It’s that time of year again. Here in New Jersey, the weather has turned colder, the trees have surrendered the last of their leaves, and my team and I are making last minute tweaks to the incoming first year class.

We’ve spent the past several weeks reading, re-reading and discussing the applications that many of you reading this blog put hours of preparation into. We have appreciated learning about your academic pursuits, the activities that intrigue you outside of the classroom and the factors that led you to apply to Princeton. We have laughed at your funny anecdotes, cried (yes, cried) over some of the situations you have trusted us enough to share and thought about how you might add to this vibrant community. And now it comes down to your receiving a decision.

You might not believe it, but this is not my favorite part of my job. Don’t get me wrong, I think I have one of the best jobs on this campus – being able to serve my alma mater in a way that introduces her to prospective students around the world. But in this moment, providing decisions that will exhilarate some and devastate others is not my idea of fun.

So, each year, I try to remind ALL applicants that receiving a decision from a college (whether it’s Princeton or some other amazing institution of higher learning) should not make or break you. If you receive positive news, that’s excellent! Celebrate, decide if it’s the place you can see yourself learning and growing inside and outside of the classroom and base your decision on whether or not to enroll on whether or not the school is a fit for you academically, socially and financially.

If you receive not-so positive news, know that one school’s decision does not indicate anything about your ability to be successful in college. I can only speak for Princeton, but each year we receive applications from many more highly qualified students than we could possibly admit. And, each year we have to say no to many of those same students. I realize that that doesn’t take the sting out of receiving anything other than an admit. Still, I hope that you will not let the received decision keep you down. Rather, take a minute to absorb it, and then regroup and put your efforts into your senior year activities and any other applications that need to be finished. Importantly, remember to enjoy the second half of your high school senior year as making those memories are as important as figuring out the next phase of your life.

Whatever decision you receive from Princeton or any other college or university you have applied to, please know that we have enjoyed getting to know you. Your story is unique to you and important. And whatever campus community is allowed to benefit from your presence will be all the better for it.

Good luck with this next adventure!

Dear Great QuestBridge Match Class of 2027,

Has it sunk in yet? The fact that you are now an invaluable member of Princeton’s newest class?

It may not fully sink in until you step foot onto Princeton’s campus for orientation and your first day of classes, but regardless, I welcome you to Princeton’s Great Class of 2027!

Not to date myself, but I am a member of the QuestBridge Match Class of 2025. Even though it’s been two years since the fateful day when I matched to Princeton, I remember the process like it was yesterday: I remember the suspicion I first felt as I googled “Is QuestBridge a scam?” I remember the feverish race to submit all of my supplements by November 1st. Most clearly of all, I remember the day I received my match letter. I remember my hands shaking as I opened the email notification and the adrenaline that coursed through my body as I realized that everything I had been doing for the past four months—heck, the past four years—was about to culminate with this. Exact. Moment. 

As a first-generation, low income student navigating Princeton for the past two years, I have grown immensely. I’ve grown, and yet I am continuously grounded my home community and the on-campus QuestBridge community. 

As I write this letter to you right now, I hope to share a core lesson I’ve learned this past semester that may serve as food for thought as you close out your high school career:

A couple weeks ago, I was participating in HackPrinceton, and I went to a team-building event to meet some of the students who had driven and flown in from all around the world.

I walked up to the first person: “Hi, my name is Aminah! What’s your name?”

“Angel,” she said, smiling.

“Angelica?” I asked, echoing back what I’d heard.

“Angel,” she clarified.

Next to me, my friend snickered, incredulous at how I could have misheard the name so badly.

But it gets worse: this happened repeatedly.

“What’s your name?”

“My name is Alayna!”

“Allison, you said?”

At this point, my friend was dying of laughter. “Wow, you’re really playing life on hard mode aren’t you?!”

This moment from the hackathon has stayed with me, and I realize that my friend was right. In almost every way, I have always approached life assuming that it would be more difficult than it sometimes actually was. I have always assumed that I would be asked to jump through more and more hoops ad infinitum.

Now, some of this is a product of my low-income upbringing: nothing has been given to me on a silver platter and so I have come to expect struggle and pain as necessary prerequisites to my moving through the world.

What I have as a response is not some grandiose solution or overarching statement, but a question: What if life (or at least some parts of it) is actually simple? What if there are areas in your life right now where you are struggling because you think you have to, not because it is actually necessary?

