've brainstormed the specific aspects of your major or possible majors that you're most curious about, head over to Princeton's website to search for more information. If it's African American Studies, comb through every sentence on that major's website. Look into the interests of professors in this department, courses they teach, and events hosted by the department. You can even talk about your interest in working with specific professors or taking specific courses in your response.
#3: Be specific. The more specific you can be about your academic interests, the more likely your answer is to appeal to Princeton admissions. You don’t have to have your entire degree plan mapped out, but you do need to show that you're already thinking carefully about how you'll forge your path forward as an independent thinker and intellectual citizen once you start at Princeton.
The B.S.E. Degree Applicant Prompt
For B.S.E Degree Applicants:
Please describe why you are interested in studying engineering at Princeton. Include any of your experiences in, or exposure to engineering, and how you think the programs offered at the University suit your particular interests. (Please respond in 250 words or fewer.)
This prompt is specific for applicants who want to major in engineering at Princeton. Essentially, this prompt is asking you to highlight the factors in your background and experiences that have influenced you to pursue engineering.
More specifically , this prompt wants you to explain why Princeton engineering is the program for you.
#1: Showcase your background. A good answer to this question will explain why you're interested in engineering. For instance, maybe you grew up in a city that experiences earthquakes, so you want to study civil engineering to make buildings safer. Or maybe your parents and grandparents are engineers and you're passionate about carrying on the family legacy. Whatever your story, telling some of it will provide important context for your interest in engineering.
#2: Connect your interest to Princeton. Admissions counselors want to know why Princeton engineering is the only program for you. For example, say you want to focus on engineering for health professions. During your research, you read that Princeton students are developing new personal protective equipment for healthcare workers. This essay is a perfect place for you to explain that you want to join this research project! Making connections to real people, courses, and proj ects wi ll show that you're excited about the unique opportunities provided by Princeto n engineering .
#3: Share your research interests. In addition to stating a specific subfield of engineering that you're interested in (if possible), a good response to this prompt will describe your interest in key issues or questions pertaining to the subfield of engineering you want to stud y. For example, if you hope to become a chemical engineer who works with cruelty-free cosmetics, describe that research interest here. While it's important to be flexible, and it's okay if you don't have your whole future with engineering planned out, being able to describe some of your vision for your future in Princeton Engineering is a crucial part of a good response.
#1: Avoid discussing awards and achievements. Avoid talking about awards, competitions, or other academic achievements if possible. Princeton admissions can find out those details from other parts of your application. Instead, showcase the passion behind your interest in engineering. Instead of describing achievements, describe moments of inspiration in your story that have led you to pursue engineering at Princeton.
#2: Don't skip the context. You don't want to describe your specific interests in engineering without connecting them to what Princeton has to offer. Make sure you describe specific courses, professors, or research projects. Do your research and make sure your interests coincide with the possibilities Princeton provides.
Tip #1: Start with the research. It will be tough to write a meaningful response to this prompt if you haven't done some serious research about the B.S.E. program at Princeton. Get really acquainted with the B.S.E. program's website. Gather the info you need to incorporate information about professors you want to work with, research projects you'd like to work on, and courses you're eager to take.
Tip #2: Focus on your experiences. Incorporating your background with engineering is important to a good response here, but you need to be strategic about what details you include. Describe the moment your interest in engineering began, the most exciting experience you've had with engineering, or what gets you pumped about studying engineering at Princeton. Revealing where your interest in engineering comes from can help prove that the B.S.E. program is a good fit for you.
Tip #3: Be specific. State the subfield of engineering that you're interested in and/or what engineering issues pique your curiosity. Princeton wants to know that you already have a vision for how you'll be an active engineering student!
The Your Voice Supplement
The "Your Voice" supplement section consists of two required, approximately 250 word essays. The prompts for these essays (below) are asking you to give Princeton admissions a sense of how your past and ongoing experiences shape the kind of student you will be at Princeton.
In other words, the "Your Voice" supplement is asking you to show evidence that you live out values that fit with Princeton's values. So, to answer these two required questions, start thinking about points in your ongoing story that reflect your commitment to having hard conversations and serving others. We'll get into the specifics of how to write about your story in response to each prompt next.
Prompt #1: The Difficult Conversation Prompt
Princeton values community and encourages students, faculty, staff and leadership to engage in respectful conversations that can expand their perspectives and challenge their ideas and beliefs. As a prospective member of this community, reflect on how your lived experiences will impact the conversations you will have in the classroom, the dining hall or other campus spaces. What lessons have you learned in life thus far? What will your classmates learn from you? In short, how has your lived experience shaped you? (500 words or fewer)
The first of the required "Your Voice" supplements is asking you to show that you're capable of engaging in civil discourse with others on campus —even when the topic of conversation is tough to talk about or goes against your own beliefs and values. For this essay, you’ll need to pick an experience or two from your life that has helped shape the way you interact with all sorts of people, even those you disagree with on things.
Describing these experiences and the lessons you’ve learned from them will help show that you’re prepared to respect and listen to others on campus who don’t have the exact same perspectives on things as you. A good response to this prompt will also show that you can push through uncomfortable situations and learn new things from others, and that you can help others around you do the same.
#1: Share a real experience. Thinking of a challenging experience that seems meaningful enough to include in an application essay might feel...well, challenging. Nevertheless, you want your story to be as truthful as possible .
Princeton Admissions knows that you probably didn't change the world from one difficult conversation or situation. What they want to know is that you're willing to have tough conversations and listen to others with different viewpoints than your own. So, pick a memory of an experience that challenged you, taught you a lesson, or helped you grow. More specifically, make sure it’s an experience that has helped prepare you for the different perspectives and challenges you’ll encounter from others on campus. Try and recall as many details about what happened as you can, and draft a description of the situation that’s as true to real events as possible.
#2: Be thoughtful. Did you learn something new during the experience(s) or lesson(s) you're writing about? Explain what you learned from it in your response! For instance, perhaps you learned that being a nonjudgmental listener can help others feel more comfortable with listening to what you have to say. Whatever you learned, make sure you describe it in your response. This will show Princeton Admissions that you're open to learning and growing.
#3: Show you're forward thinking. How will the knowledge you gained from this experience (or experiences, if you choose to write about more than one) shape your behavior as a Princeton student? Think about what college is like: you'll encounter students, faculty, and staff from all over the world. This means you'll be in constant contact with different values, cultures, and ways of thinking about the world. Princeton wants to know that you're prepared to participate in this environment in positive ways!
#1: Don't disparage anyone. Even if the conversation or experience you're describing was incredibly frustrating, don't insult the other people who were involved. Instead, show empathy toward the people you interacted with. Princeton Admissions wants to know that you're a person who can extend empathy to many different kinds of people to be a good student and citizen.
#2: Don't brag. Don't brag about what you accomplished. Instead, focus on what you learned from the conversation --even if you think that the other people involved were totally wrong and you were totally right. Admissions counselors want to know that you learned from your experience.
2 Tips For Answering This Prompt
Tip #1: Pick an experience or lesson that impacted you. You should definitely write about an experience that was meaningful to you, rather than one that you think is impressive or controversial. This is your chance to show how you’ve made the most of your unique experiences—you’re giving Princeton an idea of who you are, what you’re capable of, and how this all came to be. Take time to reflect on tough situations you’ve encountered and lessons you’ve learned before drafting your response.
Tip #2: Connect the topic to college life. While you obviously need to describe the topic of your experience, how you handled it, and what you learned from it, a crucial part of your response is how it prepared you to be an engaged, ethical member of the Princeton community. Be sure to focus part of your response on explaining how what you learned will guide your life as a Princeton student. Whichever experiences or lessons you choose, you’ll need to explain how you can use what you’ve learned to have respectful and insightful conversations with people across Princeton’s campus.
This is a chance to tell your story and show how committed you are to being a good citizen.
Prompt #2: The Service and Your Story Prompt
Princeton has a longstanding commitment to understanding our responsibility to society through service and civic engagement. How does your own story intersect with these ideals? (250 words or fewer)
This supplement prompt is asking you to show your commitment to serving others and/or being an engaged citizen —and you'll need to describe a specific experience or idea that demonstrates this commitment.
When the prompt asks "how does your own story intersect with these ideals," it means that you should think of real things you've done or real values you hold that motivate your civic engagement. This is a key part of the story you'll have to share in your response.
#1: Tell a story. Basically, the prompt is assuming that who you are and what you value will motivate how you serve others and participate as an engaged citizen. To answer this prompt effectively, then, think about telling the story behind your decision to serve or fulfill your civic responsibilities in a specific way.
#2: Connect it to your local life. The decisions we make about our community involvement are often personal. For instance, maybe someone in your family recovered from cancer as a child, so your story with service involves gathering donations for a pediatric cancer care center in the region where you live. Think about the personal connections that you've made, then include them in your response.
#3: Consider the future. Maybe you don't have much experience with service or civic engagement yet, but you have a big vision for how you'll serve and engage in the Princeton community. This prompt is a chance to describe the details of that vision. Alternatively, if you have existing experience with service and civic engagement and want to continue serving in similar ways at Princeton, share your ideas about how you'll accomplish that. Service and civic engagement are lifelong commitments—describing your ideas about how you'll serve in the future will show that you're prepared for that commitment.
#1: Don't be condescending. While it's likely that the people you've served in the past learned things from you, don't focus your response on describing how wonderful you are . Instead, focus on how your service and civic engagement experiences have refined your values and helped you become a better human, which is what Princeton admissions wants to hear about.
#2: Avoid delusions of grandeur. If you decide to include a description of how you hope to serve once you get to Princeton, don't get too carried away. For example, you probably aren't going to get every single Princeton student registered to vote...but you can probably make some progress. Be realistic about your ideas for how you'll serve in the future. Princeton admissions just wants you to show dedication to service and civic engagement. They don't expect you to solve all of the world's problems.
Tip #1: Tell a story. It's important to coach your answer in the form of a story. Describe who you served, what the service looked like, and why you decided to serve in this way. If possible, connect it to your background, your identity, or your values. Turning your service experience into a story for Princeton admissions will make it more memorable.
Tip #2: Describe the impact. Princeton Admissions doesn't just want to know the story of your past experience with service—they also want to know how the experience continues to impact you today. Describe what you learned from the experience, how it changed you, and how it shapes your current actions and values.
Tip #3: Connect it to your future. Connect your story about your service to your vision for your life as a student at Princeton. This will let admissions know that you'll also be an exceptional student outside of the classroom in the Princeton community.
The "More About You" Short Answer Supplements
The "More About You" short answer section of the Princeton Supplement is your last chance to show who you are: the real person behind all of the stats, scores, and successes that the rest of your application showcases. In fact, the instructions for this required portion of the supplement are clear: "There are no right or wrong answers. Be yourself!"
This means that, in 50 words or fewer, you'll need to give admissions counselors a clearer picture of the "you" behind the application. All three of the "More About You" short answer questions are required, and each one gives you a chance to provide a little more context for your desire to be a student at Princeton.
#1: The New Skill Prompt
What is a new skill you would like to learn in college? (50 words)
To answer this question, all you need to do is describe a skill that you want to learn in college! There are a couple of different ways that you could interpret this prompt. Just remember: answer honestly.
For starters, you could think of the prompt as asking about a skill that you want to learn from your actual college courses . If this is the path you choose, you could write about how you want to learn to produce a podcast, to lead a Socratic Seminar, or to write a winning elevator pitch. Connecting the skill you want to learn to your areas of academic interests is a solid strategy.
Alternatively, you could think more generally about any skill you want to learn during your time in college ! For example, maybe you struggle with public speaking, and you want to learn to share your ideas more clearly in your classes and your extracurriculars. Writing about skills that are more oriented towards exploring your identity, background, or interests outside of academics is perfectly fine here too.
Whatever skill you decide to write about, it's important to briefly explain why you want to learn that skill. For instance, if you were writing about learning to bake like your grandmother, you might explain that this skill has been passed down in your family for generations, and you'd like to pass it down as well. If you want to learn how to produce a podcast, maybe you'd explain that you were searching for an interesting podcast on Marxist economics, but couldn't find one that had good production quality, so you want to learn how to produce one yourself.
#2: The Joy Prompt
What brings you joy? (50 words)
The same principles go for this prompt: write your response about something that genuinely brings you joy. It could be an activity, a person or relationship, or an experience you've had. To answer this question, simply describe the thing that brings you joy.
A good answer to this question will identify one specific thing that brings you joy, then describe it with gusto. For example, if the thing that brings you joy is building model planes with your little brother, briefly tell the story of why that experience brings you joy. Maybe you like the challenge of focusing on small details, or perhaps your joy comes from building something with your hands.
Briefly giving these specific details will show how the thing that brings you joy reflects your values and identity --both of which will give more clues as to the kind of person you'll be as a student at Princeton.
#3: The Soundtrack of Your Life Prompt
What song represents the soundtrack of your life at this moment? (50 words)
This short answer is fun! Keep your song selection relatively clean, of course, but otherwise, just think of a song that you're literally listening to on repeat right now , or pick a song that symbolizes your current experience. Then explain why!
For example, maybe you'll write about "Inner Child" by BTS because getting ready to leave home for college in the midst of so much has made you reflect on your younger years. Or, if you've literally listened to "my future" by Billie Eilish one thousand times since its release, briefly write about why you can't stop hitting repeat.
Don't overthink this prompt: the music we love reveals things about our personality and how we cope with the realities of our lives. Just be real, and you'll show Princeton admissions another facet of your genuine personality and how you process the world.
How to Write a Great Princeton Essay: 4 Key Tips
To wrap up, here are some final tips to keep in mind as you write your Princeton essays and any other essays for college applications.
#1: Be Specific
A vague essay is certain to squelch your chances of getting into Princeton, so make sure you're being as specific as possible in your writing.
For example, if you're writing about somebody who inspired you, touch on the little quirks or traits they have to help the admissions committee more easily visualize this person, such as their subtle mannerisms, the way they handled stress, or their perseverance in a difficult situation.
Remember that you're writing about something real, whether that's a person, event, object, or experience. Your aim should be to make the subject of your essay feel as real to your readers as it did and does for you.
Other ways to ensure that you're being specific enough in your essay are to use common literary devices such as anecdotes, dialogue (an actual conversation you had with someone), imagery, and onomatopoeia. These not only add color to your writing but also paint the subject of your essay in a more effective, relatable way.
Lastly, I recommend getting somebody else to read over your essay (which I talk about more in tip 4); this person can let you know if your writing isn't specific enough and if too much is left to be implied.
#2: Be Honest and Use Your Voice
The whole point of writing an essay for a college application is to show the admissions committee who you are. In short, what makes you you ? This is why it's so critical to use an authentic voice in your Princeton essays.
For example, if you love making people laugh (and think humor is one of your defining traits), then it might be a good idea to include a joke or two in your personal essay.
However, don't exaggerate anything that happened to you or any feelings you might have —the admissions committee will more than likely be able to see through it. Remember that you want your voice and feelings to come across strongly but also (and more importantly) authentically.
Don't claim in your engineering essay that you've liked engineering since you were 3 years old if you only recently developed an interest in it. Lying about or exaggerating anything in your essay will simply make you seem insincere and, yes, even immature. So avoid it!
#3: Write Well and Avoid Clichés
You'll need to be a decent writer if you're hoping to get into Princeton—one of the most selective universities in the US ! On the technical side, this means that your Princeton essays should have no grammatical, spelling, or punctuation errors.
If you're unsure about a certain grammar rule, such as how to use a semicolon correctly, feel free to consult our SAT grammar guide for a quick refresher.
Writing well also means varying up your sentence lengths and styles (in other words, don't start every sentence with "I," even though you're likely talking about yourself).
On the more stylistic side, your essays should really grab your audience's attention—and keep it throughout. Therefore, you'll need to come up with a unique way to hook your readers from the beginning. For example, you could start with a piece of dialogue that someone said to you once (I'd avoid famous quotations, though, since these can come across really clichéd).
Alternatively, you could start with a memory, opening a description with a strong emotion you had, a sound you heard (using onomatopoeia would be a good idea here), or powerful, sensory images of the setting.
As a final tip, make a conscious effort to avoid clichés. These include quotations that have been quoted to death and phrases or idioms that are often overused. Using clichés indicates laziness to the reader and a lack of authenticity in your voice and storytelling.
For example, instead of writing, "I woke up at the crack of dawn," you could write something like "I woke up as soon as the sun began to peek over the horizon" (if you're the poetic type) or even just "I woke up at dawn" (if you're more like Hemingway).
Here is a lengthy but useful list of clichés to avoid in your writing .
Remember that you're ultimately telling a story with your essays, so don't be afraid to get creative and use a variety of literary techniques!
#4: Proofread, Proofread, Proofread!
The final step before you submit each of your Princeton essays is to edit and proofread it.
Editing isn't a one-step process. After you finish your rough draft, put your essay away and take it out again a few days or even weeks later to get a fresh perspective on what sounds good and what comes across awkward, unclear, or irrelevant. Do this step numerous times. At this time, you should also be checking for any typos, grammar errors, etc.
Once you've done a few editing sessions on your own, give your essay to someone you trust, such as a teacher, counselor, or parent, and have that person look it over and offer any feedback or corrections. Getting another set of eyes to look at your essay can help you catch smaller mistakes you might've failed to notice; it also gives a clearer sense as to what kind of impression your essay will likely leave on the Princeton admissions committee.
What's Next?
If you're applying to Princeton through the Common Application, you'll need to write an essay that answers one of the Common App prompts . Our in-depth guide goes over all the current prompts and gives you expert tips on how to answer them.
You can also check out our guide on how to choose a Common App prompt if you're struggling with deciding on the best one for your college application.
Not sure what your chances are of actually getting into Princeton? Calculate them with our own college acceptance calculator , and read up on how to submit a versatile college application .
Hannah received her MA in Japanese Studies from the University of Michigan and holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Southern California. From 2013 to 2015, she taught English in Japan via the JET Program. She is passionate about education, writing, and travel.
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How to Write the Princeton Supplemental Essays 2023-2024
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Consistently ranked one of the best schools in the country, Princeton University boasts a cozy 5:1 student-faculty ratio, an excellent financial aid program, and a broad range of study abroad opportunities for undergraduates. If you get into Princeton , you’ll be taking classes with professors at the tip-top of their fields – so now it’s just a matter of getting that acceptance letter. We’re here to show you how to write the Princeton supplemental essays, helping you give your best shot at walking through FitzRandolph Gate as a freshman in the Great Class of 2028.
For its class of 2026, Princeton reports an average ACT of 33-35 , a math SAT of 760-800 , and a reading and writing SAT of 730-780 . With the norm being top-notch standardized test scores like these – and a similarly top-notch unweighted GPA of 3.9 for previous classes – you’ll need more than just a stellar transcript to stand out. This is where your essays come in.
Princeton asks you to respond to two long-answer and three short-answer prompts , for a total of five prompts in addition to your Common or Coalition App Essay. Don’t let all the writing intimidate you! Each prompt is an opportunity to tip the scales of admission in your favor, and show Princeton officials who you really are beyond your grades and test scores. With that in mind, let’s have a look at Princeton’s seven supplemental essay prompts for the 2023-2024 application cycle.
Princeton’s 2023-2024 Prompts
Short responses (50 words).
- What is a new skill you would like to learn in college?
- What brings you joy?
- What song represents the soundtrack of your life at this moment?
Essay Prompts
Princeton values community and encourages students, faculty, staff and leadership to engage in respectful conversations that can expand their perspectives and challenge their ideas and beliefs. as a prospective member of this community, reflect on how your lived experiences will impact the conversations you will have in the classroom, the dining hall or other campus spaces. what lessons have you learned in life thus far what will your classmates learn from you in short, how has your lived experience shaped you (500 words).
- Princeton has a longstanding commitment to understanding our responsibility to society through service and civic engagement. How does your own story intersect with these ideals? (250 words)
General Tips
For the 3 short-answer prompts, you’ll need to convey a meaningful response within a tight 50-word maximum . To do this, we recommend the following tips: avoid restating the question, trim unnecessary connector words, and use colons, semicolons, and em dashes to improve concision.
The two example responses below have the same word count—but the first uses choppy, overly verbose writing, and the second cleans it up using the tips we’ve just discussed.
“A new skill that I would like to learn in college is how to analyze literature. I would like to be able to discuss books like John Locke’s Two Treatises in greater depth. This is because it interested me in high school, but I didn’t understand many of Locke’s theories.”
