As the campus welcomes the Great class of 2030, members of the Office of Admission are already out on the road meeting applicants to the class of 2031. As someone who graduated from college in the “late 1900’s”, the mere mention of 2031 makes me feel ancient. It also reminds me of how different (and, in some ways, how similar) applying to college is now.
The pieces of the application are generally still the same. The admission office wants to know what choices you have made academically — what classes interest you, if you challenged yourself with higher level courses and how you have performed. We also want to know how you spend your time outside of the classroom — whether it’s working at your local supermarket, writing for the school newspaper, playing the viola in the orchestra or caring for a younger sibling.
We ask that you invite people who know you to tell us about you, which includes your school counselor and teachers. And we want to know about what you do beyond showing up to class every day. As we build a campus community, we are looking for students who will add to the academic and the social fabric of campus and who will contribute in the classroom, the common room, on the soccer pitch, the stage … you get the picture.
And, perhaps most importantly, we still ask for essays. In some ways, the essays are the most personal part of your application. They are your opportunity to authentically present who you are, how you think about things and what you hope to gain as a college student.
What hasn’t changed? The amount of stress that applicants put on themselves when trying to answer the essay prompts. I remember waiting until late in the process to submit the essays because I was trying to perfect them. Note: do not do that! We are not looking for perfect. We’re looking for authentic. Which brings me to my next point …
The biggest change that has happened over the past several years is the availability of artificial intelligence (AI) tools. Now, tools like spell check and grammar check have been around for a while. The Google machine has wormed its way into our lives for a long time, too. Newer on the scene are tools that allow for the generation of ideas and actual composition of papers and essays. While it might be tempting to rely on these types of aides, here’s my two cents about why you should shy away from them when preparing your college essays.
First and foremost, nothing generated by an AI tool will be as authentic and compelling as something you compose all on your own. As a young person on the brink of this wonderful adventure called college life, you have had experiences that make you uniquely you. ChatGPT cannot replicate those experiences no matter how hard it might try.
From a more academic perspective — the most successful Princeton students are those who can explore ideas and engage with others and with texts and other sources in the pursuit of knowledge. It’s no secret that we are a writing-intensive campus — every senior completes a senior thesis or capstone project and typically some independent research in the junior year. Students must be able to use their minds to ask probing questions that they then seek to answer. Your college application is a good place to exercise your ability to generate good ideas and “show” rather than “tell” our readers who you are and the things that matter to you.
So, my advice for this application season? Be authentically you. Show us who you are and who you hope to become. Remember that we are not looking for perfection but rather for you to be perfectly YOU. Give yourself enough time to craft your essays so that they reflect how you think. Ensure that your voice comes through.
Good luck this fall! We can’t wait to learn more about you.