You’ve done it. You are on track to become a graduate from one of the top universities in the country. You are in great hands. You have an opportunity to end high school hopefully in person, as the ramifications of the global pandemic have begun to recede.

Take this win. You’ve earned it. Congratulations!

 

With infinite love, 

Aminah 

 

There has been much discussion recently about the University’s decision to step back from promoting statistics about admitted students, including a Reactions column this week. As Dean of Admission, I want to provide additional information and context.

First, it’s important to be clear about what we’re doing and why. 

Selective institutions have long made a practice of marking the day admission decisions are released by trumpeting their low admission rates and the impressive credentials of admitted students. For the reasons detailed below, Princeton began stepping back from this approach a few years ago by no longer highlighting its admission rate or the standardized test scores of admitted students. 

We took an important step this year by making the decision to no longer release an announcement about admitted students and to instead highlight the enrolled Class of 2026 — the students who will join the University community in the fall. A number of peer institutions have made similar decisions, including Stanford, Cornell and the University of Pennsylvania.

Of course, we recognize that data on admissions and admitted students has value and we will continue to report it to state and federal authorities and include it in our Common Data Set. The fact that Princeton has to turn away many extremely well-qualified applicants each year – despite the coming expansion of the undergraduate class — is no secret and isn’t going to become one. The admission rate is — and will continue to be — available through sources like the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard. 

But neither prospective students nor the University benefit from the admission process being boiled down in headlines to a single statistic like the admission rate.

We know from our interactions with prospective students, families, and counselors that highlighting an admission rate and framing the admissions process through a list of statistics instills anxiety and fear. We do not want to discourage prospective students from applying to Princeton because of its selectivity. 

Instead, we want prospective students to consider if Princeton is the right fit — if the resources we offer, the academic opportunities we provide will allow them to flourish at our residential research university. We want students to find a place of learning wherein their own contributions will be valued. And to know that Princeton’s generous need-based financial aid program might afford them the opportunity to graduate debt-free. This is how we approach our conversations with prospective students. By stepping away from promoting statistics like the admission rate, we are signaling that selectivity is not part of our pitch. 

In my blog post to the newly admitted early action group for the Class of 2026, I highlight our holistic process and the conversations my colleagues and I have around building a class. The Admission Office’s goal is to admit a diverse and dynamic group of students. We think about how students will interact with one another in the classroom and on the field, in the music practice room, and the residential college common room. We discuss how students might approach difficult circumstances, how they would interact with people with different perspectives, and how they might approach the University’s informal motto about the service of humanity. To do this, we read and discuss the essays, the letters of recommendation, interview write-ups, and any other pieces that have been shared with us.

But our work does not end on decision day, as admission statistics might suggest. With the help of our wonderful campus community, we spend the month of April officially introducing admitted students to Princeton — some for the very first time. And when we enroll the next class this summer, we will talk about their many talents as the newest members of the Princeton community.

A version of this blog post was first published as an op-ed in The Daily Princetonian on April 7, 2022.

 

While preparing for university applications and alumni interviews, I wanted to find out more about what the schools I applied to were really like. Now that I have attended Princeton for a semester, I hope I can share with you some of the things you may want to look out for in your research as well as some resources you can use to learn about student life.

Obviously, your first stop should be either the University website or the admission website.

 

Here, you can browse the tabs that catch your attention and allow interesting links to lead you on a trail. For example, I noted the concentrations (majors) and certificates (minors) that interested me, perused the research interests of professors in the molecular biology department and checked out the social media pages of extracurricular activities and student groups such as Triple 8 Dance Company (where you can now find an introduction of me!) and Manna Christian Fellowship. At the time, I got so excited that I noted down 25 activities I would be interested in participating in. As a vegan, I also looked for more information on the dining halls and found this guide written by the Greening Dining Club to be a wealth of information. We also have a student blog on being a vegan at Princeton.

 

To learn more about the astounding breadth of past, current, and new classes, head to the Office of the Registrar. It was here that I first found MOL460: Diseases in Children: Causes, Costs, and Choices in January 2020, and I still can’t wait for the opportunity to take this class in the future.

 

Another useful resource is what you’ve already found: the admissions blog! The blogs provided me with stories that put color and faces to the information on the website. There are also 13 current students who are more than happy to answer any questions you may have, whether you are a prospective student, an anxious or curious applicant, or a deferred or admitted student. Please don’t be afraid to reach out by email! I wish I did when I was in your shoes, even if just to hear more about what college life is like.