“John Locke’s Two Treatises on Government has confounded and intrigued me ever since I first read it in high school. At Princeton, I’d love to sharpen my literary analysis skills through discussions with my classmates—and return to writers like Locke with a new understanding of the written word.”
The long essay prompts give you more room to work with – 150 words for the first prompt and 250 for the other two—but choppy sentence structure, run-ons, and unnecessary fluff will confuse your reader no matter the length of the essay. As such, you should always strive for concision, even with the longer prompts.
To ensure a well-rounded application, try to write your essays on topics you haven’t mentioned in other prompts or your transcript. Admissions officials may start to see you as single-faceted if they see your coding team in your activity list, then read about the same coding team two more times in your short responses. To avoid this, vary your essay topics as much as you can—and take advantage of any prompts where you can discuss an aspect of your background that isn’t reflected in your transcript.
Finally, before we move to a prompt-by-prompt breakdown of the Princeton supplemental essays, here are two tips to keep in mind for both your short responses and long-answer essays.
One, be detailed. For longer essays, try to go from specific anecdotes to broader themes—introductory paragraphs in particular benefit from starting on a direct quote or an engaging scene. For shorter prompts, pick responses that showcase your unique personality. Here’s an example: good food brings everyone joy, but maybe your favorite food is your grandma’s red velvet recipe that you love making with her, even if you can’t quite get it right yourself.
Two, make sure you’re always telling admissions officials about you . This may seem like obvious advice, but many applicants get swept away in explaining the technical aspects of a topic that interests them or describing a school’s resources without connecting them to their own aspirations. Instead of telling admissions officials their School of Public and International Affairs is impressive, tell them why you’re dying to take that one class that aligns perfectly with your interests. Instead of flatly stating that conversations on healthcare are important, tell your reader how a conversation you had completely changed your perspective.
With these higher-level tips out of the way, let’s move on to a prompt-by-prompt breakdown of the Princeton supplemental essays.
Princeton’s Short Responses
What is a new skill you would like to learn in college (50 words).
For this prompt, specificity is crucial —the more niche the skill you describe, the more interesting and unique your response. For instance, perhaps you want to pick up writing as a skill. But what kind of writing? Academic? Journalistic? Poetry? Narrowing your scope to a laser-focus will show admissions officials you’ve thought about your answer, and truly intend to pursue this skill once you’re on campus.
Another tactic is to focus on an extracurricular. Perhaps you want to learn bird-recognition through Princeton’s surprisingly active birdwatching community, or gain new knowledge about fashion by contributing to TigerTrends . For this approach, you might try skimming through Princeton’s list of student organizations to see if any interest you.
“I want to be funny—and not just dad-joke funny, but gut-bustingly hilarious at all times. As soon as auditions open, I’d love to try out for Fuzzy Dice or Quipfire and take up improv comedy, so I can overcome my stage fright and start thinking on my feet.”
No matter the skill you choose, your response should show admissions officials your willingness to learn through the resources you find at college. Pay attention to the word “new,” and steer clear of skills you already have or that relate to activities you’ve already discussed. Picking a skill you’re completely unfamiliar with will reflect that you’re unafraid to improve yourself by trying new things.
What brings you joy? (50 words)
This is an especially open-ended prompt, which leaves you free to interpret it in a way that’s genuine and personal to you. Your answer could be an object, an activity, a piece of media, a memory, or even a person that makes you happy in your day-to-day life. As always, detail is the key to a unique response—everybody likes a nice view, but only you know the joy of monthly hikes with your dad to the waterfall in the woods outside your hometown.
If you’re having trouble coming up with a specific answer to this prompt, consider the following questions: what do you do to cheer yourself up when you’re feeling down? If you had a spare $100 to spend on a hobby, what would you buy? Do you have strong feelings about your favorite color, or favorite food? As long as you can convey it in 50 words (and it’s appropriate), don’t be afraid to pick something strange—an unconventional answer will only help your essay stand out.
What song represents the soundtrack of your life at this moment? (50 words)
This one can be a bit tricky. Be creative, and make sure to show your reader why the song you choose reflects your life. It doesn’t have to be a serious classical number either—your little brother’s enthusiastic but slightly off-beat mixtape might represent your life in a more personal way than Beethoven’s 5th Symphony.
You might also draw from movie soundtracks, or even a sound that people wouldn’t normally consider a song, such as a crackling campfire. Think about a song that will grab your reader’s attention—unless you have an interesting reason for choosing it, a consistent breaker of the Billboard Hot 100 likely won’t stand out. In contrast, saying you relate to the Super Mario Bros . death jingle or the opening bars of the Star Wars theme will certainly pique some interest.
Princeton’s Essay Prompts
This prompt is a bit long, so let’s start by breaking it down. You’ll want to do three things here: one, reflect on a lived experience that shaped who you are today; two, explain why it shaped who you are; and three, illustrate how you’ll bring this lived experience as a new perspective to Princeton’s campus community. With a 500-word maximum, you’ll have time to expand on the lessons you’ve learned— but specificity is still key here. Instead of a laundry list of lessons, try picking one that’s central to who you are, and craft your narrative around that.
Here are some example categories you might reflect on:
- Formative experiences, in school or otherwise
- Important aspects of your background or identity
- Core values and beliefs
- Challenges you’ve overcome
- People or relationships that impacted you
- Sources of inspiration
Above all, Princeton often looks for students who can have respectful, open conversations with their peers even when those conversations challenge their beliefs. This prompt reflects that value— pay particular attention to the words “challenge” and “respectful.” You might write about the time you were halfway through an argument with a high-school classmate and realized you were completely wrong, or a career panel you attended that blew your life plans out of the water. If you can show admissions officials you have a unique perspective to bring to campus, and you’re open to other perspectives that might change your mind, you’ll go a long way toward convincing them you’re the kind of student they’re looking for.
Princeton has a longstanding commitment to service and civic engagement. Tell us how your story intersects (or will intersect) with these ideals. (250 words)
This is another prompt where you might find yourself touching on topics you’ve already mentioned elsewhere – namely, any volunteering experience you might’ve listed in your activity transcript. However, bear in mind that you shouldn’t just be listing these experiences again in slightly more detail. Instead, try to present a compelling narrative about your beliefs regarding community and civic service, and how you came to believe them.
For instance, you might feel strongly that every citizen should exercise their right to vote. How did you first adopt this ideal? How have you furthered it in your own community? Have you volunteered for any voter outreach programs, or platformed information about voter registration on your social media? How did that work continue to shape your belief in being an active voter?
Even if you’ve already mentioned some of these activities in your transcript, providing the full narrative of your experience will give admissions officials a much deeper understanding of your commitment to service. You can craft this narrative by highlighting two things – one, how you gained your current beliefs, and two, how you’ve concretely demonstrated those beliefs in your volunteer work and activities.
Finally, you might also consider mentioning some volunteer opportunities you’re interested in at Princeton. Your conclusion would likely be the best place to include this—if you wrap up your essay by stating how you plan to carry your ideals forward into the future, explaining how you would do so at Princeton specifically could make a perfect endpoint for your narrative.
If you need help polishing up your Yale supplemental essays, check out our College Essay Review service. You can receive detailed feedback from Ivy League consultants in as little as 24 hours.
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Princeton Supplemental Essays 2023-24 – Prompts and Advice
August 24, 2023
Although Princeton has withheld admissions statistics for the Class of 2027, citing concerns with student anxiety levels, their last reported acceptance rate was 4.4% for the class of 2021-22. However, even if the acceptance rate has gone up (or down) a percentage or two since, it doesn’t change much—when applying to an Ivy like Princeton, even applicants with perfect GPAs and test scores need to find a way to stand out from a pack of equally credentialed teens. Fortunately, the Princeton supplemental essays provide just such an opportunity. These compositions present the chance for wannabe Tigers to showcase superior writing ability. This is an opportunity to craft responses that are authentic, honest, compelling, and potentially needle-moving to the admissions office.
(Want to learn more about How to Get Into Princeton? Visit our blog entitled: How to Get Into Princeton: Admissions Data and Strategies for all of the most recent admissions data as well as tips for gaining acceptance.)
Below are Princeton’s essay prompts for the 2023-24 admissions cycle with accompanying advice about how to tackle each one:
Princeton Supplemental Essays – Your Voice
1) Princeton values community and encourages students, faculty, staff and leadership to engage in respectful conversations that can expand their perspectives and challenge their ideas and beliefs. As a prospective member of this community, reflect on how your lived experiences will impact the conversations you will have in the classroom, the dining hall or other campus spaces. What lessons have you learned in life thus far? What will your classmates learn from you? In short, how has your lived experience shaped you? (500 words or fewer)
Essentially, Princeton is trying to uncover how your personal experiences will impact what kind of academic and social community member you might be. As such, this prompt wants you to discuss: 1) a specific aspect of your lived experience 2) what you learned and how you might engage with others as a result of that lived experience. “Lived experience” is broad and could include:
- Your role in your family.
- Your role in your social group.
- A challenge you’ve faced.
- A formative experience or realization.
- Important aspects of your upbringing.
- Cultural, religious, community influence.
Princeton Supplemental Essays (Continued)
Once you’ve chosen a particular direction, think about what you’ve learned from the experience and what you think others could learn from you. This is a chance to show that you are an open-minded, curious, and humble young person who is willing to learn and grow from their experiences. For example, perhaps growing up on military bases with a parent who was frequently deployed taught you about the importance of putting yourself out there to find a supportive community.
Perhaps you also learned that you have to be intentional about creating said community, which can be a difficult proposition in an increasingly technological and social-media-centric world. It’s also taught you not to take the relationships in your life for granted. As a result, you hope to model the importance of in-person connections and friendships—and the importance of putting a significant amount of effort into those friendships—even when it may feel easier to connect virtually.
This year, Princeton has doubled the length of this essay, giving you ample space to explore a particular aspect of your identity. You’ll just want to ensure that whatever topic you choose is completely unique from your Common App personal statement.
Princeton Supplemental Essays – Service and Civic Engagement
2) Princeton has a longstanding commitment to understanding our responsibility to society through service and civic engagement. How does your own story intersect with these ideals? (250 words or fewer)
Remember, the admissions committee has already seen the President’s Volunteer Service Award and the number of hours you volunteered at multiple nonprofit organizations. This shouldn’t be a recap of already-presented information. Rather, applicants should strive to share issues close to their hearts. We encourage you to share specific details about a time (or two) when you were civically engaged or volunteered on a community service project. Why was this experience important to you? Why and how did it cement the values of service and civic engagement? For example, perhaps you started making blankets for a local hospital during COVID, which evolved into a thriving extracurricular club that now has fifteen other members. Whatever you decide, you’ll want to demonstrate a deep-rooted and genuine connection to service. Moreover, consider including a Princeton-specific resource or two that will allow you to continue pursuing meaningful engagement.
Princeton Supplemental Essays – More About You
Please respond to each question in 50 words or fewer. There are no right or wrong answers. Be yourself!
1) What is a new skill you would like to learn in college?
You can be straightforward, offbeat, or highly creative on this one—all with equal effectiveness. The straightforward answer would be something directly related to Princeton’s programmatic or extracurricular offerings. Discussing particular character traits, work habits, or social goals you hope to pursue—like networking or meditating—are fair game as well. If you really hope that college is when you finally take the time to pursue a new hobby, go ahead and share those aims in this space. It could be anything: crossword puzzles, stand-up comedy, yoga, genealogy, journaling, cooking, sewing, etc.
2) What brings you joy?
What brings you great pleasure and happiness? Universal experiences of joy like family, a beautiful sunset, a place, a hobby, a tradition, or your cat or dog curled on your lap are perfectly acceptable answers here. However, you could also talk about dreams for the future, more bittersweet moments, abstract thoughts, moments of glorious introversion, or a time that you unexpectedly felt joy.
3) What song represents the soundtrack of your life at this moment?
As Plato wrote, “Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.” Music can express emotions that are beyond words. What stirs up deep feelings of connection within your soul? Be honest. It doesn’t have to be Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D Minor. Rather, it might be a piece by Lady Gaga, Kendrick Lamar, or Lana Del Ray. Don’t be afraid to share what music you genuinely connect with even if it isn’t “high-brow.” In addition, be sure to include a brief “why.”
Princeton Supplemental Essays – Degree-Specific
Depending on whether you are applying to an A.B. or B.S.E. program, you’ll need to answer an additional essay question:
A.B. (or Undecided) Essay
As a research institution that also prides itself on its liberal arts curriculum, Princeton allows students to explore areas across the humanities and the arts, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. What academic areas most pique your curiosity, and how do the programs offered at Princeton suit your particular interests? (Please respond in 250 words or fewer.)
B.S.E. Essay
Please describe why you are interested in studying engineering at Princeton. Include any of your experiences in or exposure to engineering, and how you think the programs offered at the University suit your particular interests. (Please respond in 250 words or fewer.)
For both essays, you’ll want to discuss your personal experiences in relation to your academic interests as well as why Princeton will the optimal place to pursue them. Let’s break this down:
- Which academic/engineering areas are you most drawn to, and why? What experiences have you had? How have you engaged with your interest areas up to this point? This should be fairly brief—a paragraph at most.
- Why will Princeton be the best fit for you? Stay focused on academic programs/offerings here, which could include academic departments , professors , research opportunities , internship programs , courses , degree structure/curriculum , etc. Be sure to discuss how you plan to take advantage of your chosen resources.
Princeton Supplemental Essays – Graded Paper
In addition to the essays noted above, you’ll also need to submit a graded paper as part of your application . Princeton recommends that your paper be between 1-2 pages in length, so don’t go crazy and send them your 25-page English paper. Ideally, the paper will be as recent as possible—junior year is preferable. Moreover, your English and/or history teacher will be an excellent resource who can help you decide which of your papers best represents your writing ability and will be the most advantageous to include. Keep in mind that you’ll also need to submit the paper’s grade as well as your teacher’s comments, so it should go without saying that you’ll want to send Princeton a paper that you’ve excelled on.
How important are the Princeton supplemental essays?
Princeton rates the essays as being a “very important” factor in their evaluation process. The essays are listed alongside GPA, the rigor of high school coursework, class rank, extracurricular activities, recommendations, talent/ability, and character/personal qualities.
Want personalized essay assistance with you Princeton supplement essays?
Lastly, if you are interested in working with one of College Transitions’ experienced and knowledgeable essay coaches as you craft your Princeton supplemental essays, we encourage you to get a quote today.
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How to write the Princeton supplemental essays (2023-2024)
Bonus Material: PrepMaven’s 50+ Real Supplemental Essays for Ivy+ Schools
Last year, Princeton admitted just 5.6% of applicants, meaning that if you want a shot at an admission for the 2023-2024 cycle, your application has to be just about perfect.
One element of the Princeton application that many students struggle with is the Princeton writing supplement. It’s tricky to know exactly how to approach these supplemental essays: what can you write to stand out from the thousands of other applicants? What exactly are Princeton admissions officers looking for?
Fortunately, at PrepMaven, we’ve helped thousands of students craft compelling college application essays. It doesn’t hurt that many of our expert tutors have been admitted to Princeton themselves, and so they know exactly what works.
In this guide, we’ll break down the 2023-2024 Princeton writing supplement, explaining exactly what you need to do to maximize your chances at a Princeton acceptance.
As you read on, check out our free resource linked below: it contains real, successful examples of supplemental essays written for Princeton and other top schools.
Download 50+ Real Supplemental Essays for Ivy+ Schools
Jump to section:
- Princeton 2023-2024 supplemental essay prompts
- How to write Princeton’s first essay
- How to write Princeton’s second essay
- How to write Princeton’s third essay
Princeton’s 2023-2024 short answer questions
Princeton’s 2023-2024 supplemental essays .
This year, Princeton has three fairly intensive supplemental essays and three short answer questions.
The supplemental essays are as follows:
For A.B. Degree Applicants or Those Who Are Undecided As a research institution that also prides itself on its liberal arts curriculum, Princeton allows students to explore areas across the humanities and the arts, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. What academic areas most pique your curiosity, and how do the programs offered at Princeton suit your particular interests? (Please respond in 250 words or fewer.) For B.S.E Degree Applicants Please describe why you are interested in studying engineering at Princeton. Include any of your experiences in or exposure to engineering, and how you think the programs offered at the University suit your particular interests. (Please respond in 250 words or fewer.) Your Voice (all applicants) Princeton values community and encourages students, faculty, staff and leadership to engage in respectful conversations that can expand their perspectives and challenge their ideas and beliefs. As a prospective member of this community, reflect on how your lived experiences will impact the conversations you will have in the classroom, the dining hall or other campus spaces. What lessons have you learned in life thus far? What will your classmates learn from you? In short, how has your lived experience shaped you? (Please respond in 500 words or fewer.) Princeton has a longstanding commitment to understanding our responsibility to society through service and civic engagement. How does your own story intersect with these ideals? (Please respond in 250 words or fewer.)
The first thing to notice is that these essays all fall into well-known categories of the college essay.
The first prompt, which will vary slightly depending on whether you’re applying to the engineering school or not, is simply a “Why Major?” essay, which asks you to explain your academic interests.
What’s the key to a successful “Why Major?” essay for Princeton? We’ve written a comprehensive guide on this essay type here that covers all the ins and outs of what schools really want when they ask this question.
The second prompt is one you’re likely to see from just about any school, and is a version of a Community/Diversity prompt.
The third prompt is a classic Service essay prompt, which you can also think of as an Extracurricular essay with a slightly more specific focus.
Read on below for break-downs of each of these prompts!
How to write Princeton’s first essay: “Why this major?”
The key to answering this supplemental prompt about your intended area of study is to answer three key questions:
- What specifically are you interested in?
- Why , using specific details from your life, are you interested in that subject?
- How , using the specific resources available at Princeton, will you pursue that subject?
Now, if you’ve read our guide on how to write Why Major essays, then you likely already know that you should have a basic template you reuse anytime a school asks you this question. If you’ve already written a Why Major essay for another school, you should be able to save a lot of time by reusing the basic structure of that essay, and simply replacing the school-specific portions.
If you don’t already have a template, here’s what it should look like:
- Start with a brief anecdote from your life or academic question that interests you.
The anecdote should show where your interest comes from, the moment you realized you wished to pursue this subject, or simply dramatize an important learning experience related to your chosen field of study.
You can use this portion of the template for any school that asks a Why Major supplemental.
- Use that anecdote to launch into a discussion of why the subject matter interests you/why you want to pursue it as a major.
Do you want to study biology? Explain what about it fascinates you: what are the burning questions you hope to answer? What about the process of research or lab work speaks to you? Is there a practical purpose you hope to achieve through your study?
More of a humanities person who wants to study art history? The same rules apply: what about art history captivates you? Where does this passion come from? Why is it something you’d dedicate your life (or at least 4 years) to exploring?
Whatever your major, the rules of the game are basically identical: convincingly convey your passion for a particular subject to the admissions officers at Princeton, and they’ll be far more likely to see you as someone who will seriously pursue your interests–which is, of course, what they’re looking for.
As with the anecdote, you can reuse this portion of the essay for any school with a similar prompt.
- Explain how you’ll use specific resources at Princeton to pursue your academic interests.
This is the school-specific portion of the essay, which you’ll have to modify for every school you apply to. And the first step here is research: identify specific, unique offerings of Princeton University that you hope to take advantage of.
Your best friend here will be the departmental website of the program/major to which you’re applying. Invest time in exploring that website: you’ll find all the information you need about curriculum, research, and work opportunities there.
Then, you’ll take this specific information and focus on 1-2 key points at the end of the essay, favoring depth over breadth. Don’t just rattle off the first 10 things you see on the website: pick just a couple and spend a few sentences on each, explaining how the particular resource aligns with your academic interests and goals.
Why do it this way? Well, the goal here is to:
- Show Princeton you’ve done your research
- Convince the Princeton admissions committee that you really do think they’re a great fit for you.
By picking just a few specifics and connecting them with your own interests and story, you’ll be able to do both of these things without coming off as inauthentic.
Some great things to focus on would be:
- Research programs
- Work/internship/coop opportunities
- Unique curricular offerings
- Unusual minors or specializations
- Service learning opportunities
- Thesis/honors opportunities
While you’re doing all this, there are a few things you should avoid writing in the Princeton Why Major essay. Some of the Don’ts we list below are just too cliche; others are actually red flags for college admissions committees.