Princeton also has an incredible student-run daily newspaper, the Daily Princetonian, also referred to as the ‘Prince’, where you can get an inside scoop on what is happening in the Princeton community. I turn to the ‘Prince’ for University news, opinions on current topics, and funny cartoons. In true New York Times-style, the ‘Prince’ also features a crossword, podcasts, photos, and videos.

For some more insider information, you can head to YouTube to see the beautiful buildings, numerous libraries, and various styles of dorms, as well as hear more about classes and what students do for fun. The University also makes a Year in Review - this year’s features the bonfire we had in celebration of the football team beating both Yale and Harvard - and provides more information on our Nobel Prize winners.

Don’t hesitate to chat with friends, family, and your high school counselor about your college plans - you might be surprised to find they have a friend who attended Princeton and would be more than happy to speak with you about their experience. I also learned a lot from asking my alumna interviewer about her time here.

Finally, you can take advantage of social networks such as LinkedIn and Facebook to find people in your area affiliated with the University or message someone who studied in a field that interests you.

Happy researching!

It’s that time of year. Decisions are about to be released for the first members of Princeton’s Class of 2026. All of the waiting is about to be over, and, as the date draws closer the anxiety levels rise.

While I wish that I could tell you to “not worry”, I recognize that that’s not realistic. Despite my being a college applicant a long time ago, I can still appreciate the nerves that come along with waiting for a decision.

The only other thing I can think of that might be helpful is to describe as best as I can our processes over the past few weeks and what the various decisions we made mean for you.

I want to assure you that I and my colleagues worked thoughtfully over the past several weeks to understand each applicant in the context of their home and school. We truly appreciate the extraordinary circumstances that the pandemic created and the challenges that were presented in terms of academic and extracurricular achievement. We tried our best to balance out those challenges and to see what each individual applicant was able to do in and outside of the classroom despite those challenges.

As we began to build Princeton’s next first-year class, we thought not only about the diversity of interests and thought that help make the campus a dynamic community, but also about the intangibles that make it one that allows each member to learn and grow. We thought about how students would interact with one another both in the classroom and on the field, in the music practice room and in the residential college common room. We discussed how students might approach difficult circumstances, how they would interact with people with different perspectives and how they might approach the University’s informal motto about the service of humanity. To do this, we read and discussed your essays, your letters of recommendation, your interview write ups and any other pieces that you shared with us.

In the end, we had to make some very difficult decisions as the pool continues to be a very talented one with more highly qualified students than we are able to admit.

Some of you will receive a letter saying that we have deferred a decision on your application. This means that we want to review your application again in the context of the overall pool and will give you a decision with our Regular Decision applicants. Again, I recognize that this decision prolongs your waiting. But I encourage you to ensure that your school counselor sends us your midyear grades when they are available. We don’t require any additional recommendation letters from you, but if there is someone who you think provides a different perspective, please feel free to upload the letter into your student portal. While there are no set numbers of students deferred from Restrictive Early Action who are admitted at Regular Decision, please know that it does happen.

And some students will learn that they have not been admitted to Princeton. Please know that after our careful consideration and based on what we already know about our larger pool, we realized that prolonging your wait to receive a decision was not going to be the best use of your time in this college admission process. It is by no means an indication of your ability to thrive in a college setting but rather a factor of our large pool. And while we know that the initial reaction might be one of disappointment, we hope that you will take the time to put your all into your other applications.

I am thrilled to be back at Princeton nearly three decades after I graduated and to be entrusted with this important work. I am also supremely grateful to every student who took the time to apply and who trusted my team with your thoughts, your achievements and your dreams for the future. I wish you all the best in this process and hope that you will take advantage of each and every opportunity offered to you wherever you choose to spend your postsecondary years.

Princeton was the last stop on my college tour. This was not intentional by any means, it just so happened that I circled by Princeton last before heading to the airport. In retrospect, had I visited Princeton first, I do not doubt that the rest of the college tour would have been for naught because everything else faded in my memory as soon as I stepped foot in the Orange Bubble. 