Don’t:
- Reference money as a primary reason for your major choice.
- It’s fine to be undecided! But even then you should discuss what kinds of things interest you and why.
- Randomly Princeton name-drop professors or classes just because you came across them on the website.
- Forget to include a specific story, question, or hook to get the reader interested.
And that’s it! Do all of the above, and you’ll have the first of Princeton supplemental essays locked down tight–plus, you’ll have a great template for any other schools that ask the same question.
Ready to get started? A great resource to begin with is our collection of real, successful supplemental essays. For stellar examples of the “Why Major” essay, check out the last supplemental essay for Princeton, as well as the first sample essay for UPenn.
How to write Princeton’s second essay: Diversity/community
Here’s the second supplemental prompt:
Princeton values community and encourages students, faculty, staff and leadership to engage in respectful conversations that can expand their perspectives and challenge their ideas and beliefs. As a prospective member of this community, reflect on how your lived experiences will impact the conversations you will have in the classroom, the dining hall or other campus spaces. What lessons have you learned in life thus far? What will your classmates learn from you? In short, how has your lived experience shaped you? (Please respond in 500 words or fewer.)
If you haven’t already, you’ll soon come to recognize this essay prompt, as well as the language of “lived experience,” which will come up more and more often. The Oxford dictionary has a pretty straightforward definition here , but all that “lived experience” really means is your first-hand experience of the world, as opposed to things you may have read, heard, or learned.
At heart, this kind of prompt is asking you to discuss how–based on specific elements of your life–you view your role as a potential member of Princeton’s diverse community. We call this the Diversity/community essay, because those are really always two sides of the same coin.
With the Princeton Diversity/community essay, there are 2 basic options for structuring your response:
- Discuss community through the lens of your identity.
- Discuss community through the lens of other events/activities/pursuits in your life.
Which path you take will actually be easy to decide:
If your identity (racial, ethnic, gender, sexual, religious, etc.) has significantly influenced your worldview or experiences, go with option 1.
In other words, if you know you have something meaningful to say about how your identity has shaped you, that should structure your response. This might mean writing an essay about how discrimination or systemic biases have affected you or your family; it could just as well, however, mean writing about specific experiences you’ve cherished as a member of a particular culture.
A few great examples from recent essays we’ve worked on:
- An essay that focuses on a student’s biracial background and how she learned to use others’ ignorant/racist comments as opportunities for starting difficult conversations.
- An essay exploring how a first-generation immigrant served as a translator for his parents.
- An essay from a young woman exploring how she navigated the contradictions between her feminist views and the emphasis on tradition within her religion.
If your identity has not significantly experienced how you view the world, go with option 2.
If you don’t feel particularly connected to a specific identity, or if you can’t think of specific ways that your identity has affected you, you should instead focus on other elements of your life that have shaped your view of community.
Think about what you want out of a community: then, think about what aspect of your life (an extracurricular, a hobby, a social circle) has shaped that desire. Tell that story. It may sound a bit tough to thread that needle, but it really isn’t so bad: here are a few really successful topics from recent students in response to this kind of prompt:
- An essay about how a student’s participation in yearly music recitals with strangers shaped how he views community as a place for everyone to share their gifts/talents.
- An essay from an avid hiker about how his experiences maintaining hiking trails taught him to think of community as a shared, daily effort in the service of others.
- An essay from a student who moved countries multiple times reflecting on what in each place contributed to creating a cohesive community.
All the examples are different, but share one thing in common: using your personal experiences to reflect on your role in a diverse community.
For successful examples of Diversity/community essays, check out the first Princeton essay and the first three UMich essays in the free collection below!
How to write Princeton’s third essay: Service
Princeton’s third supplemental essay is an essay on the topic of service and community engagement–another fairly standard kind of supplemental essay you’re almost certain to see pop up again!
Princeton has a longstanding commitment to understanding our responsibility to society through service and civic engagement. How does your own story intersect with these ideals? (Please respond in 250 words or fewer.)
You’ll notice the word count here is much shorter than that of Princeton’s second supplemental essay, so you’re really just going to have enough time to tell a short story and then reflect on why/how service matters in your life.
This essay can be quite difficult if you haven’t directly engaged in service-oriented work. If you have, then your job is a lot easier: as with the other essays, tell the story of the service you’ve done, then reflect on the lesson you learned. Ideally, work in a brief discussion of how you plan to continue this kind of service at Princeton.
If you don’t have anything that’s directly related to service, you might want to interpret the prompt more broadly: formally or informally, how has your life been affected by service? Have you or your family benefited from someone else’s service? Have you had obligations or responsibility to family or loved ones? Do you feel strongly about a particular social issue?
Any and all of those would work. For now, though, we recommend taking a look at a real response to this prompt below, which helped get one of our star tutors into Princeton.
Over the pandemic, I tutored two middle school boys. Now, I love kids, but middle schoolers are not my number one favorites. They are often dismissive of authority and it’s very hard to hold their attention for longer than two minutes. So working with them on Zoom for an hour became my new challenge. I tried many tactics. When fun warm-ups, writing prompts, and Zoom games all failed, I was officially stumped. I couldn’t understand why they found me so uninteresting. I decided to pay closer attention to the passions they mentioned. Instead of imposing my own ideas, I listened to what they had to say. It turned out Lucian loved running. Getting him to read was like pulling teeth, but I found a Jason Reynolds book called Ghost, part of a series about a track team. We would spend ten or fifteen minutes at the beginning of each session reading it aloud to each other, and while he seemed to be engaged, I couldn’t tell exactly how much he was enjoying it. But when we finally finished, he asked me shyly, “What did you say the next one was called?” Sajiah proved to be tougher to please. He wasn’t swayed by any books I suggested to him, no matter the topic. He often hummed or rapped while working, which I found to be endlessly annoying, until I started listening to the actual words. I Googled the lyrics and noticed that he particularly enjoyed Grandmaster Flash and Afrika Bambaataa. So we began a project investigating the origins of hip hop, and created a website as the final product. He loved finding out more about the music he listened to every day, and I loved seeing him so happy with his work. I don’t pretend I saved the world by helping these boys, but I am proud of the creative way I found projects and topics they genuinely enjoyed investigating. I hope to continue working with children as a form of civic engagement throughout college and beyond; if I can help students like Sajiah and Lucian, it’ll be well worth it.
There’s a few key things to notice with this essay.
First, it’s about a small, simple act of service. You don’t need to have started a non-profit or spent years volunteering: something as simple as tutoring two students can work perfectly well for this Princeton essay.
Second, it treats this act with the appropriate level of seriousness. If your act of service isn’t on a large scale, don’t try to make out as if it is: something as simple as “I don’t pretend I saved the world by helping these boys, but I am proud of the creative way I found projects and topics they genuinely enjoyed investigating” will feel much more honest and convincing.
Finally, this essay is a story. All the best essays are! Don’t just give us the broad strokes: really show us the details of whatever service work you’ve done. Once you’ve shown Princeton’s admissions officers that story, they’ll be far more likely to believe that you actually do take service seriously.
The third Princeton supplemental essay doesn’t have to be difficult: stay honest, stay direct, and tell your story.
To read other responses to this very prompt (and many other sample supplemental essays), download our collection below. And if you’d like the guidance of one of our expert tutors (some of whom wrote the very essays in that packet), just contact us .
In addition to the three essays above, Princeton asks you to respond to three short answer questions, each in a bite-size 50 words or fewer. The questions are below:
What is a new skill you would like to learn in college? What brings you joy? What song represents the soundtrack of your life at this moment?
For these, the simplest advice is best: be yourself. Don’t overthink these! While the longer essays are quite important and will require multiple drafts and redrafts, you won’t need to put the same level of work into these short answer questions.
You should, however, use up the 50-word limit they give you. Don’t just give Princeton a one-word answer to these questions. Instead, use the opportunity to show them as much of your personality and character as you can within 50 words, ideally by explaining each of your answers.
So, for short answer prompt 1, don’t just say, “I want to learn public speaking skills.” Instead, elaborate on why : the explanation is always more interesting than the answer itself.
The same applies to the other questions: convey your passion, tell us an anecdote, or just show us how your mind works. These are low stakes, but still worth your careful time and attention–this is Princeton, after all.
If you’re applying to Princeton, the place to start is our comprehensive guide to the Princeton application for the 2023-2024 cycle , which you can find here. That guide doesn’t just cover what Princeton’s application requires of you: it uses the latest statistics and insights from our own Princeton undergraduate tutors to walk you through exactly what you’ll need to do to have a shot at Princeton.
Once you’re ready to start writing supplemental essays for Princeton and your other schools, we have two main pieces of advice.
First: read real, successful sample supplemental essays that helped get students into Princeton and other hyper-selective schools. Most people don’t really know what schools like Princeton actually want from the supplemental essays, and the best solution is to spend lots of time reviewing sample essays. We’ve collected dozens of these essays in the free resource below.
Second: get expert help. Whether you’re a brilliant writer or just an okay one, you’ll benefit tremendously from the advice of someone who’s already successfully navigated the college application process. Our college essay coaches aren’t just writing experts who can make your essay shine: they’re trained to know exactly what schools like Princeton expect to see .
Check out the free sample essays below, and, when you’re ready to start writing, contact us to get paired with a college essay expert.
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How to Write the Princeton Supplemental Essays - Examples
Reviewed by:
Former Admissions Committee Member, Columbia University
Reviewed: 9/28/23
College application building means you’ll need to write many supplemental essays. If you’re wondering how to write the Princeton essays, read on!
Applying to Princeton is a monumental, thrilling, and intimidating task. As one of the Ivy League schools , Princeton strives to accept the best of the best. But it takes more than just good grades and excellent test scores to attend Princeton.
Part of the application process includes writing Princeton supplemental essays. Keep in mind that these are required and not optional essays .
This article will outline the essay prompts and pass along several writing tips so you’re fully prepared to answer Princeton supplements and impress Princeton’s admissions team.
Purpose of the Princeton Essays
When applying to universities, the admissions team only knows what you give them. Princeton judges your application based on your:
- High school transcripts
- Test scores
- Extracurricular activities
- Personal statement
- Supplemental essays
It’s hard to determine who you are based on grades, so these essays provide insight into the character that admissions committees value. The essays allow you to “speak” directly to the admissions committee and show why you deserve to attend Princeton.
Every university wants to feel special, know that you chose to apply for a specific reason, and know that your application was intentional, not a fluke. You don’t get the opportunity to talk to the admissions team right off the bat, so you use the essays to show why you deserve to attend Princeton.
Each prompt allows you to express yourself and explain the following:
- How Princeton fits in with your interests
- Your educational expectations
- Your dreams and career goals
- How an education from Princeton will help you achieve these goals
- How you’ll contribute to the community
Princeton also wants to know your expectations, dreams, how it can help you achieve those dreams, and what kind of mark you’ll leave on it.
Avoid writing your essays to cater to what you think the admissions committee wants to read. Admissions officers want to see your true self , so devote a healthy amount of time to these essays to give yourself the best chance of acceptance. Use this opportunity to show your true personality.
Princeton Essay Prompts & How to Answer Each of Them
For the most part, each student answers similar questions about themselves. Princeton’s supplemental essay prompts range from 50 to 250 words , and the prompts aim to uncover more about you. Let’s explore each Princeton essay prompt in a little more depth.
Essay Prompts
The first Princeton essay prompt you’ll answer depends on what track you plan to take . If you’re undecided or want to pursue liberal arts, you’ll respond to the first prompt, while engineering hopefuls will respond to the second:
A.B. Degree and Undecided Applicants
1. “As a research institution that also prides itself on its liberal arts curriculum, Princeton allows students to explore areas across the humanities and the arts, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. What academic areas most pique your curiosity, and how do the programs offered at Princeton suit your particular interests? (Please respond in about 250 words.)”
B.S.E. Degree Applicants
2. “Please describe why you are interested in studying engineering at Princeton. Include any of your experiences in or exposure to engineering and how you think the programs offered at the University suit your particular interests. (Please respond in about 250 words.)”
If you plan to answer the first prompt, it’s okay if you’re unsure what major to pick. It’s a difficult decision to make, and Princeton understands that.
To make it easier for you, Princeton wants to know what topics interest you and how Princeton fits into those interests. They want to know why you chose Princeton by understanding what aspects of the school appeal to you.
It can be tricky knowing how to start your essay . First, conduct some college research to determine Princeton’s programs to ensure the university is a good fit for you. This is your opportunity to:
- Share your interest areas
- Explain how you’ve cultivated your interest so far
- Relate your interests to Princeton’s offerings
If you’ve been interested in engineering, the second prompt will be fairly easy to answer. These supplemental essays are your chance to discuss your dreams and share any anecdotes that nurtured your interest in engineering. Use this opportunity to talk about your goals and how Princeton fits in with those plans.
Additional Questions
Princeton asks you to respond to the following prompts:
1. Princeton values community and encourages students, faculty, staff and leadership to engage in respectful conversations that can expand their perspectives and challenge their ideas and beliefs. As a prospective member of this community, reflect on how your lived experiences will impact the conversations you will have in the classroom, the dining hall or other campus spaces. What lessons have you learned in life thus far? What will your classmates learn from you? In short, how has your lived experience shaped you? (500 words or fewer.)
2. Princeton has a longstanding commitment to understanding our responsibility to society through service and civic engagement. How does your own story intersect with these ideals? (250 words or fewer.)
So, how do you write the second Princeton essay?
For the first prompt, share your life experiences that have shaped your perspectives and beliefs. Explain how these experiences will contribute to meaningful conversations with classmates in various campus settings. Consider what lessons you've learned and how your classmates can benefit from your unique background.
For the second prompt, discuss your personal connection to Princeton's commitment to service and civic engagement. Describe how your own experiences align with the university's values and ideals in this regard.
Princeton Short Answer Questions and How to Write Them
In addition to your essays, there are three short questions you must answer:
- “What is a new skill you would like to learn in college?
- “What brings you joy?
- What song represents the soundtrack of your life at this moment?”
Each Princeton short answer question response must be 50 words or less, and the essay topics allow more room for creativity. Don’t be afraid to have a little fun answering these! Here are some tips on how to write concise answers that showcase your personality:
- Think about what you’d love to learn in college (Maybe you want to learn an instrument or a language?)
- There’s, of course, no correct answer to what brings you joy. Do you love spending time with friends and family? Do you collect rocks? Or maybe you love immersing yourself in a new book?
- Have fun with the music prompt; think about what your theme song would be to give you more ideas!
Remember, you should be honest with these answers. Writing what you think the admissions committee wants to hear can come across as insincere. If you’re a fan of fantasy books, there’s no need to say you’re “a fanatic for classic literature.” Try to be yourself and remember these tips when writing your college essay .
Common Mistakes to Avoid
When you write your Princeton Supplemental Essays, it's important to steer clear of common errors. This section highlights these mistakes to help you sidestep them effectively.
Lack of Authenticity
One of the most common mistakes applicants make is failing to be authentic in their essays. This can happen when you choose the wrong essay topic .
It's essential to resist the temptation to write what you think the admissions committee wants to hear. Instead, be genuine and allow your true personality, values, and experiences to shine through in your essays.
Generic Responses
Another pitfall to avoid is submitting generic or clichéd responses that could apply to any college. Your Princeton essays should demonstrate a deep understanding of the university and how it uniquely aligns with your academic and personal goals. Be specific in highlighting what Princeton offers that resonates with you.
Not Answering the Prompt
Ensure that you directly address the prompt in each essay. Each question serves a specific purpose, and your responses should align with those purposes. Avoid straying off-topic or writing about unrelated experiences.
Ignoring Word Limits
Respect the word limits provided for each essay. Going significantly over or under the word limit can reflect poor attention to detail and the inability to follow instructions. Adhere to these limits carefully.
Lack of Proofreading
Failing to proofread your essays can be detrimental to your application. Typos, grammatical errors, and poor sentence structure can detract from the overall quality of your essays. Take the time to proofread meticulously, and consider having someone else review your work for errors and clarity.
Too Much Focus on Academic Achievements
While it's important to discuss your academic interests and achievements, avoid turning your essay into a laundry list of accomplishments. Instead, delve into your motivations, passions, and the impact of your academic pursuits on your personal growth and goals.
Being Overly Formal
You don't need to employ overly formal language or rely on a thesaurus to impress the admissions committee. Write in your natural voice, and avoid trying to sound like someone you're not. Authenticity and clarity should be your primary goals.
Writing in Vague or General Terms
In your essays, be specific and concrete in your descriptions. Use examples, anecdotes, and personal experiences to illustrate your points. Avoid vague or general statements that lack depth and specificity.
Neglecting to Reflect
The Princeton essays often require reflection and introspection. Don't merely recount events or achievements; explain how they have shaped your values, perspectives, and future aspirations. The admissions committee is interested in understanding your personal growth.
Not Seeking Feedback
Seeking feedback from teachers, counselors, or peers is invaluable. They can provide insights and suggestions to improve your essays, helping you refine your ideas and make your writing stronger.
Overloading with Information
Avoid overwhelming the reader with too much information. Instead, focus on a few key experiences or ideas and explore them thoroughly. This allows for a more in-depth and meaningful discussion.
Being Negative
Maintain a positive and constructive tone throughout your essays. Avoid dwelling on negative experiences or criticizing others. Emphasize your resilience and ability to learn and grow from challenges.
Writing Last-Minute
Starting your essays well in advance is crucial. Rushed essays are more likely to contain errors, lack depth, and fail to reflect your best work. Give yourself ample time for multiple drafts and revisions.
Neglecting Princeton-Specific Research
Show that you've done your homework about Princeton by referencing specific programs, professors, or opportunities that align with your interests. Tailor your essays to demonstrate a genuine connection between your goals and what Princeton has to offer.
Disregarding the Personal Essay
The personal essay provides insight into your character and values. Don't underestimate its importance in the overall application. Use this essay to share meaningful experiences, passions, or values that define you.
Remember that the purpose of the Princeton essays is to help the admissions committee understand who you are as an individual and how you would contribute to the Princeton community. Be thoughtful, genuine, and reflective in your writing to make a lasting impression.
6 Simple Tips for Writing the Princeton Essays
Now that you know what the Princeton essay prompts are, you’re ready to learn tips about how to write the Princeton University supplemental essays .
Tip #1: Determine Your Track
Whether pursuing a liberal arts degree or interested in engineering, you should determine what career path you want to take. Ensure you answer the correct prompt for the first supplemental essay.
Tip #2: Conduct Research
Ensure that Princeton offers the degree you wish to pursue. You wouldn’t want to write an essay about a major that Princeton doesn’t offer. You should also research the extracurriculars offered to see if there are clubs or offerings that interest you. You could use that as an opportunity to contribute to the school’s culture.
Tip #3: Choose Your Words Wisely
Keep in mind that your responses should range from 50 to 250 words. This word count is barely two paragraphs, so you want to make sure you concisely answer the prompt. Avoid overly sophisticated sentence structures and language. Also, remember to end your essay in a strong and memorable way, leaving a lasting impression on the reader.
Tip #4: Be Yourself
Remember that some of these prompts are supposed to be fun, so let your personality shine through! The admissions team wants to get to know you. A little honesty and creativity can help you stand out. Be honest to stand out from the other applicants.
Tip #5: Proofread
Be sure to proofread your essays to ensure there aren’t any grammatical or spelling mistakes. Remember that this is your way of proving you deserve to attend Princeton. You don’t want to discredit your argument by making mistakes. They can distract admissions committees from your message!
Tip #6: Ask for Help
Don’t be afraid to ask friends, family members, or even teachers to read through prompts to ensure that your answers are concise and easy to understand. If you want to truly elevate your writing, an admissions consultant can evaluate your essays the way admissions committee members would.
Another set of eyes can also help find errors that you might have missed.
6 Princeton Supplemental Essay Examples From Admitted Students With Feedback
If you’re feeling stumped and unsure what your essay should look like, check out these Princeton supplemental essay examples that worked . Try to draw inspiration from these essay examples . However, remember to make your essays your own. Infuse them with your unique personality while sticking to the prompt. And remember, practice makes perfect!
“Briefly elaborate on an activity, organization, work experience, or hobby that has been particularly meaningful to you.”