I visited in the summer when Princeton is quieter, serene and as gorgeous as ever. There is something about the empty walkways and buildings that both intimidate and invite you in, and as a high school sophomore, I could see myself at Princeton, walking (or running, as I often do now) to class, weaving my way through the residential colleges in search of new study places (of which there are plenty), or sitting at a bench outside stealing a moment to myself in the midst of organized chaos. 

Now, speaking to you as a student who was lucky enough to be admitted, the beauty of Princeton extends beyond its exterior. To begin, there is also never a ‘standard,’ or ‘average’ day here. I might wake up expecting to attend my 3-hour seminar in a classroom, but instead spend the class time sitting outside with my classmates and professor discussing politics. I’ll think I’m spending the night eating dinner with my friends but instead find myself wading in the SPIA fountain on a whim and meeting so many new people. The opportunities and paths are endless here on a day-to-day basis, and they become even more varied the more time you spend here. 

I also love Princeton for the people and how genuine they are. Even before I had committed to the University, Professor Ksenia Chizhova from the East Asian Studies department reached out to me to arrange a Skype call to talk about my interests and how I could pursue them at Princeton. She assured me of the attention I would receive from the professors and people here, and after I arrived, I saw how true this was. The professors are so attentive, friendly and care about their students. My professor for a course called “China’s Frontiers”  sent me a feedback email after the first class, complimenting me on points I brought up during the discussion. 

I also learn a lot from my classmates, who are inspirational in their drive and work ethic, their commitment to social causes and extracurriculars outside of class, and their willingness to lend a helping hand. Everyone here has an interesting story to tell, and my friends range from environmental engineers to future politicians. As someone who is greatly influenced by the environment I am in, I believe there is no other place where you will be able to become the best version of yourself than Princeton. So take the chance, and join our Princeton community! There is a place for you here.

 

Dear Great Questbridge Match Class of 2026,

Yes, it is official! You (yes, I mean YOU!) are a valued part of Princeton’s newest class, the Great Class of 2026. 

Maybe I’m moving too fast… let’s back up. In September, you worked tirelessly to submit the Questbridge National College Match application. Through October and the beginning of November, you waited with apprehension to see if you’d become a finalist. Then, once you became a finalist, you hurried to submit your supplements. The journey you’ve been through up until this moment has been filled to the brim with its fair shares of joys and challenges. I am intimately familiar with both (read: have you ever cried and screamed for joy simultaneously?). 

Despite the stress, not just from the college admissions process, but also from just being a lower-income or first-generation student navigating the U.S. education system, you have made it here to Princeton. I know you might not quite feel that you are “here” yet, and you may wake up many nights wondering if your match announcement was a dream or a stroke of luck. However, I am here to tell you that it was neither of those things. Even though you have yet to step foot in your dorm room or Frist campus center, or your freshman writing seminar, I assure you that you belong here. With every cell in your body, you belong here.

I remember that when I got my match email, I was sitting in my virtual French class. Although my eye fatigue was setting in at that point, my body jolted with adrenaline as soon as I saw the email at the top of my inbox. That moment felt like it would make or break my future. In many ways it did. I walked into my parents’ room, shaking as we opened the email together. In the rare moments that followed, my family’s joy pulsed forth in a sea of hugs and congratulations… finally, I had made it!

As I write this letter to you now, sitting in one of Princeton’s six dining halls, I’ve grown so much. In retrospect, my last few months of high school and my first few months of college have flown by in a blur. I say this knowing that when I was actually living those days, powering through the endless virtual classes, it felt like college life could not come soon enough. They seemed to drag on. But, I urge you to make the most of your final high school months. In those months, you will soak up the company of your friends, go to your classes for the last time and say many hard goodbyes. Don’t let those precious moments slip away as you instead grasp towards a blooming concept of college.

You will be changed here at Princeton. I know I have. In the past months, I’ve become a person who takes showers at night (enough said). I’ve joined the Princeton University Band and discovered a love for playing the cymbals. I’ve traveled to New York for the first time, and went ice skating for the first time, too. 

 

Once high school eventually comes to an end, you will face the difficult but rewarding task of transitioning to college life. Please open your hearts to the experiences here at Princeton.

 I’ve changed so much, and yet I am continuously grounded by my Questie community. Though high school-me didn’t start making my match poster until May of 2021, the Questbridge community here on campus has consistently been here to support me and cheer me on, especially through the Scholars Institute Fellows Program (SIFP). Believe me when I say that there are hundreds of people here who can’t wait to meet you! 

With all my love

       Aminah 

Xander de los Reyes '23

 

I spent my last six months in the Marine Corps moonlighting as a bartender. I’ll always be grateful for that experience because, at a time when many separating service members experience a culture shock, I was able to make the Marine-to-civilian transition slowly and smoothly. It also taught me how to convert love for camaraderie into love for community, which carried me through the next two-and-a-half years of my civilian life, ultimately placing me into Princeton’s community. Here, I’ve found immense support and infinite resources. The Writing Center has helped me refine my papers, the McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning has helped me decode Princeton’s syllabi and the support of my residential college (shoutout, Forbes!) has ensured that I make well-informed academic decisions. Because I’m a veteran and a transfer student, I’m currently enrolled in “Everyone’s an Expert." Unlike the traditional first-year writing seminars, this transfer-focused seminar builds on the unconventional backgrounds—academically or experientially—of veterans and transfer students. We’re taught how to build on writing skills acquired from our previous institutions and encouraged to draw on the experiences that make us unique students. Truthfully, it’s my favorite course because I’ve enjoyed interacting with other non-traditional students. Plus, as a prospective politics concentrator preparing for a writing-intensive career, I’m indebted to our instructor Dr. Keith Shaw, director of transfer, veteran, and non-traditional student programs—who also offers guidance and support for non-traditional students. The guidance and feedback he’s provided will have a lasting impact on my writing and academic mindset. Reflecting on all of these positive experiences makes it funny to look back and think about my initial worries. When I was first accepted, imposter syndrome set in. I felt like my admission was an anomaly and that Princeton would immediately overwhelm me. As the semester approached, those feelings of anxiety grew, but—because of Princeton’s useful resources and supportive community—they were quickly put to rest. All in all, Princeton has been an extraordinary community. Despite my initial fears, I now know I’m right where I belong—surrounded by encouragement and support. I’m a part of this community, and you could be, too.

 

---

Matthew Williams '24

As a Marine Corps veteran and transfer student, I am far removed from the realm of a typical first-year student at Princeton. I am 22 years old and from the great city of Fort Worth, Texas. I received my Princeton acceptance letter as I neared the end of my four-year enlistment in Spring 2020. This news was accompanied by varying emotions: excitement, worries, anxiety and anticipation. Perhaps my most daunting concern was the unknown academic challenges that I would soon endure. Fortunately for veteran and transfer students alike, there are two student-run organizations that have been central in ensuring my smooth transition in an otherwise challenging plane. The Princeton Student Veterans (PSV) and Princeton Transfer Association (PTA) held veteran and transfer-specific events, Q&A sessions and provided additional resources to my incoming cohort. These student-run organizations have proven invaluable as I reflect on my Princeton experience.

My first semester at Princeton University has been an equally challenging and exhilarating experience. I intend to concentrate in politics with an emphasis on political economy. Albeit through Zoom, there remains a thrill when you are studying under some of the world’s most prominent professors. The academic challenges I’ve faced pale in comparison to the resources Princeton offers. In addition to office hours, The McGraw Center is a helpful tool for both traditional and non-traditional students when you need additional help in a class. From the multitude of student clubs to simply chatting with other students after class, I have connected with several of the traditional first-year students despite being a part of the transfer program. I am proud to be a part of the growing student veteran population at Princeton University. Go Tigers!

To Future Princeton Quest Scholars, 

As a QuestBridge scholar, I distinctly remember how nerve-wracking and confusing the entire match process was, especially since I was one of the only students in my high school who applied through the match process. I had to navigate through the arduous task of sifting through each of the university-specific applications alone. When I applied, Princeton was a non-binding partner school, so I had the privilege of being able to experience campus life during Princeton Preview, the admitted students’ event, before making up my mind. Personally, it wasn’t the admission letter that fueled my decision to attend Princeton, but rather what was implied in between the lines.  I saw that the University had full faith in my future success: they chose me over thousands of other candidates, as might be the case with you, and that means quite a lot.

This year, Princeton’s QuestBridge decision is binding which means, if matched, you’ve committed to enrolling at the University! Though it may not seem easy to assess whether Princeton will be a great fit for you despite all the virtual offerings and the descriptions you may have read online, this can also be a blessing in disguise. While your peers are still trying to decide which colleges to apply to, you have already done the majority of the work. Now your application is in the hands of the Admission Office who take care to get to know you, your experiences and what you’ll bring to the Princeton community.