“For the past five years, I have participated in a service group called CTeen (Chabad Teen Network). It is comprised of about twenty-five Jewish teenagers from surrounding high schools. Every Sunday morning we have breakfast and class with our rabbi. We discuss current events and world dilemmas from a Jewish point of view. These discussions have deepened my understanding of Judaism and brought me closer to other members of CTeen. Through CTeen I have met many of my closest friends. My chapter annually travels to Brooklyn for a shabbaton in Crown Heights with 200 other CTeen chapters from around the world. Every year during this time I am imbued with the dedication of my community to our faith, and I experience a heightened connection to both Judaism and my friends. As president of my CTeen chapter and member of the International CTeen Leadership Board, I continue to be impacted by the authentic ideas and dedicated people I meet.”
Princeton Essay Example #1 Feedback
This student wrote about the service group they’re involved with to show their connection to a community.
The student talks about the group and how they serve their community, perfectly embodying Princeton’s ideals. It’s also a unique experience that sets them apart from other candidates. Consider the time you’ve served your community and how it shaped you.
The student’s response also shows their leadership skills and capacity to reflect on how being a part of the service group continues to shape them. The last sentences show the student’s openness to growth.
“At Princeton, we value diverse perspectives and the ability to have respectful dialogue about difficult issues. Share a time when you had a conversation with a person or a group of people about a difficult topic. What insight did you gain, and how would you incorporate that knowledge into your thinking in the future? (Please respond in about 250 words)”
“Last summer, I participated in molecular biology research at Boston University. Surrounded by 39 other high school seniors, I perceived with new clarity how an inquisitive, curious mind must interact in an unapologetic manner. Entering lectures about the basics of molecular biology, most of us initially thought we knew a great deal about biology. I quickly realized my naivete, and once I accepted my own ignorance, I settled into a passive absorption mode. The looks on all our faces told the same story. Well, all of ours except Kelsey’s.
Brilliant and inquisitive, Kelsey exhibited no fear raising her hand and boldly asking questions. Even during the portions of the lectures when we were simply reviewing concepts of biology, she never ceased to question the current topic. The first few times she asked questions, I thought she had little background knowledge so she just needed clarification. Yet as the first week progressed, I realized that not only did she have the background information required for this course but also the grit and determination needed for success in research. The levels of her questions stumped our lecturer at times, and he responded, “I’ll have to get back to you on that one.”
Often, I just wanted to yell, “PUT YOUR HAND DOWN!!!” as my tolerance for her constant inquiry began to erode while sitting through her questions and their subsequent answers. Due to her deep and thought-provoking questions, she became the class pariah; not necessarily because she was annoying but because of her resolute and indefatigable inquisitiveness. She was insatiable in her pursuit of knowledge, like a ribosome clinging to the endoplasmic reticulum.
Yet as the course progressed, I finally began to notice the value of Kelsey’s questions. She asked questions of importance, questions researchers must ask themselves every day. Her inquiries were thoughts no one else my age seemed to have. The depth and breadth of her ideas fascinated me, especially given that she was only sixteen. Kelsey’s questions made me realize the importance of questioning preconceived notions. Subsequently, I became aware of my own willingness to challenge concepts that were accepted and taught as seemingly concrete, and I recognized the danger of blindly absorbing information without disputing it. Seeing the scholarly nature of Kelsey’s intellectual curiosity, I began to emulate her queries during the final few weeks of the program. Not only did I get more out of the lectures, but I also gained the experience necessary to question ideas and facts and search for answers, a vital skill in every academic realm.
As a student with an interest in the sciences, I ask questions that may not have an obvious answer. As someone who strives for knowledge, I am willing to do research if what I am asking has no answer, but I do not simply possess an affinity toward knowledge. I wish to create it. Most young people cite coaches, teachers, or other adults as influential; however, for me, a peer-modeled approach to learning also has merit.”
Princeton Supplemental Example #2 Feedback
This student aptly discusses how an interaction changed their perspective on asking questions in a class. Although the student’s initial reaction to the student does not paint the writer in a positive light, their ability to reflect and understand the value of curiosity shows their ability to question their preconceived notions.
This response shows the writer’s capacity to learn and grow when presented with new information and realizations. They now take the initiative to ask tough questions: a valuable quality in the next generation of academics and leaders.
“Tell us about a person who has influenced you in a significant way. (250-650 words)”
“Last summer I participated in molecular biology research at Boston University. Surrounded by 39 other high school seniors, I perceived with new clarity how an inquisitive, curious mind must interact in an unapologetic manner. Entering lectures about the basics of molecular biology, most of us initially thought we knew a great deal about biology. I quickly realized my naivete, and once I accepted my own ignorance, I settled into a passive absorption mode. The looks on all our faces told the same story. Well, all of ours except Kelsey’s.
Brilliant and inquisitive, Kelsey exhibited no fear raising her hand and boldly asking questions. Even during the portions of the lectures when we were simply reviewing concepts of biology, she never ceased to question the current topic. The first few times she asked questions, I thought she had little background knowledge so she just needed clarification. Yet as the first week progressed, I realized that not only did she have the background information required for this course but also the grit and determination needed for success in research. The levels of her questions stumped our lecturer at times and he responded, “I’ll have to get back to you on that one.”
Often I just wanted to yell, “PUT YOUR HAND DOWN!!!”, as my tolerance for her constant inquiry began to erode while sitting through her questions and their subsequent answers. Due to her deep and thought-provoking questions, she became the class pariah; not necessarily because she was annoying but because of her resolute and indefatigable inquisitiveness. She was insatiable in her pursuit of knowledge, like a ribosome clinging to the endoplasmic reticulum.
Yet as the course progressed, I finally began to notice the value of Kelsey’s questions. She asked questions of importance, questions researchers must ask themselves every day. Her inquiries were thoughts no one else my age seemed to have. The depth and breadth of her ideas fascinated me, especially given that she was only sixteen.
Kelsey’s questions made me realize the importance of questioning preconceived notions. Subsequently, I became aware of my own willingness to challenge concepts that were accepted and taught as seemingly concrete, and I recognized the danger of blindly absorbing information without disputing it. Seeing the scholarly nature of Kelsey’s intellectual curiosity, I began to emulate her queries during the final few weeks of the program. Not only did I get more out of the lectures, but I also gained the experience necessary to question ideas and facts and search for answers, a vital skill in every academic realm.
Princeton Supplemental Essay Example #3 Feedback
This essay effectively engages Princeton's prompt by sharing a compelling story of Kelsey's influence. Beginning with a captivating narrative from a research program, it shows how Kelsey's curiosity, initially perceived as an annoyance, transformed the author's perspective.
Concrete examples and the author's self-awareness add depth. It consistently ties Kelsey's impact to the prompt's theme of significant influence within the word limit, making it a strong response.
Example #4
“Princeton has a longstanding commitment to service and civic engagement. Tell us how your story intersects (or will intersect) with these ideals. (250-300 words)”
“I sat down, playing a few test notes on the old upright piano. The guests started filing in, and their warm smiles and kind eyes made me feel right at home. For this concert, I was performing the Mendelssohn piano concerto solo with the Debakey Orchestra at Amazing Place, a care center for patients with dementia. Though we volunteered at many hospitals, this performance was especially meaningful to me.
We took our bow and began our performance, my fingers flying across the black keys in G minor and dancing gracefully in E-flat major. As I concluded the final notes of the piece, I was moved by not only the audience’s applause but, more importantly, by their personalized reactions. As most of the audience were patients who suffered from mild to moderate dementia, I was extremely touched to hear from them that my music had brought them joy and sparked past memories even through their daily struggles.
One resident, a retired piano teacher, told me that my performance reminded her of why she loved music, more specifically, teaching the art. It warmed my heart to know that I had a memorable, positive impact on her life. Partly due to this experience, I am inspired to continue bringing my music to my community at and around Princeton - whether it be to senior citizens at Atrium of Princeton, patients at Princeton Hospital, or my fellow classmates in Richardson Auditorium - just like I have with the Debakey Orchestra and Houston Orchestra on Call. Music is a powerful and therapeutic experience for many, and I am excited to combine my interests in both the art form and medicine during my time at Princeton.”
Princeton Supplemental Essay Example #4 Feedback
The essay is successful in conveying the student’s powerful and moving experience performing for patients with dementia. The use of descriptive language and sensory details helps to create a vivid picture of the scene, and the author's personal reflections on the experience are heartfelt and inspiring.
To improve this essay, the author could’ve provided more context on their background and how it relates to their interest in combining music and medicine.
This could help the reader better understand the author's motivations and goals, and how their experiences have led them to pursue this path. However, the essay is well-written and engaging overall.
“Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. (250-650 words)”
“People love to ask why. Why do you wear a turban? Why do you have long hair? Why are you playing a guitar with only 3 strings and watching TV at 3 A.M.—where did you get that cat? Why won’t you go back to your country, you terrorist? My answer is…uncomfortable. Many truths of the world are uncomfortable. A couple of examples are that an equal number of pets are euthanized as are adopted each year and that cats roam the streets at night because they are actually looking for owners with better food. One of those statements is a horrible truth, and the other is a thought I had in the shower. Either way, the point still stands.
Uncomfortable truths are just that, uncomfortable. The answer to ‘Why won’t you go back to your country, you terrorist?’ is the most uncomfortable answer I can give, barring the current status of aboriginal street cats. Sikhs like myself have borne the brunt of the backlash through our forced subjection to hate crimes, bullying, and job discrimination. In [Date], a misguided gunman took the lives of six Sikhs who were praying peacefully in their house of worship in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. Their families, through their tears, asked the nation, like I continue to ask myself, “Why?”
The uncomfortable truth is that as a society, we have not found a solution to the growing trend of extremism and hate crimes—we failed at the whole “freedom of religion” clause in the Bill of Rights. The media tells us that these crimes are carried out by individuals who are ignorant and motivated by hate. I would personally call them losers, but that would solve none of the underlying system problems that have grown from anti-immigration rhetoric. When my cousin joined the US Army, he was told that he’d have to cut his beard and hair. Every time I tell that part of the story, I can’t help but guffaw at how ridiculous it sounds. My then eleven-year-old angst came to a climactic fruition hearing those words—it was a call to action.
I helped to gather signatures for a petition to Robert Gates, then Secretary of Defense, pleading with him to allow Sikhs to serve without having to cut our hair. We garnered over 15,000 signatories, receiving generous media attention. We called and convinced our local congressional offices to support this issue. I created a Facebook page to help spread awareness and helped to organize fundraisers to help fight this ban on our articles of faith. Our message is simple. Through service, we can push back against both hate and intolerance. But, if the largest employer in the U.S. does not allow us to serve with our articles of faith, then we will continue to be victimized as outsiders, contrary to the founding principles of our nation.
I’m proud to say my cousin deployed to Afghanistan as the first Sikh to be granted a religious waiver in nearly a generation. He saved countless lives as a doctor on the front lines of war and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for his efforts. But, (there’s always a but) Sikhs today still face a presumptive ban. Despite being in perfect—for the army’s sake—physical condition, I cannot join the US Army because of my hair.
So now the uncomfortable story that was the uncomfortable answer to an uncomfortable question comes to an uncomfortable ending. And, like all great, uncomfortable answers, I never really answered the main question. I don’t have the answers to why people do the hateful things they do. But by wearing my turban proudly every morning, by answering questions when they come up, by being willing to talk about everything that is wrong, I become a personification of what is right. My solution to the systemic problem starts with me.”
Princeton Supplemental Essay Example #5 Feedback
This essay effectively delves into the author's personal experience as a Sikh facing discrimination and hate crimes. It artfully uses storytelling to emphasize the importance of religious freedom and tolerance in society. While compelling and well-written, it could benefit from a more explicit connection to the prompt, which asks for something meaningful in the author's background, identity, interest, or talent.
“What song represents the soundtrack of your life at this moment? (50 words)”
"Imagine" by John Lennon encapsulates the current soundtrack of my life. It’s a timeless song - its message of unity and hope resonates deeply in today's world. As I navigate through challenges and changes, this song inspires me to envision a better future and work towards it with optimism and empathy.
Princeton Supplemental Essay Example #6 Feedback
This response effectively conveys the choice of "Imagine" by John Lennon as the soundtrack of the author's life. It provides a clear explanation of why the song resonates with them, emphasizing its timeless message of unity and hope. The connection between the song and the author's life is well-articulated, making for a concise and meaningful response.
FAQs: Princeton Secondary Essays
Here are our answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about Princeton secondary essays.
1. How Many Supplemental Essays Does Princeton Require?
Princeton University requires four supplemental essays from first-year applicants. Undergraduate applicants also have to answer three short questions and the Common App essay.
2. How Important Are the Supplemental Essays for Princeton?
Because Princeton uses a holistic approach to the admissions process, your essays carry a lot of weight in your admissions decision. The Princeton secondaries provide you the opportunity to showcase your individuality, personality, and interests beyond your test scores, grades, and academic achievements.
3. How Long Should Princeton Essays Be?
Each Princeton essay prompt defines the number of words your essay should be. When it comes to admissions essays, you should try your best to stick to the brief. If your essay is ten words over or under, this is typically fine, but we highly recommend keeping it as close to the word count as possible.
4. What Is the Deadline for the Princeton Supplemental Essay?
For Single-Choice Early Action applicants, the deadline to submit the Princeton Supplemental Essay, along with the Coalition Application or Common Application, is November 1st.
Regular Decision applicants have until January 1st to submit their Princeton Supplemental Essay and application. Please ensure you meet these deadlines and check the official Princeton University admissions website for any updates or changes.
Final Thoughts
Essays can be stress-inducing, especially when they determine your acceptance into your dream school. You want to show you have goals and dreams that Princeton can help you achieve. It can be difficult to know where to start, but you’ll have a foolproof plan for tackling these essays if you follow these guidelines.
As long as you stay true to yourself and set yourself apart from other candidates, you should have no problem writing amazing Princeton supplemental essays. Good luck and happy writing!
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Princeton University 2023-24 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide
Regular Decision Deadline: Jan 1
You Have:
Princeton University 2023-24 Application Essay Questions Explanation
The Requirements: 2 essays of 250 words, 1 essay of 500 words, 3 short responses
Supplemental Essay Type(s): Community , Why , Oddball
This is Princeton, the Number One university in the nation. Maybe you’ve heard of it? JK, we can smell the sweat on your palms from here. So first, take a breath. The Princeton supplement is extremely straightforward (perhaps too straightforward?) and your greatest challenge will be to refrain from overthinking it. Don’t intimidate yourself with visions of what you think admissions officers want to see on an application. Self-aggrandizing or downright false stories aren’t going to win anyone over. It’s the unique, specific details that only you can share that will set you apart and seal you in an admissions officer’s memory. Take this as your mantra: be yourself!
For A.B Degree Applicants or Those Who are Undecided:
As a research institution that also prides itself on its liberal arts curriculum, princeton allows students to explore areas across the humanities and the arts, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. what academic areas most pique your curiosity, and how do the programs offered at princeton suit your particular interests (please respond in about 250 words or fewer.) .
To ace this question, you’ll need to articulate for admissions why a well-rounded liberal arts education is important to you. Do you think Princeton’s liberal arts curriculum will allow you to build upon your communication and problem solving skills, preparing you for a career in civil service? Maybe you think it will help you be more marketable once you enter the working world, preparing you to work in a variety of fields (which is especially helpful if you’re undecided). What classes are you dying to take? Which academic programs call to you and why? Demonstrate your interest in Princeton’s academic offerings (and liberal arts curriculum, for brownie points) and admissions is bound to be impressed!
For B.S.E Degree Applicants:
Please describe why you are interested in studying engineering at princeton. include any of your experiences in or exposure to engineering, and how you think the programs offered at the university suit your particular interests. (please respond in 250 words or fewer.).
You can get an engineering degree at thousands of schools across the country, so why are you so keen to study engineering at Princeton specifically? Remember that this isn’t set in stone, so don’t stress over your vision; just show that you’ve done your research. Maybe your sister regaled you with stories about her experience studying engineering at Princeton, and you knew you wanted the same experience for yourself. Maybe there is an alum who is doing what you aspire to do, and you want to follow in their footsteps! Does Princeton have a specific program that many other schools do not offer? Whatever it is that draws you to Princeton’s engineering program, make sure that, after reading your essay, admissions has a clear understanding of your interest and goals.
1. Princeton values community and encourages students, faculty, staff and leadership to engage in respectful conversations that can expand their perspectives and challenge their ideas and beliefs. As a prospective member of this community, reflect on how your lived experiences will impact the conversations you will have in the classroom, the dining hall or other campus spaces. What lessons have you learned in life thus far? What will your classmates learn from you? In short, how has your lived experience shaped you? (Please respond in 500 words or fewer.)
Engaging others in meaningful conversations about important issues can be incredibly intimidating and challenging, and the Princeton admissions department knows this. That is, in part, why they are curious to learn how your lived experiences will impact the way you engage with others on campus. What has shaped you as a person and how has that made your perspective unique? What lessons have you learned and applied? What can you share with others? Is there anything you can teach your classmates or peers about your hometown, culture, religion, identity, race, or ethnicity that they might not already know? Admissions wants to know how your lived experiences will affect the conversations you have and the ways in which you contribute to the Princeton community. Tell admissions a story that demonstrates your investment in listening, learning, and connecting.
2. Princeton has a longstanding commitment to understanding our responsibility to society through service and civic engagement. How does your own story intersect with these ideals? (Please respond in 250 words or fewer.)
Princeton wants to welcome motivated, socially aware students to campus next fall, so tell admissions about a time when you gave back to your community in a meaningful way. (Hint: your “community” can be as small as your neighborhood and as large as the entire world or even universe!) Maybe you’ve volunteered at your church’s food pantry every other weekend since you were in middle school or canvassed for political candidates that you believe will generate positive change for generations to come. Whatever your example(s) may be, don’t be afraid to touch on what those experiences meant to you (after all, you do have 250 words to work with!). And bonus points if you can connect your past service to the work you hope to do in the future.
More About You
Please respond to each question in 50 words or fewer. there are no right or wrong answers. be yourself, what is a new skill you would like to learn in college, what brings you joy , what song represents the soundtrack of your life at this moment.
Do not, we repeat, do not overthink your responses to these questions. Admissions even goes so far as to say that there are no right or wrong answers. So, go with your gut. Maybe, in college, you’re hoping to learn how to speed read, or play frisbee, or even ride a bike! Perhaps you want to tell admissions about the look on your sister’s face everytime you agree to play dress-up with her (what brings you joy?). As for the song, we’d recommend keeping it clean, but other than that, let your freak flag fly. Are you currently listening to “Midnight Sky” by Miley Cyrus on repeat? Or maybe “Ooh La La” by The Faces really resonates with you as you’re growing up and learning life’s tough lessons. Whatever it may be, be true to yourself and you’ll ace these short answers.
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Princeton University’s 2023-24 Essay Prompts
Lived experience essay.
Princeton values community and encourages students, faculty, staff and leadership to engage in respectful conversations that can expand their perspectives and challenge their ideas and beliefs. As a prospective member of this community, reflect on how your lived experiences will impact the conversations you will have in the classroom, the dining hall or other campus spaces. What lessons have you learned in life thus far? What will your classmates learn from you? In short, how has your lived experience shaped you?
Community Service Short Response
Princeton has a longstanding commitment to service and civic engagement. How does your own story intersect with these ideals?
Graded Paper
Princeton requires you to submit a graded written paper as part of your application. You may submit this material now or any time before the application deadline. If you choose not to upload the required paper at this time, you may mail, e-mail, or upload your paper through the applicant portal. Detailed instructions for our graded paper requirement can be found here.
Bachelor of Arts Short Response
As a research institution that also prides itself on its liberal arts curriculum, Princeton allows students to explore areas across the humanities and the arts, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. What academic areas most pique your curiosity, and how do the programs offered at Princeton suit your particular interests?
Bachelor of Science in Engineering Short Response
Please describe why you are interested in studying engineering at Princeton. Include any of your experiences in, or exposure to engineering, and how you think the programs offered at the University suit your particular interests.
Select-A-Prompt Short Response
More About You Prompts
What is a new skill you would like to learn in college?
What brings you joy?
What song represents the soundtrack of your life at this moment?
Common App Personal Essay
The essay demonstrates your ability to write clearly and concisely on a selected topic and helps you distinguish yourself in your own voice. What do you want the readers of your application to know about you apart from courses, grades, and test scores? Choose the option that best helps you answer that question and write an essay of no more than 650 words, using the prompt to inspire and structure your response. Remember: 650 words is your limit, not your goal. Use the full range if you need it, but don‘t feel obligated to do so.
Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.
The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?
Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?
Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?
Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.
Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?
Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you‘ve already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.
What will first-time readers think of your college essay?
Princeton Supplemental Essays 2023-24
If you’re wondering how to get into Princeton, the Princeton supplemental essays play a major role in the admissions process. In this Princeton essay guide, we’ll go over each of the Princeton supplemental essay prompts and other Princeton requirements. We’ll also discuss where to find Princeton essay examples. However, before we dive into the Princeton essays, let’s learn a bit more about Princeton and go over some important admissions facts.
Princeton University is located in Princeton, New Jersey and is home to just over 5,000 undergrads. Currently the top-ranked university in the country, Princeton combines all of the best aspects of a well-rounded liberal arts college and a high powered research institution. It is one of the eight Ivy League schools and, as such, has an equally competitive application process . Below, we’ve provided some quick facts about the Princeton supplemental essays, including the Princeton acceptance rate, deadlines, and requirements. So, keep reading our Princeton essay guide for more details and tips!
Princeton Supplemental Essays: Quick Facts
Princeton essay guide facts.
- Princeton acceptance rate: 4%— U.S. News ranks Princeton as a highly competitive school.
- Common Application
- Coalition Application
- QuestBridge Application
- Early Action (Restrictive): November 1st
- Regular Decision : January 1st
- Transfer Application : March 1st
- 1 full-page (~500 word) essay
- 2 half-page (~250 word) essays
- 3 short answer (~50 words) essays
- Princeton application note: In addition to submitting their Princeton supplemental essays, students are required to submit a personal statement essay and a graded written paper .
- #1 Princeton Essay Tip: Some of the Princeton supplemental essay prompts are complex and multifaceted. Taking the time to fully understand the prompt will help you connect and fully flesh out your ideas, ensuring you write the best Princeton supplemental essays possible.
Please note that essay requirements are subject to change each admissions cycle, and portions of this article may have been written before the final publication of the most recent guidelines. For the most up-to-date information on essay requirements, check the university’s admissions website.
How many supplemental essays do you need for Princeton?
Princeton admissions requires students to submit six Princeton supplemental essays. While that may seem like a lot, the Princeton supplemental essays are actually more manageable than you think. In this Princeton essay guide, we’ll walk you through each of the Princeton essay prompts.
The Princeton essays vary in length, with the longest at 500 words and the shortest only 50. Additionally, the Princeton essay prompts cover a variety of topics, including your major interest, personal impact, and civic engagement. This Princeton essay guide will provide all six Princeton supplemental essay prompts. We’ll also discuss strategies for each Princeton essay.
In addition to the Princeton supplemental essays, you’ll submit your personal statement and a graded written paper. We’ll review each of these requirements later in this guide.
What are the Princeton essay prompts?
The Princeton essay prompts are also referred to as First-Year Essay Questions . The six Princeton supplemental essays fall into three categories:
- Degree-specific
- More about you
In the next section, we’ll review the prompts for each of the Princeton supplemental essays. We’ll also go over each of the Princeton supplemental essay prompts in detail and give you tips for writing your own Princeton essays.
Degree-specific
Depending on your chosen degree, you will respond to one of the below degree-specific prompts.
A.B. Degree Applicants/Undecided
As a research institution that also prides itself on its liberal arts curriculum, princeton allows students to explore areas across the humanities and the arts, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. what academic areas most pique your curiosity, and how do the programs offered at princeton suit your particular interests (please respond in 250 words or fewer.), b.s.e. degree applicants, please describe why you are interested in studying engineering at princeton. include any of your experiences in or exposure to engineering, and how you think the programs offered at the university suit your particular interests. (please respond in 250 words or fewer.).
All applicants must answer the following Princeton supplemental essay prompts about personal impact and civic engagement.
Supplemental Essay Prompts
1. princeton values community and encourages students, faculty, staff and leadership to engage in respectful conversations that can expand their perspectives and challenge their ideas and beliefs. as a prospective member of this community, reflect on how your lived experiences will impact the conversations you will have in the classroom, the dining hall or other campus spaces. what lessons have you learned in life thus far what will your classmates learn from you in short, how has your lived experience shaped you (please respond in 500 words or fewer.), 2. princeton has a longstanding commitment to understanding our responsibility to society through service and civic engagement. how does your own story intersect with these ideals (please respond in 250 words or fewer.), more about you.
These are the short answer Princeton essay prompts. All applicants are required to answer the following prompts.
Short Answer Prompts
1. what is a new skill you would like to learn in college, 2. what brings you joy , 3. what song represents the soundtrack of your life at this moment.
Now, let’s unpack how to approach each Princeton essay. First, we’ll take a closer look at the degree-specific Princeton supplemental essay.
Princeton Supplemental Essays – For A.B. Degree/Undecided Applicants
As a research institution that also prides itself on its liberal arts curriculum, Princeton allows students to explore areas across the humanities and the arts, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. What academic areas most pique your curiosity, and how do the programs offered at Princeton suit your particular interests? (Please respond in 250 words or fewer)
Students who apply to Princeton under either an A.B. Degree or Undecided program will respond to the above prompt.
But before we dig into the rest of our Princeton essay guide, let’s discuss the difference between an A.B. and B.S.E. degree!
A.B. Degree Program
Princeton offers two types of degrees: A.B. and B.S.E. On your Princeton application, you’ll indicate which type of degree you’d like to pursue. The majority of Princeton students complete an A.B. degree in their chosen discipline. A.B. stands for Bachelor of Arts, so it’s similar to a B.A. you might receive at another university.
Princeton offers 30+ areas of study, including fields in the humanities, social sciences, languages, and natural sciences. On your application, you’ll also indicate your primary academic area of interest.
When responding to this Princeton supplemental essay prompt, you’ll want to include Princeton-specific details. For example, let’s say you want to write your Princeton supplemental essay about economics . You might start by discussing what about economics most interests you. Then, you can mention specific courses you’re excited to take or certain faculty you’re excited to learn from. Or, perhaps you’re interested in research and want to highlight one of the economics department’s many research centers , like the Princeton Program in Public Finance.
Princeton Supplemental Essays 2023-24 – For B.S.E Applicants
Please describe why you are interested in studying engineering at Princeton. Include any of your experiences in, or exposure to engineering, and how you think the programs offered at the University suit your particular interests. (Please respond in 250 words or fewer)
What is a b.s.e. degree .
Students interested in pursuing a degree in engineering will earn a slightly different degree. B.S.E. stands for Bachelor of Science in Engineering. Specific areas of study include:
- Chemical and Biological Engineering
- Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Computer Science
- Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
- Operations Research and Financial Engineering
While the requirements are slightly different, A.B. and B.S.E. degrees are quite similar—and so are their Princeton essay prompts! In this Princeton supplemental essay, you might mention specific opportunities within your chosen concentration, like these mechanical and aerospace engineering research areas . You can even discuss engineering-focused student organizations you want to join, like Princeton Racing Electric or Engineers Without Borders .
One slight difference between the A.B. and B.S.E. prompts is that this one asks you to include past experiences related to engineering. So, if you conducted an engineering-related research project for your school’s science fair or spent a summer at an engineering camp, highlight those experiences here.
Next, we’ll discuss the Your Voice Princeton supplemental essays. First, we’ll look at the personal impact Princeton essay. Then, we’ll dive into the civic engagement Princeton essay.
Princeton Essay: Personal Impact
Princeton values community and encourages students, faculty, staff and leadership to engage in respectful conversations that can expand their perspectives and challenge their ideas and beliefs. As a prospective member of this community, reflect on how your lived experiences will impact the conversations you will have in the classroom, the dining hall or other campus spaces. What lessons have you learned in life thus far? What will your classmates learn from you? In short, how has your lived experience shaped you? (500 words or fewer)
This is the longest and also the most complex of the Princeton supplemental essays. The simplest way to answer a multi-question prompt like this is to think of it as three connecting parts.
First, think about your life experiences. What aspects of your life have had the biggest impact on you? Is it something to do with your personal identity? Perhaps your socioeconomic status or religious background? Or maybe it has to do with your role in your family or the community you grew up in?
Then, consider how this life experience has shaped you. What lessons have you learned? Moreover, how did these circumstances or environments help you grow mentally, emotionally, or spiritually? What values do you hold thanks to these life experiences?
Finally, consider how you’d bring these lessons or personal qualities to Princeton’s campus. How will they impact your discussions in class and the way you interact with your peers?
Princeton Essay Prompt: Civic Engagement Essay
Princeton has a longstanding commitment to understanding our responsibility to society through service and civic engagement. How does your own story intersect with these ideals? (250 words or fewer)
This Princeton supplemental essay prompt is fairly straightforward. You’ll want to touch on experiences where you’ve given your time for the betterment of others. This includes experiences like volunteer work, voting, or community service. Essentially, you’ll want to show how you’ve taken action to help address issues that affect the greater public and community.
Like in your other Princeton supplemental essays, you’ll want to tell a story, not just list your accomplishments. Let’s say you volunteered at a local community garden. How did you get involved? Why is the work you did important to you? Finally, how does the work you did benefit the community (socially, environmentally, etc.)?
The Your Voice Princeton supplemental essays are two of the most important essays of your Princeton application because they touch on your character. Make sure you give yourself plenty of time to write these, then save some extra brainpower for the short response essays!
Princeton Short Response Essays
Lastly, we have the shortest Princeton essays of our Princeton essay guide. Although we’ve noted each of the short response questions as their own Princeton essay, remember they’re not full-length essays. Your responses to each of the short answer Princeton essay prompts must be 50 words or fewer, so they’ll only be a few sentences long.
In addition to being the shortest of the Princeton supplemental essays, the short response Princeton essays are also the most fun! These questions are all about being yourself and capturing who you are outside of your academic interests.
What is a new skill you would like to learn in college?
In this Princeton supplemental essay, you’ll want to be sure you’re discussing a new skill, not something you already do. You could mention you want to learn how to play ultimate frisbee or learn the science of beekeeping (things you can get involved in through Princeton student organizations ).
What brings you joy?
This Princeton supplemental essay can be about anything. Whether it be cooking new recipes, listening to music, reading a good book, or spending time with your family. Maybe it’s even visiting a historical battlefield or doing parkour! Here’s a tip for writing this Princeton supplemental essay: if you smile while writing about it, you’ve likely landed on the right topic.
What song represents the soundtrack of your life at this moment?
For music lovers, this could either be the easiest or hardest Princeton essay question to answer. Just like the other short answer Princeton supplemental essays, there are no wrong answers. Choose a song you connect to and let the admissions team know why it resonates with you.
Now that we’ve gone over the prompts for the Princeton supplemental essays, let’s talk about actually writing them. Up next, we’ll go over some tips for writing a Princeton supplemental essay.
How do I write my Princeton Supplemental Essay?
In the next section of our Princeton essay guide, we’ll discuss how to write a Princeton supplemental essay. Let’s dig in.
Writing Princeton supplemental essays is just like writing other college essays. Compelling Princeton supplemental essays require students to be thoughtful and honest, crafting a story with a critical eye and their own personal flair.
Before you start drafting your Princeton supplemental essays, try to have a brainstorming session for all of the Princeton essay prompts. By laying out all of your ideas, you can imagine the narrative the admissions team will glean from reading all of your essays together rather than focusing on each individual Princeton essay. Each of your Princeton supplemental essays should capture something unique about you rather than repeat information found elsewhere in your application.
Remember, the first draft of your Princeton supplemental essays isn’t going to be perfect—nor should it be! Use your first draft to get your ideas out, then think about how you can organize them. Especially in your longer Princeton supplemental essays, you’ll want to start with a hook, build to a point, and by the end answer the question of “why this matters.”
More Princeton Requirements
If you’re making a plan for how to get into Princeton, be sure you’ve covered all of the Princeton requirements. Besides competing your Princeton essays, there are a few other things to include on your Princeton checklist :
- Your completed application (this includes your personal statement essay, the Princeton supplemental essays, a graded written paper, and your application fee or waiver)
- Official transcript and school report (sent by your school counselor or other school official)
- 2 teacher recommendations (an additional counselor recommendation is requested, but not required)
- Midyear school report
Students also have the option to submit standardized test scores, include an arts supplement, and complete an interview as part of the application process. Keep reading our Princeton essay guide to learn more about some of the optional and required elements of a Princeton application.
Standardized Test Scores
Submitting SAT and ACT scores is optional for all applicants. Princeton has extended their test-optional policy for the 2023, 2024, and 2025 fall admissions cycles. If you are a strong test taker, submitting high SAT or ACT scores for consideration can help your application stand out. However, your application and chances of admission will not be negatively impacted if you choose not to submit them. If you’re not sure whether to include your test scores or are still deciding whether to take the SAT/ACT, read our article on Standardized Tests in a Test-Optional Environment .
Completing an alumni interview is optional for all applicants. Students can choose to opt in or out of the interview when they submit their Princeton supplemental essays. Not every student is guaranteed to receive an interview, and they will be conducted in person or virtually depending on availability. Additionlly, as interviews are optional, your application will not be at a disadvantage if you choose to opt out or if you do not have the opportunity to conduct an interview.
Arts Supplement
Including an arts supplement is optional for all applicants. Students who have devoted significant time and excelled in certain artistic areas can submit an arts supplement. Areas of interest include:
- Architecture
- Creative Writing
- Theater/Music Theater
- Visual Arts
If you choose to include an arts supplement, you will indicate your intention to submit along with your Princeton supplemental essays. You can then submit your materials, along with a résumé if needed, to your Princeton Applicant Status Portal.
Graded Written Paper
Submitting a graded written paper is required for all applicants. Princeton admissions will use this piece of writing to understand your ability to express your thoughts and ideas in an academic setting. This contributes to their holistic assessment of your application. The graded written paper also helps the admissions team determine if you will thrive in Princeton’s challenging courses and what kind of contributions you’ll make in the classroom.
If you’re still not sure what makes a good written paper, don’t worry! The next section of our Princeton essay guide has Princeton’s guidelines as well as tips for choosing the right written paper.
Tips for Choosing a Graded Written Paper
As one of the Princeton requirements, deciding which graded written paper to submit is an important choice. Princeton admissions provides the following guidelines for submitting a graded written paper.
Papers appropriate for submission should:
- Be expository writing (paper, essay, research paper, essay exam), not creative writing
- Be something you wrote for an academic course during your last three years of high school (preferably for an English, social studies, or history course)
- Be graded (you’ll want to include the grade you received as well as the grading rubric and any teacher comments if provided)
Your graded paper does not have to be exceptionally long; 1-2 pages is sufficient. When considering which of your written papers to select, remember it also does not have to be an A+ paper. If you believe your paper shows a moment of growth or understanding, it can have a lower grade. Admissions is more interested in the quality of your writing and how you express your ideas than the grade it received.
Does Princeton care about essays?
Yes, as one of the best colleges in the country, Princeton cares about your essays. In this section of our Princeton essay guide, we’ll take a closer look at the role your Princeton essays play in the Princeton admissions process.
The Princeton supplemental essays allow the admissions team to see your achievements in context. They want to understand how you’ve taken advantage of the opportunities available to you and how you’ve grown despite any obstacles you’ve faced.
Along with your graded written paper, each Princeton essay allows you to demonstrate your writing abilities (a skill you’ll need to succeed in many of your college courses). Beyond that, they let you share a more complete picture of who you are and what you care about. Your Princeton essays allow you to craft your personal narrative and will help add depth and resonance to your application.
If your grades and graded written paper show your commitment to learning, your Princeton supplemental essays show your commitment to your family, your community, and your personal interests and development. And, unlike your grades or test scores or list of extracurricular achievements, your Princeton essays let you tell your story in your own voice.
Now, we’ve almost reached the end of our Princeton essay guide. Keep reading for a few more tips and resources to help you write your Princeton supplemental essays!
5 Tips on How to Write the Princeton Supplemental Essays
We’ve covered a lot of details in our Princeton essay guide. Specifically, we’ve gone over the Princeton acceptance rate, application deadlines and requirements, and the Princeton supplemental essay prompts.
Before we close out our Princeton essay guide, we want to leave you with five tips to help you tackle the Princeton supplemental essays:
1. Start brainstorming early
A successful Princeton supplemental essay starts with a compelling topic. Not sure what to write about? Check out our guide on 8 common college essay topics .
2. Details, details, details
Specificity gives your writing texture and will help your Princeton supplemental essays stand out from the crowd. If you’re worried your experiences aren’t unique, specific and personal details will add depth and authenticity.
3. Use your own voice
Don’t worry about writing an essay you think admissions wants to read. Your Princeton supplemental essays are your opportunity to let admissions learn who you are, not who you think they want you to be.
4. Address all aspects of the prompt
The Princeton supplemental essay prompts are intentionally designed for the admissions process. So, make sure your responses answer the question at hand.
5. Don’t forget to proofread!
Editing for spelling, grammar, and punctuation will make your Princeton supplemental essays polished and easy to read. That means admissions can focus on your story.
For more tips on writing the Princeton supplemental essays, check out our guide on how to write better essays . If you’re looking for writing inspiration and a student’s take on the application process, check out a Princeton graduate’s Princeton Application Story . In it, she details how she approached the Princeton essays as well as handling being deferred EA before finally being accepted.
More Princeton Resources from CollegeAdvisor
Still looking for more guidance on how to get into Princeton? CollegeAdvisor has countless resources to help you conquer the Princeton application. Check our Princeton Essay Guide from 2022-2023 and our Princeton Essay Guide from 2020-2021 to get more ideas about how to write your essays. We also have Princeton essay examples and Ivy League Essay Examples to help you learn what a strong Princeton essay looks like. These include extracurricular activities essays as well as Princeton essays.
You can also look to resources like our guide to writing an extracurricular activities essay for more Princeton essay examples. While the current Princeton supplemental essay prompts don’t include an extracurricular activities essay, you’ll encounter similar prompts throughout the admissions process. If you feel confident about approaching the Princeton supplemental essays but want more guidance on writing your personal statement, see these 10 Exceptional Common App Essay Examples .
For more information on what it’s like to overcome the Princeton acceptance rate and attend Princeton University, watch our Princeton Panel and read our how to get into Princeton guide here .
Finally, if you want personalized support in the admissions process, click here to schedule a free meeting with our team and learn how one-on-one advising can help your applications stand out.
We hope you’ve learned a lot reading our Princeton essay guide and feel ready to take on the Princeton supplemental essays—good luck!
This essay guide was written by Stefanie Tedards. Looking for more admissions support? Click here to schedule a free meeting with one of our Admissions Specialists. During your meeting, our team will discuss your profile and help you find targeted ways to increase your admissions odds at top schools. We’ll also answer any questions and discuss how CollegeAdvisor.com can support you in the college application process.
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5 Princeton Supplemental Essay Examples for
Are you looking for Princeton supplemental essay examples? You're in the right place. In this blog, we share five different Princeton supplemental essay examples to help you prepare for your own supplemental college essays . Whether you are applying to Princeton itself or another prestigious and highly competitive institution like Brown or Stanford , it is important that you ace your college essays.
Most of the top colleges have a holistic admissions process, which is why they often require supplemental college essays in addition to your personal statement. These essays tell them a bit more about the person behind the grades and extracurriculars. It also allows them to evaluate your writing skills and get a sense of your personality. All of these things can significantly affect their decision to offer you admission, put you on the waitlist or reject your application altogether.
Reviewing different college essay examples is a great way to learn how to write a college essay because it teaches you how to tackle different types of prompts and gives you a better idea of what is expected from your essay. So, without much further ado, let's take a look at a few outstanding Princeton supplemental essays.
>> Want us to help you get accepted? Schedule a free strategy call here . <<
Article Contents 9 min read
Princeton supplemental essay example # 1.
Prompt: As a research institution that also prides itself on its liberal arts curriculum, Princeton allows students to explore areas across the humanities and the arts, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. What academic areas most pique your curiosity, and how do the programs offered at Princeton suit your particular interests? - 250 words.
My record for solving the New York Times crossword puzzle is 12 minutes 45 seconds. That was three years ago, and I am still trying to beat it.
I have always loved puzzles. The kind of puzzle doesn't matter much to me - whether it is a jigsaw puzzle, a rubrics cube, a crossword puzzle, or a mathematical equation. I simply enjoy having something in front of me that requires solving, and once I pick it up, I can't put it down until I solve it.