At this point in time, you may also wonder what comes next after you match with Princeton. (Besides a heartfelt congratulations and sense of accomplishment, of course.) QuestBridge requires that all partner colleges meet 100% of need for match students. In fact, Princeton is one of the most generous universities and always covers 100% of demonstrated need for all students.

As a Quest Scholar you may wonder if you will fit in at an Ivy League institution. There perhaps exists a false perception that all students at Princeton are wealthy (I even believed this myself.), but that’s just not the case, around 60% of students are on financial aid and I have never been isolated because of my socioeconomic status. Instead, we are motivated to seek out employment and internship opportunities that are equally accessible to every student on campus. There are also plenty of resources available for students who are first-generation or lower-income like the Freshman Scholars Institute (FSI), Scholars Institute Fellows Program (SIFP), First-Generation Low Income Council (FLIC) or Programs for Access and Inclusion (PAI).

Additionally, one of the perks of enrolling at Princeton through QuestBridge is that you will get to know a community of students who can empathize with your financial situation. I was able to develop relationships with other students who matched with Princeton through Facebook and other social media platforms. Through our conversations, we all realized that we all faced many of the same worries and fears and we bonded over them. Remember that this is unfamiliar territory for everyone--not just you! While networking might be somewhat difficult during these unprecedented times, I still encourage you to make connections with other Questies because this will be the community with whom you will spend the next four years.

I wish good luck to all future Quest scholars and I hope that you end up matching at the university of your dreams, regardless of whether that may be Princeton. We can’t wait to meet the Class of 2025!

Let’s start with the obvious—it has been an unusual year. No one has been spared the upheaval caused by COVID-19. And the racial unrest that continues to engulf the United States has made divisions among its people more evident than they have been in a long time. And yet, in these turbulent times, students and families and counselors must still think about the process of applying to college. It’s stressful, to say the least.

While it’s not helpful for me to tell you to not be stressed, I hope that I can help you to focus on the things that are in your control. First and foremost, please remember that we know the spring, summer and fall will be unlike any we have known. Schools across the country and around the world had to adapt to a new way of doing things, and that will likely last throughout the fall term (at least). As a result, we are not expecting your classes, grades and activities to look like they might have in a “normal” year. Each of the application platforms we use will give you an opportunity (if you want it) to give us some context about this past spring and summer. You shouldn’t feel like you have to only write about the impacts of the pandemic in your application. But, the opportunity to do so is there should you decide to use it. Your counselors and teachers will also give us an idea of how your academic program might have changed as a result of COVID-19.

We have made several important changes to our process this year in recognition of the challenging times we’re living in.

1. In an effort to de-densify the campus, we will not be hosting in-person information sessions or tours at least through the end of the calendar year. While we recognize that coming to campus can help potential applicants evaluate their options, public health and welfare dictates that we cannot offer activities on campus at this time. We encourage you to take advantage of one of our officer-led information sessions available on our Virtual Visit page.
2. We have paused our Early Action application process for this year and will have just one deadline of January 1. We believe that this will give students and secondary school staff more opportunities to complete the necessary application materials.
3. We have also paused our standardized testing requirement for the 2020-21 application cycle. Students who sit for the SAT or the ACT and wish to submit their score will have the option to do so. However, applications without test scores will be considered complete. Students who do not submit test scores will not be at a disadvantage. As with previous years, we do not require subject tests.

As we do every year, my team and I will review each student’s entire application and take into account all of the information it contains. We’re not just concerned with your academic achievements (though our job is to ensure that all admitted students can feel academically successful here). We are also charged with bringing in students who will form a dynamic community, rooted in respectful dialogue, that will help each student further their knowledge.

In this year, where everything feels like it’s on shaky ground, we are especially committed to following through on our thorough, holistic review. To that end, you will see that the questions on our supplement ask you to focus on two main themes: 1) your areas of academic interest and 2) your thoughts about community. Our team did a significant amount of thinking about what we hope to learn about you through your application and developed these questions as a result.

We recognize that this is (and will continue to be) a strange year for high schools, universities, students, and, yes, admission officers. Know that we are all in this together as we move forward in these new circumstances. I encourage you to take care of yourself as best you can, to be genuine in your application so that we can get to know YOU, and to be in touch with questions and concerns.

All best wishes as you dive into this fall.