I believe that this love for solving problems is what got me interested in maths in the first place. I find it fascinating that we can use maths equations to understand complex concepts like time and space and solve problems in various areas like engineering and economics.
I have been intrigued by mathematics since my first algebra class in middle school because it is the key to figuring out some of the world's most complex puzzles. I have participated in summer programs for high school students where the focus was on applied mathematics and enrolled in an introduction to applied Maths course at my local community college in order to build a strong foundation.
I am excited to learn about all the different ways we can use maths to solve puzzles in various disciplines, and I believe that the flexible and interdisciplinary nature of the maths program at Princeton would allow me to explore this interest in a way that no other school can. (250 words)
Prompt: Please describe why you are interested in studying engineering at Princeton. Include any of your experiences in, or exposure to engineering, and how you think the programs offered at the University suit your particular interests. - 250 words.
"Which NASA are you talking about?" I asked my Princeton tour guide while struggling to pick my jaw back up from the floor.
She chuckled and asked me which NASA I thought she meant.
This exchange occurred last summer when I visited Princeton's Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering labs. I was excited to learn that students from the Princeton Rocketry Club had been instrumental in designing tools for the space program. I couldn't believe that undergraduate students were getting to contribute to the exploration of space.
While I was excited to hear about this, I was definitely not surprised. One of the many reasons I am interested in pursuing my aerospace engineering degree at Princeton is that the program gives students a chance to explore, research, develop and invent independently.
I have been working on a solar sailplane glider since last summer, and I am confident that with the knowledge and guidance that I will receive from the great minds at Princeton, I can use my senior year independent project to develop this project further. My aim is to improve the functionality of solar-powered airplanes, and I know that no other school can give the tools and facilities to do that.
Lastly, I truly appreciate the fact that Andrea Goldsmith, the current dean of the school of engineering and applied sciences, is not only a brilliant mind but a woman who understands what it is like to be a woman in STEM. (241 words)
Take the time to research! In order to write a strong essay in response to this prompt, you will need to research Princeton's engineering school and the specific engineering programs so that you can provide specific details. The admissions committee wants to know why you are applying to Princeton's engineering program, and general reasons like \"it's a highly ranked program\" are not going to cut it. ","label":"Tip","title":"Tip"}]" code="tab1" template="BlogArticle">
Prompt: Briefly elaborate on an activity, organization, work experience, or hobby that has been particularly meaningful to you. - 150 words.
When I first saw the flyer for community garden volunteers, I was confused. I didn't know we had a community garden, and more importantly, I didn't understand what a community garden was. That said, I had been looking for ways to get involved in my community, and I was intrigued.
Two years later, I am one of the program's coordinators. I have gotten to work alongside people I might have never met otherwise, and they have taught me about giving back, gardening, and more. One of my favorite volunteers, Marjorie, an older lady with pink streaks in her greying hair who loves to tell me stories about the sixties, has even taught me how to cook the best collard greens I have ever had.
I now understand that the community garden is there to grow food for the neighborhood and unite us by giving us a common goal. (148 words).
Princeton supplemental essay example # 4
Prompt: At Princeton, we value diverse perspectives and the ability to have respectful dialogue about difficult issues. Share a time when you had a conversation with a person or a group of people about a difficult topic. What insight did you gain, and how would you incorporate that knowledge into your thinking in the future? -250 words.
I joined the Youth Collaboration Program at the end of my junior year of high school. It is a program that students from different schools in the city can apply for, and a select few are chosen to represent youth interests within the local government. I wanted to participate in the program to gain insight into the inner workings of local government and get practical experience.
What I did not realize is that this program is a collaborative enterprise and melting pot of ideologies, faiths, ethnic backgrounds, and socio-economic classes. Although I learned a lot from the program, I learned even more from the other students who participated in the program. We all shared our experiences with the representatives and each other. I particularly remember David talking about his cousin's body being stuffed into the trunk of a car after a gang killed him.
Prompt: Princeton has a longstanding commitment to service and civic engagement. Tell us how your story intersects (or will intersect) with these ideals. – 250 words.
I started listening to French music a few years ago when I learned that it could help improve my vocabulary. That is how I came across a song called "Lettre à la Maison Blanche," in which the singer essentially begs the white house and the United Nations to help with the situation in Rwanda. The song was so touching that I googled the singer and found out it had been written about the Rwandese genocide.
This led me to read about Rwanda and the fantastic progress that it has made as a nation since the end of the genocide. I was especially impressed by the country's efforts to conserve wildlife in the Nyungwe forest, which is one of the world's most biodiverse areas. As a volunteer for the Wildlife Conservation Society(WCS), I was able to spend last summer in Rwanda helping with WCS' education and outreach initiative.
It was one of the most enriching experiences that I have ever had. Not only because I am passionate about climate change but also because I got to travel, discover new cultures, and practice my French. This experience motivated me anew to keep working towards sustainability.
I would love to join the efforts of the students who run the many sustainability programs at Princeton. I am especially interested in the Princeton Environmental Activism Coalition (PEAC) and the Princeton Conservation Society, as I believe that my experiences with the WCS have given me the tools I need to be an asset to those teams. (250 words)
The Princeton supplement requires students to provide some additional information about themselves. Students are required to answer the three questions below in 50 words or less. We recommend using as many of those 50 words as possible. You’re given space for 50 words for a response that could easily be one or two words, so take advantage of that space.
Since these are not typical essay questions, you can play around with the format a little bit ( like in the example below) and get creative. Your responses to these questions should be honest but written with the audience in mind. Remember that the aim is to stand out and tell the admissions committee who you are. So stay away from generic answers, showcase your personality and highlight your strengths.
We recommend reaching out to a college essay review service if you have doubts about your answers or are unsure how to use these questions to showcase your strengths.
Now, here are a few examples to give you a better idea of how to tackle these short answer questions:
What is a new skill you would like to learn in college?
I started writing my bucket list on my 16th birthday, and one of the items on my list is to learn how to speak at least five languages. I speak English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese. While in college, I'd like to learn Italian too. (43 words)
What brings you joy?
I derive joy from many things, including but not limited to the following:
· The smell of new books
· Warm chai lattes
· Color-coordinated closets
· Extended metaphors in rap music
· That eureka moment when you solve a puzzle
· Gilmore Girl re-reruns
· Dancing toddlers
· Musical sing-alongs ( especially Les Misérables)
· Funny puns
Writing college essays is not easy, and the Princeton supplemental essays can be especially challenging. It is important that you give yourself enough time to research and plan before you start putting pen to paper for these essays. There is no golden template for college essays. The key is ensuring that your essay tells a story and teaches the admissions committee about you. This is especially important if you are trying to get into college with a low GPA.
Make sure you use specific examples from your background and experiences and include detailed information about the school to show the admissions committee that you are interested in this school in particular, not just any highly ranked institution.
If you want your Princeton supplemental essays to be as impactful as possible, you should consider investing in college admissions consulting so that you can benefit from the services of a college essay advisor. They can guide you through the brainstorming, researching, writing, and editing process to ensure you submit compelling essays that will stand out and help you beat the competition, even if you don't have perfect stats.
Getting into Princeton requires a very strong application. Last year, the school had an acceptance rate of 4.3%, meaning that for every 100 applications received, only about four students were offered admission. So it is fair to say that getting into Princeton is no easy feat.
In addition to the Common App essay , Princeton requires undergraduate applicants to submit four supplemental college essays, one graded written paper, and answer three short questions.
You can make your Princeton supplemental essay stand out by having a strong introduction, including specific details about the school's programs or majors, and showing instead of telling. If you're not sure how to do this naturally in your essay, we recommend reaching out to a college essay advisor for assistance.
You do not need one, but we recommend working with one if you want to maximize your chances of writing the best essay possible. As admission professionals, essay advisors can provide insight that the untrained eye can't.
Princeton no longer requires applicants to submit the optional writing section of the SAT or ACT. Instead, it asks applicants to submit a one or two-page paper, essay, research paper, or essay exam from one of their academic courses that a teacher graded.
To be a competitive applicant for Princeton, you need a GPA of 3.9, as that is the current entering class' average.
Your Princeton supplemental essays are an integral part of your application. There are students with perfect stats who do not get in because of poorly written essays, so do not underestimate their importance.
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5 Princeton Supplemental Essays That Worked
Are you applying to Princeton University in 2023? Or perhaps you're a parent curious about what it takes.
If so, writing great application essays is the most effective way you can stand out.
In this article, I've gathered 5 of the best Princeton essays that worked so that you can get inspired and improve your own essays.
What is Princeton University's Acceptance Rate?
As a world-renowned college, Princeton has highly competitive admissions. Located in Princeton, New Jersey, the Ivy League school received 37,601 applications this past year and only 1,647 of those students were accepted.
That gives Princeton an overall admit rate of 4.4%, or in other words only 1 in every 18 students get accepted.
Princeton University Acceptance Scattergram
While admissions into Princeton is difficult, this only means that your application essays have more of an impact.
To have your best shot of getting admitted, it's important you write stand-out essays in response to Princeton's writing supplement.
What are the Princeton Supplemental Prompts for 2023?
This year, Princeton requires applicants to write three short essays and answer three short answer questions. Princeton also requires that you submit a graded academic paper as a part of your application.
The questions on this page are being asked by Princeton University:
Extracurricular Activity and Work Experience
- Briefly elaborate on an activity, organization, work experience, or hobby that has been particularly meaningful to you. (Please respond in about 150 words) (1-200 words)
Please respond to each question in an essay of about 250 words.
At Princeton, we value diverse perspectives and the ability to have respectful dialogue about difficult issues. Share a time when you had a conversation with a person or a group of people about a difficult topic. What insight did you gain, and how would you incorporate that knowledge into your thinking in the future? (50-350 words)
- Princeton has a longstanding commitment to service and civic engagement. Tell us how your story intersects (or will intersect) with these ideals. (50-350 words)
More About You
Please respond to each question in 50 words or fewer. There are no right or wrong answers. Be yourself!
What is a new skill you would like to learn in college? (1-50 words)
What brings you joy? (1-50 words)
What song represents the soundtrack of your life at this moment? (1-50 words)
Princeton requires you to submit a graded written paper as part of your application. You may submit this material now or any time before the application deadline. If you choose not to upload the required paper at this time, you may mail, e-mail, or upload your paper through the applicant portal. Detailed instructions for our graded paper requirement can be found here.
Do you wish to submit a graded written paper at this time?
Upload the graded written paper here. (0-2000 words)
Additional Information (Optional)
Please attach a document if you wish to provide details of circumstances or qualifications not reflected in the application. (0-2000 words)
5 Princeton University EssaysThatWorked
Here are 5 of the best Princeton essays that worked, inclunding responses to Princeton's writing supplement.
I've also included some Common App essays written by admitted Princeton students.
Princeton University Essay Example #1
Princeton university essay example #2, princeton university essay example #3, princeton university essay example #4, princeton university essay example #5.
Prompt: Briefly elaborate on an activity, organization, work experience, or hobby that has been particularly meaningful to you. (Please respond in about 150 words) (200 words max)
Why This Essay Works:
This essay provides good specifics that elaborate on their extracurricular activity. It is specific where possible, which helps provide context and make more compelling.
What They Might Improve:
This essay touches on the impact of this activity (connection to their religion and friendship), but it could go deeper. The takeaways in this supplement are somewhat surface-level, which is fine to start, but ideally would be expanded upon and more in-depth.
Prompt: Please tell us how you have spent the last two summers (or vacations between school years), including any jobs you have held. (200 words max)
By admitting when things are difficult, you aren't making yourself seem less capable. Instead, showing what is challenging is what admissions wants to see. Challenges are what cause growth and development, so they are important to address.
In several areas of this essay, the author could be more specific to be more engaging. Rather than saying "the research happening in the labs" they could specify what types of research they witnessed. Rather than saying "these experiences were pivotal to my passion for the sciences," they could specify how these experiences gave them a new appreciation and for what areas of science in particular.
Prompt: Tell us about a person who has influenced you in a significant way. (250-650 words)
Last summer I participated in molecular biology research at Boston University. Surrounded by 39 other high school seniors, I perceived with new clarity how an inquisitive, curious mind must interact in an unapologetic manner. Entering lectures about the basics of molecular biology, most of us initially thought we knew a great deal about biology. I quickly realized my naivete, and once I accepted my own ignorance, I settled into a passive absorption mode. The looks on all our faces told the same story. Well, all of ours except Kelsey’s.
Brilliant and inquisitive, Kelsey exhibited no fear raising her hand and boldly asking questions. Even during the portions of the lectures when we were simply reviewing concepts of biology, she never ceased to question the current topic. The first few times she asked questions, I thought she had little background knowledge so she just needed clarification. Yet as the first week progressed, I realized that not only did she have the background information required for this course but also the grit and determination needed for success in research. The levels of her questions stumped our lecturer at times and he responded, “I’ll have to get back to you on that one.”
Often I just wanted to yell, “PUT YOUR HAND DOWN!!!”, as my tolerance for her constant inquiry began to erode while sitting through her questions and their subsequent answers. Due to her deep and thought-provoking questions, she became the class pariah; not necessarily because she was annoying but because of her resolute and indefatigable inquisitiveness. She was insatiable in her pursuit of knowledge, like a ribosome clinging to the endoplasmic reticulum.
Yet as the course progressed, I finally began to notice the value of Kelsey’s questions. She asked questions of importance, questions researchers must ask themselves every day. Her inquiries were thoughts no one else my age seemed to have. The depth and breadth of her ideas fascinated me, especially given that she was only sixteen.
Kelsey’s questions made me realize the importance of questioning preconceived notions.
Subsequently, I became aware of my own willingness to challenge concepts that were accepted and taught as seemingly concrete, and I recognized the danger of blindly absorbing information without disputing it. Seeing the scholarly nature of Kelsey’s intellectual curiosity, I began to emulate her queries during the final few weeks of the program. Not only did I get more out of the lectures, but I also gained the experience necessary to question ideas and facts and search for answers, a vital skill in every academic realm.
As a student with an interest in the sciences, I ask questions that may not have an obvious answer. As someone who strives for knowledge, I am willing to do research if what I am asking has no answer, but I do not simply possess an affinity toward knowledge. I wish to create it. Most young people cite coaches, teachers, or other adults as influential; however, for me, a peer-modeled approach to learning also has merit.
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Common App Prompt #5: Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others. (250-650 words)
It's important to create a "voice" in your personal statement, so that admissions officers can imagine your character and personality. Try to write as you would speak, but refined and polished. In this essay, natural-sounding phrases like "...let me admit, I was awful..." humanizes the author and makes the reader feel like they're being spoken to.
This essay is a perfect example of how effective essays don't need to have a super unusual story to be compelling. What makes this essay's story compelling is not necessarily the topic itself (meeting distant relatives), but instead how the student reflects and makes interesting connections to broader ideas. Even seemingly mundane experiences can make for meaningful personal statements topics.
This conclusion works well by connecting to the main story of the essay. However, certain phrases like "As a global citizen" and "I am hoping to forge relationships" are potentially too generic. Instead, try taking your main idea (in this case forming connections with others) and broaden it or connect to more universal ideas.
Common App Prompt #1: Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. (250-650 words)
Having a unifying idea is key to successful personal statements. Find your deepest idea or realization and focus your essay around that.
Find a way to showcase your achievements while connecting to broader, more universal ideas.
Connecting your ending to your beginning is a powerful way to bring your essay full circle. A great conclusion expands on your ideas introduced earlier, while leaving some room for more to be said.
These 5 Princeton essays that worked showcase great examples of responses to the Princeton writing supplement.
What did you think of these Princeton essays?
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Princeton Admitted Essay
People love to ask why. Why do you wear a turban? Why do you have long hair? Why are you playing a guitar with only 3 strings and watching TV at 3 A.M.—where did you get that cat? Why won’t you go back to your country, you terrorist? My answer is... uncomfortable. Many truths of the world are uncomfortable...
MIT Admitted Essay
Her baking is not confined to an amalgamation of sugar, butter, and flour. It's an outstretched hand, an open invitation, a makeshift bridge thrown across the divides of age and culture. Thanks to Buni, the reason I bake has evolved. What started as stress relief is now a lifeline to my heritage, a language that allows me to communicate with my family in ways my tongue cannot. By rolling dough for saratele and crushing walnuts for cornulete, my baking speaks more fluently to my Romanian heritage than my broken Romanian ever could....
UPenn Admitted Essay
A cow gave birth and I watched. Staring from the window of our stopped car, I experienced two beginnings that day: the small bovine life and my future. Both emerged when I was only 10 years old and cruising along the twisting roads of rural Maryland...
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Princeton’s “More About You” Questions: Examples + Tips
Princeton asks applicants to respond to three short-answer questions in a section titled “More About You.” These questions have a 50-word limit, which can be extremely daunting.
This post will go over the purpose of these questions, tips for writing strong responses, as well as real example responses and analysis.
Princeton “More About You” Questions
The three “More About You” questions in the 2022-2023 admissions cycle were:
- What is a new skill you would like to learn in college?
- What brings you joy?
- What song represents the soundtrack of your life at this moment?
These are questions that might come up in casual conversation, and the goal is to learn “more about you” in a down-to-earth way. This is an opportunity to humanize your application and show more of your “fun” side.
Tips for Princeton’s “More About You” Questions
These short-answer questions are really unlike other parts of your application. Here are our expert tips for writing an engaging response that will win over admissions officers.
1. Be more casual
These are casual questions, so you want your response to feel down-to-earth as well. There’s no need for academic writing here, or even complete sentences. You can even use slang!
Just make sure that your response is still well-written; it should feel like a response in a conversation to an acquaintance or stranger, not like something you’d text a friend.
2. Maximize the word count.
Do not repeat the question in your response. You only have 50 words, so make the most of them! Dive right into your answer.
3. Pay attention to presentation.
Grammatical and formatting mistakes will stand out even more in a short-answer question. Other than maybe using some stylistic fragments, make sure your grammar is correct. You should especially double-check spacing and punctuation/
4. Get an extra set of eyes on your responses.
While most students think to get their college essays edited, these short-answers may not feel like they need an extra set of eyes. Since these are still an important part of your application to Princeton, we recommend having someone else look over your responses. A friend is a great choice since these are more casual questions, and your friend can let you know if your personality shines through.
We also recommend using our free Peer Essay Review platform , where you can get feedback from another student. And, you can review other students’ essays to improve your own writing. If you prefer to have an admissions expert review your essay, you can do so as well on CollegeVine.
Princeton “More About You” Examples
Here are a couple strong responses to the “More About You” questions, as well as analysis on what the writers did well and what could be improved.
Example 1: Joy
Prompt: What brings you joy? (50 words)
The ancient, burlesque sounds of the violin. I love the feeling of completion, when I can finally play a piece I’ve been working at for months. The glide of a slur, the bounce of the spiccato, plentiful accents and tones; The diversity of music lights a fire in my heart.
What the Response Did Well
This answer feels authentic. The student’s use of unique descriptors like “burlesque” and “bounce” communicate to the reader that they have a unique relationship with the violin — one that brings them joy in a specific and special way.
At the same time, the idea of “the feeling of completion” bringing joy is extremely relatable. This student pulls off unique and relatable in the same short answer.
What Could Be Improved
Small mistakes make big impressions in short answers. For example, the word following a semicolon should not be capitalized. While this kind of grammar error could go unnoticed in a larger essay, it stands out when it is one of fifty words.
Example 2: Soundtrack
Prompt: What song represents the soundtrack of your life at the moment? (50 words)
As I sit lost in thought, an urge to stand and pace overwhelms me. The floorboards creaking echoes through the quiet–a familiar symphony accompanying my musings. New ideas take form, energizing, exciting me. In a way, floorboards are my muses fostering my creativity and inspiration, my growth and learning.
This student’s answer is more memorable than traditional answers due to their unique interpretation of the word “soundtrack.” I’m sure this is the only creaking floorboards essay that was submitted to Princeton last year! Originality and setting yourself apart from others is of the utmost importance during the college admissions process.
Admissions officers spend very little time reading short responses and don’t want to parse through your words to find your answer. Because of its roundabout structure, this response requires a second read for an aha moment (“Ohhh the creaking floorboards are the soundtrack!”).
Additionally, your response to a short answer question doesn’t have to be eloquent or figurative. It can be more like an answer to an interview question — to the point, memorable, and honest. This student might have been better off with a casual structure, writing something like:
The sound I hear most often is the creaking of my floorboards, so I’ll call that the soundtrack of my life. I pace when memorizing things, when trying to inspire creativity, when working through complex ideas. My floorboards are probably tired, but pacing is my method.
Finally, like with Example 6, the use of a double hyphen instead of an em dash (—) stands out in a short answer question. Ensure that your grammar is impeccable in your short answers.
More Princeton Essay Resources
How to Write the Princeton Essays
Princeton Essay Examples
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I was just accepted into Princeton University after the repeal of affirmative action. As a person of color, I'm feeling conflicted.
- I'm a person of color who was just accepted into Princeton after the repeal of affirmative action.
- When applying, I made sure to prove I was a person, not just a grade.
- I'm happy I got in, but I can't stop thinking about the other POC who weren't so lucky.
The college admissions process is a game. Unlike other games, though, you don't necessarily have the chance to fail, to practice, to test-drive, or to get good; you just have to win. You just have to play the game that has been impending since you set foot in high school.
I played the game. As a recently accepted student to Princeton University, it might've been the best I ever played.
But I had to because I was in the first class to apply to college post-affirmative action . As a person of color, I was the guinea pig round of the increasingly unpredictable admissions process. I wondered what would merit admission, how I could talk about my experiences, and what the "holistic" application took into account.
Luckily, I gained admission to my dream school , but I can't help but think about the other disadvantaged peers who didn't.
I tried to show the admissions officers I'm a person — not a score
I went test-optional. I didn't want to be quantifiable. Even though I am number one in my class, have a high GPA, and took 21 AP courses throughout high school, removing the SAT put a larger weight on my essays.
I figured it would be harder to reject a person than a number, so I gave them a person. I spent my essays talking about ideas I was passionate about and went in depth about my activities and why I did them. The "why" was a large part of my application — from my involvement in local and national journalism to my work at a local farm.
Related stories
I took any chance I had to write in the margins of the application, describing my circumstances, from the small notes about being in the first generation of my family to attend college in the US to how being a low-income student prevented me from acquiring specialized academic tools. The additional information section was my solace. I didn't pay for a single summer program, extracurricular, or club. Everything I did, I wanted to do — and a good measure of that is my hope to continue many of my high school activities in college.
Of course, I had always been doing these activities, but after the repeal of affirmative action, intentionally emphasizing them was one way I felt I could add dimension to myself. I wanted to show the admissions office that I was an actual person with actual interests beyond school.
But I have bittersweet feelings about getting into an Ivy League school
I'd be lying if I said the feeling after getting into Princeton was all sunshine and roses. I often think about other students like myself, who struggled to share their circumstances or lost a spot after affirmative action. Somehow, I survived the game when others didn't.
But the truth is I didn't have to beat out other poor kids, other POCs, or other minorities. I had to beat the majority. My competition was never the people from my background or tax bracket . I had to beat out the system that went against me, the larger injustice — even though some of my peers couldn't.
I remind myself I didn't steal anyone's spot, and the bittersweet feeling associated with getting in is actually a good thing. It means I still have my humanity in a world where "climbing the ladder" is the norm. But also, it means I survived; I didn't succumb. I played the game instead of taking the back door, which was offered to many affluent students and legacy applicants . For that, I am glad.
Ironically, this same feeling was verbalized best by playwright Finegan Kruckemeyer, whom I wrote about in my Princeton essay, when he says:
"This was a good thing, this was a bad. Of this, I feel guilty; of this, I feel glad…Some things I can change and some I can't fix. I'm alone, but as well, I'm part of a mix."
I do think I belong among the Ivy League mix, but like any good thing, I also feel like I have to answer for the flawed system.
Watch: Rikers Island is one of the world's most notorious jails — here's what it's actually like
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‘If you can't beat them, confuse them’: Academy Award-nominee Jeffrey Wright’s words of wisdom
Academy Award nominated actor Jeffrey Wright addressed University community members at a Q&A session.
Tyler wilson / the daily princetonian.
Jeffrey Wright, star of the 2024 Academy Award-winning film , “American Fiction,” doesn’t think we Princeton students will take his advice. After all, as he said, we’re young. The celebrated actor is the father of two college-aged kids — he knows how stubborn young adults can be. However, it would be a mistake to not consider his words deeply. This is a man who has an impressive filmography: one that ranges from “Angels in America” to “The Hunger Games,” “James Bond” to “Westworld.” He has worked with the likes of legends such as Mike Nichols, Wes Anderson, M. Night Shyamalan, Sam Mendes, and Spike Lee; he was also cast in Lee’s remake of the Akira Kurosawa classic “High and Low” alongside Denzel Washington.
Most recently, Wright starred as writer Thelonious “Monk” Ellison in Cord Jefferson’s debut feature “American Fiction.” His performance earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor. Meanwhile, Jefferson won Best Adapted Screenplay. On March 19, after an evening screening of his “American Fiction” at the Garden Theatre, Jeffrey Wright sat down with Julian E. Zelizer, Professor of History and Public Affairs at Princeton, for a Q&A session.
At the event, Wright was upfront with the fact that his work is eclectic — he told the audience that he loves to “inhabit other spaces,” while acknowledging “that’s probably too pretentious” but “magical.”
“If you can’t beat them, confuse them,” he continued.
Wright admitted, “I’ve talked too much in the last months,” now that awards season has come and gone. To him, an awards campaign is like a political campaign. It’s about swaying voters, but more importantly, it is about getting as many eyes on a film as possible. “American Fiction” was made on a relatively small budget of $7 million (Wright quipped that this was equivalent to the breakfast burrito budget on his recent blockbuster “The Batman”). For a movie of such a small budget, awards can help expand its viewership scope to a broader audience.
At the end of the day, Wright said that everyone who works on a film just wants to be recognized and affirmed, like the characters in “American Fiction.” Wright’s character, Monk, is an author frustrated with a literary establishment that often disregards his work. While the literary establishment expresses disinterest in Monk’s work (mostly modern adaptations of classical pieces from antiquity), it profits from narratives rooted in exhausted Black stereotypes. Under a pen name, Monk writes the exact kind of vulgar, heavy-handed, trope-riddled novel he lampoons. He submits the manuscript to publishers as an elaborate middle finger to their predominantly white executives. They love it, and the novel becomes a major hit. Monk must consequently reckon with his hypocrisy as money, film deals, and awards are poured upon him.
Wright and Jefferson constructed Monk to be an unreliable narrator. “American Fiction” tackles divisive, contemporary topics, especially focusing on art and the Black experience. However, the film is not a moralizing tale. Wright noted that the thesis of the film is not delivered by any of the characters in a verbose, theatrical argument. Rather, it lies somewhere in between their perspectives, or as Wright described, “on the table in front of them.” The only clarity in the narrative, then, is the tender journey that Monk takes to reconnect with his family. As Wright had put it, the film is also “about a man returning to love.”
The film is thought-provoking and demands discussion. It is a comedy, and Wright hopes that by “allowing us to laugh” the film “provides an open invitation” to discussion. Wright noted that people are often afraid to confront each other, but hopes that at Princeton we are more “sophisticated.” The opening scene of “American Fiction” is set in a college classroom as a contentious discussion ignites between Monk, a professor, and one of his students. This argument leads to Monk’s subsequent dismissal by the university. Clearly, the conversation does not go well for the film’s protagonist, but Wright believes that it is adeptly approached by Jefferson from a filmmaking perspective. It shows how quickly discourse can unravel when driven by stubbornness and hostility. Wright maintains that we should not be afraid of mature discourse, nor should we be afraid to satirize it in our art.
Critically, as Wright noted, we must also not be afraid to infuse challenging art with earnestness. This is, once again, shown through the core of “American Fiction” being Monk’s journey toward love. Wright argues that there is cynicism in our pop culture, a cheapness. During the discussion, he asked, “Where is the beauty?” He then proposed, to much applause, that “we need to get back to beauty, otherwise we are doomed.” He finds the Miles Davis cover of “Autumn Leaves,” which plays during the closing scene, to be the film’s most beautiful moment. The song comes from an era of pop culture that was unapologetically beautiful, and it perfectly contrasts the persistent tension of the film.
When asked if he had any advice for young people, Wright took the audience back to his college days. As an undergraduate at Amherst College, he switched majors from political science to theater (not much of a leap, he joked). At college, Wright had the opportunity to explore, which allowed him to progress towards his authentic self. By doing so, he nurtured his creativity. Wright urged all undergraduates to make mistakes — he claimed that there is no better time than now to do so. “Give thought to nonconformity … embrace it.” He continued, “Follow your own lead.” Take heed of this advice; it comes from one of the great artists of today.
Tyler Wilson is a senior writer for The Prospect and Humor at the ‘Prince.’ He can be reached at [email protected], or on Instagram at @tylertwilson.
Charter Club changed guest policy after conservative professor’s lunch. After headlines, the policy was reversed.
After notable conservative professor Robert P. George came for lunch, Charter Club announced a new policy making it more difficult for students to bring faculty members as guests. The move came due to students' objections to the professors' political views. The saga made national headlines and, days later, the policy was revoked.
After a notable conservative professor came for lunch, Charter Club announced a new policy making it more difficult for students to bring faculty members as guests. The move came due to students' objections to the professors' political views. The saga made national headlines and, days later, the policy was revoked.
Class Day chairs select ‘Law & Order’ actor Sam Waterston as 2024 Class Day speaker
The actor has portrayed district attorney Jack McCoy on Law and Order for 18 years. In a video message to seniors, the Class of 2024 Class Day chairs emphasized Waterston's creative career and connections to Princeton.
Princeton men’s lacrosse secures a narrow Tuesday night win over Lehigh
In yet another rainy game on Sherrerd Field, the Tigers emerged victorious, downing Lehigh 12-10. Despite being down two goals at halftime, Princeton gave up just three second-half goals to give them the edge in a back-and-forth game.
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Unpacking the Princeton Supplemental Essays 2022-2023
Padya Paramita
September 12, 2022
Having held that coveted number one spot in the US News Ranking of Best National Universities for the last few years, it should come as no surprise that you need to bring your A-game to get into Princeton University. Obviously, your grades, scores, and extracurricular activities matter a great deal, but don’t underestimate the power of well-written answers to the prompts offered by the Princeton supplemental essays 2022-2023 .
Take the time to perfect your answers to the Princeton supplemental essays 2022-2023 so that admissions officers are not only impressed by the quality of your writing but also believe that you’re a strong fit for an institution as selective as Princeton. To help guide you through the Princeton supplemental essays 2022-2023 , I have outlined each of the prompts, ways to strategize your answers to them, and additional tips for your responses.
Prompts for the Princeton Supplemental Essays 2022-2023
While none of the questions explicitly ask why you want to attend Princeton (because let’s face it, almost everybody wants to attend Princeton), they do help the school gauge your areas of interest, your academic and extracurricular strengths, and the ways through which you’d contribute to the campus community. Let’s take a closer look at each of the Princeton prompts and some strategies to approach them.
Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences that was particularly meaningful to you. (Response required in about 150 words.)
It might be difficult to pick only one of your activities for the Princeton supplemental essays 2022-2023 , or the right extracurricular might jump out to you immediately. In either case, it’s okay if this activity is not the one that looks most impressive to others. When analyzing your supplemental essays, Princeton wants to know “ what you care about, what commitments you have made and what you’ve done to act on those commitments. ” What’s key here is that you choose the activity which has had the most influence on you, and allowed you to have an impact on others in return. Choose an activity that has helped your growth, developed your career interest, or is the one activity you look forward to the most every week.
The keywords in this prompt are “particularly meaningful.” Remember to address what makes this activity more meaningful to you than the others. Has it helped you hone your leadership skills? Has it catalyzed your motivation to work with others? Is this what you want to do for the rest of your life? 150 words is extremely short, so don’t spend all of your words summarizing the activity. Throw in a short anecdote, or focus on describing ways that this activity stands out over the rest and why it holds that special spot in your life.
For A.B. Degree Applicants or Those Who are Undecided:
As a research institution that also prides itself on its liberal arts curriculum, Princeton allows students to explore areas across the humanities and the arts, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. What academic areas most pique your curiosity, and how do the programs offered at Princeton suit your particular interests? (Please respond in about 250 words.)
This is the closest the university gets to a “why Princeton” essay. Admissions officers don’t just want to know why you’re applying to Princeton generally; they expect you to go into specific detail about Princeton’s academic offerings. You can talk about multiple interests across the humanities, arts, natural sciences, and social sciences.
Notice that this type of essay should mainly cover academics. Princeton’s clubs and student organizations may make it an alluring place for you, but the question explicitly asks about your choice of study. Look through the college website and think about what you can write that won’t be common in other students’ essays. Is there an English professor whose writing resonates with you? Would a particular psychology or sociology class perfectly fit in with your 10-year plan? Remember that admissions officers are trying to figure out how you’d make the most of your experience on the Princeton campus. So, write elaborately about how you would take advantage of the curriculum and give them a sense of the ways in which you’d make a valuable addition to the classroom.
For B.S.E Degree Applicants:
Please describe why you are interested in studying engineering at Princeton. Include any of your experiences in, or exposure to engineering, and how you think the programs offered at the University suit your particular interests. (Please respond in about 250 words.)
This essay is required if you’ve indicated Bachelor of Science in Engineering as a possible degree on your application, and with good reason. Princeton wants to know whether you are genuinely interested in the field of engineering, and specifically in the Princeton School of Engineering’s offerings. This is a much more standard supplemental essay prompt than the one before. Most engineering programs will require a similar essay, so don’t write a response that could be substituted for an application to any other school. Your answer must be as specific as possible to Princeton’s engineering offerings.
Don’t go overboard with all the reasons you’re interested in studying engineering. Focus on one or two of your most impactful activities and experiences, such as working in an engineering lab over the summer or building a robot at school. Again, you must be specific! Shallow motivations won’t win over Princeton’s admissions officers. If you want to excel with this question, you need to research concrete examples of what appeals to you. For example, you could talk about how working with the Princeton Engineering Education for Kids student organization combines your love for engineering and working with children.
Admissions officers are looking for students who are passionate about their major, involved community leaders, and truly interested in Princeton. This essay is a great chance to show that you check all of the boxes.
Please respond to each question in an essay of about 250 words.
At Princeton, we value diverse perspectives and the ability to have respectful dialogue about difficult issues. Share a time when you had a conversation with a person or a group of people about a difficult topic. What insight did you gain, and how would you incorporate that knowledge into your thinking in the future?
Princeton wants to know how students will engage in classroom discussions and conversations during meals and or in hallways. The difficult topic you address isn’t limited to academics—it could be about sports, books, music, movies, television, or politics (although I would tread the latter department carefully). You could have been on the more generally agreed-upon side of a common debate, or you may have held a controversial view. The important part isn’t what happened, so focus instead on the latter parts of the question. Dedicate most of your essay to discussing what insight you gained from the conversation, how you’ve acted since, and how you would bring this knowledge to Princeton.
Be careful while answering this prompt, especially if your viewpoint on the topic can be seen as controversial. With a topic like this, it’s easy to get carried away with your writing, especially if you have a lot of feelings on the matter. You only have 250 words at hand, so remember that your goal here is to talk about why this anecdote stands out to you and how it has shaped you. Allow admissions officers to learn more about you, and make sure you haven’t written anything that can offend or harm any individual or group of people.
Princeton has a longstanding commitment to service and civic engagement. Tell us how your story intersects (or will intersect) with these ideals.
This prompt is geared towards understanding students' involvement in community engagement and service. If you're passionate about community work and have dedicated yourself to improving your community, this is the place to expand on it. Write about any initiatives or work you have done to positively impact your community, or if you have demonstrated your passion for service and have been recognized for it. For example, if you received a Girl Scout Gold Award, this is the place to include it.
Remember that Princeton is one of the most selective universities in the world. Simply writing about a service trip abroad, or single community service participation won't do. When you write about this topic, think about what you're genuinely passionate about when it comes to community involvement, and how you have conveyed sustained commitment towards it.
More About You
Please respond to each question in 50 words or fewer. There are no right or wrong answers. Be yourself!
- What is a new skill you would like to learn in college?
- What brings you joy?
- What song represents the soundtrack of your life at this moment?
These questions might throw you off a little. After all, how can you figure out what Princeton is even looking for? Don’t panic. You definitely don’t have to come up with responses that you believe are super deep and intellectual. Don’t mention that your favorite song is a jazz or classical piece if you think these sound impressive even though you don't actually like them. As cheesy as it sounds, the question states that you should be yourself. Admissions officers want to get to know you.
You don’t have to force yourself to be extra witty, but if you can come up with fun or clever answers to questions that allow for it, such as, “what brings you joy,” that’s great! But let it come to you naturally. Admissions officers have had years of experience reading answers to questions like these. They know if you’re trying to guess what you think they want to hear. At the same time, think about what other applicants would say. Avoid super common answers so that you can stand out as memorable. Your answers should be unique to you and your tastes.
Additional Tips for Writing the Princeton Supplemental Essays 2022-2023
- Be authentic . Every step in your application should be genuine, including in your answers to the Princeton supplemental essays 2022-2023. Don’t write about topics or issues that you believe a Princeton admissions officer might want to see. In fact, those answers might just end up being too cliché and not work against you instead. Admissions officers will appreciate it much more if they can feel organic passion and commitment for the things that you’ve described.
- Don’t repeat your personal statement or your activities list. The goal of the Princeton supplemental essays 2022-2023 is to provide further information on who you are and what you’re all about. There’s no point in repeating what you’ve said on the rest of your application because admissions officers want each component to add something new. Princeton has even specified on the longer essay prompt that you must not repeat your personal statement. If you can’t follow these instructions, your application is basically on its way to the reject pile. You don’t want to lose before your essays have even been read!
The Princeton supplemental essays 2022-2023 might throw you off because unless you’re applying to the School of Engineering, you don’t get a chance to elaborate on why you believe Princeton is the right school for you. However, there are ways you can convey to admissions officers that you’re a great fit for the school by bringing out characteristics that the school values and highlighting them in your essays. Don’t underestimate the difference powerful supplements can make. Good luck!
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That Viral Essay Wasn’t About Age Gaps. It Was About Marrying Rich.
But both tactics are flawed if you want to have any hope of becoming yourself..
Women are wisest, a viral essay in New York magazine’s the Cut argues , to maximize their most valuable cultural assets— youth and beauty—and marry older men when they’re still very young. Doing so, 27-year-old writer Grazie Sophia Christie writes, opens up a life of ease, and gets women off of a male-defined timeline that has our professional and reproductive lives crashing irreconcilably into each other. Sure, she says, there are concessions, like one’s freedom and entire independent identity. But those are small gives in comparison to a life in which a person has no adult responsibilities, including the responsibility to become oneself.
This is all framed as rational, perhaps even feminist advice, a way for women to quit playing by men’s rules and to reject exploitative capitalist demands—a choice the writer argues is the most obviously intelligent one. That other Harvard undergraduates did not busy themselves trying to attract wealthy or soon-to-be-wealthy men seems to flummox her (taking her “high breasts, most of my eggs, plausible deniability when it came to purity, a flush ponytail, a pep in my step that had yet to run out” to the Harvard Business School library, “I could not understand why my female classmates did not join me, given their intelligence”). But it’s nothing more than a recycling of some of the oldest advice around: For women to mold themselves around more-powerful men, to never grow into independent adults, and to find happiness in a state of perpetual pre-adolescence, submission, and dependence. These are odd choices for an aspiring writer (one wonders what, exactly, a girl who never wants to grow up and has no idea who she is beyond what a man has made her into could possibly have to write about). And it’s bad advice for most human beings, at least if what most human beings seek are meaningful and happy lives.
But this is not an essay about the benefits of younger women marrying older men. It is an essay about the benefits of younger women marrying rich men. Most of the purported upsides—a paid-for apartment, paid-for vacations, lives split between Miami and London—are less about her husband’s age than his wealth. Every 20-year-old in the country could decide to marry a thirtysomething and she wouldn’t suddenly be gifted an eternal vacation.
Which is part of what makes the framing of this as an age-gap essay both strange and revealing. The benefits the writer derives from her relationship come from her partner’s money. But the things she gives up are the result of both their profound financial inequality and her relative youth. Compared to her and her peers, she writes, her husband “struck me instead as so finished, formed.” By contrast, “At 20, I had felt daunted by the project of becoming my ideal self.” The idea of having to take responsibility for her own life was profoundly unappealing, as “adulthood seemed a series of exhausting obligations.” Tying herself to an older man gave her an out, a way to skip the work of becoming an adult by allowing a father-husband to mold her to his desires. “My husband isn’t my partner,” she writes. “He’s my mentor, my lover, and, only in certain contexts, my friend. I’ll never forget it, how he showed me around our first place like he was introducing me to myself: This is the wine you’ll drink, where you’ll keep your clothes, we vacation here, this is the other language we’ll speak, you’ll learn it, and I did.”
These, by the way, are the things she says are benefits of marrying older.
The downsides are many, including a basic inability to express a full range of human emotion (“I live in an apartment whose rent he pays and that constrains the freedom with which I can ever be angry with him”) and an understanding that she owes back, in some other form, what he materially provides (the most revealing line in the essay may be when she claims that “when someone says they feel unappreciated, what they really mean is you’re in debt to them”). It is clear that part of what she has paid in exchange for a paid-for life is a total lack of any sense of self, and a tacit agreement not to pursue one. “If he ever betrayed me and I had to move on, I would survive,” she writes, “but would find in my humor, preferences, the way I make coffee or the bed nothing that he did not teach, change, mold, recompose, stamp with his initials.”
Reading Christie’s essay, I thought of another one: Joan Didion’s on self-respect , in which Didion argues that “character—the willingness to accept responsibility for one’s own life—is the source from which self-respect springs.” If we lack self-respect, “we are peculiarly in thrall to everyone we see, curiously determined to live out—since our self-image is untenable—their false notions of us.” Self-respect may not make life effortless and easy. But it means that whenever “we eventually lie down alone in that notoriously un- comfortable bed, the one we make ourselves,” at least we can fall asleep.
It can feel catty to publicly criticize another woman’s romantic choices, and doing so inevitably opens one up to accusations of jealousy or pettiness. But the stories we tell about marriage, love, partnership, and gender matter, especially when they’re told in major culture-shaping magazines. And it’s equally as condescending to say that women’s choices are off-limits for critique, especially when those choices are shared as universal advice, and especially when they neatly dovetail with resurgent conservative efforts to make women’s lives smaller and less independent. “Marry rich” is, as labor economist Kathryn Anne Edwards put it in Bloomberg, essentially the Republican plan for mothers. The model of marriage as a hierarchy with a breadwinning man on top and a younger, dependent, submissive woman meeting his needs and those of their children is not exactly a fresh or groundbreaking ideal. It’s a model that kept women trapped and miserable for centuries.
It’s also one that profoundly stunted women’s intellectual and personal growth. In her essay for the Cut, Christie seems to believe that a life of ease will abet a life freed up for creative endeavors, and happiness. But there’s little evidence that having material abundance and little adversity actually makes people happy, let alone more creatively generativ e . Having one’s basic material needs met does seem to be a prerequisite for happiness. But a meaningful life requires some sense of self, an ability to look outward rather than inward, and the intellectual and experiential layers that come with facing hardship and surmounting it.
A good and happy life is not a life in which all is easy. A good and happy life (and here I am borrowing from centuries of philosophers and scholars) is one characterized by the pursuit of meaning and knowledge, by deep connections with and service to other people (and not just to your husband and children), and by the kind of rich self-knowledge and satisfaction that comes from owning one’s choices, taking responsibility for one’s life, and doing the difficult and endless work of growing into a fully-formed person—and then evolving again. Handing everything about one’s life over to an authority figure, from the big decisions to the minute details, may seem like a path to ease for those who cannot stomach the obligations and opportunities of their own freedom. It’s really an intellectual and emotional dead end.
And what kind of man seeks out a marriage like this, in which his only job is to provide, but very much is owed? What kind of man desires, as the writer cast herself, a raw lump of clay to be molded to simply fill in whatever cracks in his life needed filling? And if the transaction is money and guidance in exchange for youth, beauty, and pliability, what happens when the young, beautiful, and pliable party inevitably ages and perhaps feels her backbone begin to harden? What happens if she has children?
The thing about using youth and beauty as a currency is that those assets depreciate pretty rapidly. There is a nearly endless supply of young and beautiful women, with more added each year. There are smaller numbers of wealthy older men, and the pool winnows down even further if one presumes, as Christie does, that many of these men want to date and marry compliant twentysomethings. If youth and beauty are what you’re exchanging for a man’s resources, you’d better make sure there’s something else there—like the basic ability to provide for yourself, or at the very least a sense of self—to back that exchange up.
It is hard to be an adult woman; it’s hard to be an adult, period. And many women in our era of unfinished feminism no doubt find plenty to envy about a life in which they don’t have to work tirelessly to barely make ends meet, don’t have to manage the needs of both children and man-children, could simply be taken care of for once. This may also explain some of the social media fascination with Trad Wives and stay-at-home girlfriends (some of that fascination is also, I suspect, simply a sexual submission fetish , but that’s another column). Fantasies of leisure reflect a real need for it, and American women would be far better off—happier, freer—if time and resources were not so often so constrained, and doled out so inequitably.
But the way out is not actually found in submission, and certainly not in electing to be carried by a man who could choose to drop you at any time. That’s not a life of ease. It’s a life of perpetual insecurity, knowing your spouse believes your value is decreasing by the day while his—an actual dollar figure—rises. A life in which one simply allows another adult to do all the deciding for them is a stunted life, one of profound smallness—even if the vacations are nice.
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LA Times columnist apologizes for piece characterizing LSU players as ‘dirty debutantes’
LSU head coach Kim Mulkey reacts during the first quarter of an Elite Eight round college basketball game against Iowa during the NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Albany, N.Y. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
LSU head coach Kim Mulkey and the LSU bench react during the first quarter of an Elite Eight round college basketball game against Iowa during the NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Albany, N.Y. (AP Photo/Hans Pennink)
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ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Los Angeles Times columnist Ben Bolch apologized Monday for last week’s column that characterized the Sweet 16 game between UCLA and LSU in the women’s NCAA Tournament as a battle of good versus evil.
Bolch took to social media Monday to “own up to my mistake.”
LSU coach Kim Mulkey criticized the column on Saturday as sexist and hurtful to her players. In the piece, first published Friday , Bolch referred to LSU’s players as “villains” and “dirty debutantes.”
The Times removed those references late Saturday as well as one comparing UCLA’s team to “milk and cookies” and republished the column with a note that said: “A previous version of this commentary did not meet Times editorial standards. It has been updated.”
“Words matter,” Bolch said in his apology. “As a journalist, no one should know this more than me. Yet I have failed miserably in my choice of words.”
AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket/ and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
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Larry Lucchino, Top Executive at Three M.L.B. Teams, Dies at 78
He oversaw design of new ballparks for the Baltimore Orioles and San Diego Padres, as well as renovations for Fenway Park with the Boston Red Sox.
By Richard Sandomir
Larry Lucchino, who as a top executive with the Baltimore Orioles and San Diego Padres oversaw the design of modern stadiums that evoke their surroundings — Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore and Petco Park in San Diego — and who as president of the Boston Red Sox helped to preserve Fenway Park for generations, died on Tuesday at his home in Brookline, Mass. He was 78.
His family announced the death but did not give a cause. He had been treated for cancer three times.
Mr. Lucchino became president of the Red Sox in 2002 with the ascension of new ownership, led by John Henry, the team’s principal owner, and Tom Werner. In Mr. Lucchino’s 14 years with the team, the Red Sox won three World Series titles — the first of which, in 2004, broke an 86-year drought — and reached the postseason seven times. He oversaw improvements to Fenway Park that included installing seats above the Green Monster, the 37-foot-high left field wall, a well as expanding crowded concourses and creating new concession areas.
Rather than replacing it with a new stadium, Mr. Lucchino envisioned a renovation that would keep Fenway, which opened in 1912, viable for decades.
“Have you learned nothing?” Mr. Lucchino said to Charles Steinberg, another Red Sox executive, as quoted in a profile in The Sports Business Journal in 2021 . “You can’t destroy the Mona Lisa. You preserve the Mona Lisa.”
Mr. Lucchino’s combative, competitive personality played into the rivalry between the Red Sox and the New York Yankees. In 2002, after the Yankees signed the Japanese slugger Hideki Matsui and the Cuban pitcher Jose Contreras within a few days, Mr. Lucchino told The New York Times, “ The evil empire extends its tentacles even into Latin America.”
The name stuck — even as Boston’s success in the coming years exceeded that of the Yankees. A year later, Mr. Lucchino further described the Yankees-Red Sox dynamic:
“It’s white hot,” he told The Times . “It’s a rivalry on the field, it’s a rivalry in the press, it’s a rivalry in the front office, it’s a rivalry among the fan base.”
The feeling was mutual.
Interviewed by The New York Times in 2007, Hank Steinbrenner, a son of the Yankees’ principal owner at the time, George Steinbrenner, said of the Red Sox , “If it wasn’t for the rivalry with us, they’d be just another team.”
Lawrence Lucchino was born on Sept. 6, 1945, in Pittsburgh. His father, Dominic, was a bar owner who later worked for the Pennsylvania court system. His mother, Rose (Rizzo) Lucchino, was a secretary and an accounting clerk.
Mr. Lucchino played second base on his high school baseball team, which won a city championship in Pittsburgh. At Princeton, he was a guard on the basketball team — the star of which was Bill Bradley — that made it to the Final Four of the 1965 N.C.A.A. men’s tournament before losing in the semifinals to the University of Michigan. Mr. Lucchino earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Princeton in 1967.
He graduated from Yale Law School in 1971 and two years later joined the House Judiciary Committee as a staff lawyer and worked on the Watergate impeachment inquiry of President Richard M. Nixon. One of his colleagues was Hillary Clinton.
In 1974, Mr. Lucchino was hired by the powerful Washington law firm Williams & Connolly. Over the next 14 years, he became a partner at the firm as well as an executive of the Orioles and the Washington Redskins (now the Commanders) because Edward Bennett Williams, the celebrated trial lawyer who led the firm, owned interests in both teams.
“My career in baseball is a result of him, the opportunity he gave me, and the faith he had in me,” Mr. Lucchino told The Boston Globe in 2002.
After Mr. Williams’s death in 1988 , Mr. Lucchino officially became the Orioles’ president. In that role, he oversaw development of Oriole Park at Camden Yards, which opened in 1992 with brick and steel aesthetics and asymmetrical field dimensions reminiscent of early-20th-century ballparks like Forbes Field, the home of the Pittsburgh Pirates, which he had gone to as a boy. The old B & O Railroad warehouse became a unique backdrop beyond right field.
Camden Yards is credited with inspiring other Major League Baseball teams to build idiosyncratic ballparks, often in downtown settings.
Mr. Lucchino worked on the Camden Yards, Petco and Fenway projects with Janet Marie Smith, who served as an Orioles and Red Sox executive and a consultant to the Padres. She described Mr. Lucchino as a strong-willed personality who cajoled architects and others to create the best results.
“He was always challenging everyone,” Ms. Smith said in a phone interview. “He’d say, ‘This is mediocre, we’re not settling for it.’” She added that he had disdained using the word “stadium” — which evoked the round, concrete facilities built in the 1960s and ’70s that housed baseball and football teams — “and he would fine you $1 if you said the ‘S-word.’”
Mr. Lucchino left the Orioles in late 1993, shortly after the team was purchased by Peter Angelos, who died last month . The next year, Mr. Lucchino was part of a group that unsuccessfully bid for his hometown Pirates. But in late December of 1994, he pivoted to become the president and a minority owner of the Padres. It was not a great time to buy a team: The players’ union was in the midst of a strike that had wiped out the postseason.
“The team was at the bottom of the hill,” Mr. Lucchino told The Sports Business Journal. “We had the worst attendance, the worst imagery, the worst revenue, the worst won-loss record. Probably the worst uniforms. It couldn’t have been any worse.”
The team improved on the field under his direction; it reached the World Series in 1998, but was swept by the Yankees. However, Mr. Lucchino was probably best known for his development work on Petco Park, which opened in 2004, three years after he left the team.
“He felt that Petco needed context, that it needed to be something about San Diego,” Ms. Smith said.
Petco’s features include a granite exterior; an old brick building that was incorporated into the interior of left field; a mini-park beyond the outfield with a small baseball diamond and a statue of the Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn; and spectacular views of San Diego Harbor from the upper deck.
Mr. Lucchino resigned from the Padres to join the Red Sox, where he helped to engineer a renaissance. One of his early hires, Theo Epstein, then 28, became the youngest general manager in baseball history and the architect of a roster overhaul that won the World Series in 2004 and 2007. (Mr. Epstein later moved to the Chicago Cubs organization, where he crafted their 2016 World Series-winning team.)
Mr. Lucchino is survived by his brother, Frank. His marriage to Stacey Johnson ended in divorce.
For his final baseball move, Mr. Lucchino went to the minor leagues. After leaving the Red Sox in 2015, he joined with other investors to buy the Pawtucket Red Sox in Rhode Island, the organization’s top minor league team. After the state’s failure to pass a stadium financing package, he moved the team to Worcester, Mass., where Polar Park opened in 2021.
Late last year, Mr. Lucchino sold the team — referred to as the WooSox — to Diamond Baseball Holdings, part of a private equity firm that owns 30 minor league teams in the United States and Canada.
“At 78, and after 44 years in baseball,” he said in a news release , “I believe it’s time to have a succession plan, one that assures a commitment to baseball and a commitment to Worcester.”
Richard Sandomir is an obituaries writer. He previously wrote about sports media and sports business. He is also the author of several books, including “The Pride of the Yankees: Lou Gehrig, Gary Cooper and the Making of a Classic.” More about Richard Sandomir
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Below you will find the questions for the 2023-24 application cycle. Depending on which degree you wish to pursue at Princeton (A.B., B.S.E. or undecided), you will answer one of the two academic prompts, then there are three additional sections meant to help us get to know you even better. First-Year Essay Questions Transfer Essay Questions ...
How to Write the Princeton University Essays 2023-2024. Princeton has two prompts that are required for all applicants, as well as three short-answer questions that give you just 50 words for your response. There is one other prompt, focused on your academic interests, which will be different depending on if you are applying for a Bachelor of ...
Princeton's Civic Engagement Essay: "Princeton has a longstanding commitment to service and civic engagement. Tell us how your story intersects (or will intersect) with these ideals." (250 words) To approach this prompt, first reflect on your experiences with service and civic engagement.
Princeton Essay Examples. Essays 1-2: Why This Major. Essay 3: Extracurricular. Essay 4: Difficult Topic. Essays 5-7: Civic Engagement. Essays 8-10: Quotation and Values. Where to Get Your Essay Edited for Free. Princeton University is consistently ranked within the top three colleges in the nation, and is world-renowned for its quality of ...
Whatever your story, telling some of it will provide important context for your interest in engineering. #2: Connect your interest to Princeton. Admissions counselors want to know why Princeton engineering is the only program for you. For example, say you want to focus on engineering for health professions.
Princeton Essay Examples - Short Essay #1. Now that we know more about Princeton's essay requirements, let's look at some Princeton supplemental essays examples. The first prompt for the Princeton essay examples asks you to describe how you have spent the last two summer breaks from school.
how to write Princeton Supplemental Essay Prompt #1. Princeton values community and encourages students, faculty, staff and leadership to engage in respectful conversations that can expand their perspectives and challenge their ideas and beliefs. As a prospective member of this community, reflect on how your lived experiences will impact the ...
Princeton scholarships and tuition. Princeton's 2023-2024 cost of attendance (i.e., tuition, room, board, and fees) is $83,140. Princeton has need-blind admissions and covers 100 percent of demonstrated need without loans. Among recent Princeton grads, 83 percent graduated with zero student debt.
At Princeton, I'd love to sharpen my literary analysis skills through discussions with my classmates—and return to writers like Locke with a new understanding of the written word." The long essay prompts give you more room to work with - 150 words for the first prompt and 250 for the other two—but choppy sentence structure, run-ons ...
He is a co-author of the books The Enlightened College Applicant (Rowman & Littlefield, 2016) and Colleges Worth Your Money (Rowman & Littlefield, 2020). the Princeton supplemental essays for 2022-23 have been released. We examine each prompt and offer essay writing tips.
Princeton Essays: Quick Facts. Princeton acceptance rate: 4% - U.S. News ranks Princeton as a most selective school. Princeton supplemental essay requirements: 1 major-specific essay (~250 words) 1 work experience or extracurricular activities essay (~150 words) 2 half-page essays (~250 words) 3 short response essays (~50 words) Princeton ...
Princeton's 2023-2024 supplemental essays. This year, Princeton has three fairly intensive supplemental essays and three short answer questions. The supplemental essays are as follows: For A.B. Degree Applicants or Those Who Are Undecided. As a research institution that also prides itself on its liberal arts curriculum, Princeton allows ...
Princeton Essay Prompts & How to Answer Each of Them For the most part, each student answers similar questions about themselves. Princeton's supplemental essay prompts range from 50 to 250 words, and the prompts aim to uncover more about you.Let's explore each Princeton essay prompt in a little more depth.
Princeton University 2023-24 Application Essay Questions Explanation. The Requirements: 2 essays of 250 words, 1 essay of 500 words, 3 short responses Supplemental Essay Type(s): Community, Why, Oddball This is Princeton, the Number One university in the nation.
Bachelor of Science in Engineering Short Response. Required. 250 Words. Please describe why you are interested in studying engineering at Princeton. Include any of your experiences in, or exposure to engineering, and how you think the programs offered at the University suit your particular interests. Read our essay guide to get started.
The Princeton essays vary in length, with the longest at 500 words and the shortest only 50. Additionally, the Princeton essay prompts cover a variety of topics, including your major interest, personal impact, and civic engagement.
Princeton supplemental essay example # 5. Prompt: Princeton has a longstanding commitment to service and civic engagement. Tell us how your story intersects (or will intersect) with these ideals. - 250 words. I started listening to French music a few years ago when I learned that it could help improve my vocabulary.
(0-2000 words) 5 Princeton University EssaysThatWorked. Here are 5 of the best Princeton essays that worked, inclunding responses to Princeton's writing supplement. I've also included some Common App essays written by admitted Princeton students. Prompt: Elaborate on an Activity. Princeton University Essay Example #1; Prompt: Last Two Summers
The Princeton supplemental essays 2023-2024 might be difficult because unless you're applying to the School of Engineering, you don't get a chance to elaborate on why you believe Princeton is the right school for you. However, there are ways you can convey to admissions officers that you're a great fit for the school by bringing out ...
Princeton asks applicants to respond to three short-answer questions in a section titled "More About You.". These questions have a 50-word limit, which can be extremely daunting. This post will go over the purpose of these questions, tips for writing strong responses, as well as real example responses and analysis.
Essay by Aina Marzia. Mar 28, 2024, 8:15 AM PDT. The author was accepted to Princeton University. Courtesy of Aina Marzia & Education Images /Getty Images. I'm a person of color who was just ...
Jeffrey Wright, star of the 2024 Academy Award-winning film, "American Fiction," doesn't think we Princeton students will take his advice.After all, as he said, we're young. The celebrated actor is the father of two college-aged kids — he knows how stubborn young adults can be. However, it would be a mistake to not consider his words deeply.
The Princeton supplemental essays 2022-2023 might throw you off because unless you're applying to the School of Engineering, you don't get a chance to elaborate on why you believe Princeton is the right school for you. However, there are ways you can convey to admissions officers that you're a great fit for the school by bringing out ...
Daniel Kahneman, the Eugene Higgins Professor of Psychology, Emeritus, professor of psychology and public affairs, emeritus, and a Nobel laureate in economics whose groundbreaking behavioral science research changed our understanding of how people think and make decisions, died on March 27. He was 90. Kahneman joined the Princeton University faculty in 1993, following appointments at Hebrew ...
The Image Bank/Getty Images. Women are wisest, a viral essay in New York magazine's the Cut argues, to maximize their most valuable cultural assets— youth and beauty—and marry older men when ...
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Los Angeles Times columnist Ben Bolch apologized Monday for last week's column that characterized the Sweet 16 game between UCLA and LSU in the women's NCAA Tournament as a battle of good versus evil.. Bolch took to social media Monday to "own up to my mistake.". LSU coach Kim Mulkey criticized the column on Saturday as sexist and hurtful to her players.
He was 78. His family announced the death but did not give a cause. He had been treated for cancer three times. Mr. Lucchino became president of the Red Sox in 2002 with the ascension of new ...