Dear Great Class of 2024,

This is an open letter from me, a jealous senior, to all the incoming first-years. Congratulations! You’re about to embark on the journey of a lifetime in a beautiful place I’ve been lucky to call home for the past 3.75 years. On behalf of all the bloggers, I’d like to welcome you to Princeton. There will be ups and downs, but you’ll soon learn that this truly is the best damn place of all.

Princeton is full of new opportunities, experiences and memories that you will cherish forever. My advice to you is this: take advantage of every single opportunity, experience and memory that comes your way. This is a once-in-a-lifetime journey, and as I know many of you can relate as high school seniors, it can all change in a matter of seconds. Cherish your time here. It really does fly by, I swear. It feels like just yesterday I was moving into Butler 1967 Hall, meeting my roommates, getting my bearings on campus and looking forward to the four years to come. Instead, a few days ago, I moved out of my cute little Patton Hall dorm room and said goodbye to everyone who made Princeton feel like home.

But enough with the sadness! This should be a happy time for you all. Be open to new experiences! Meet new friends; it may take a while to establish your core group, but you’ll get there! Get to know your professors; they can be great mentors and they’re there for you. Thank your dining hall workers! Explore the campus; Princeton is gorgeous, and it’s yours to take in. Try out every coffee shop in town. Call your parents ⁠— they’re anxious to hear from you! Stay in touch with your high school friends. Cope with stress in healthy ways; watch the sunrise, go to the gym, try out a new restaurant, take a walk. Take your time. Get to know some upperclassmen; I know they can look scary sometimes, but I promise they aren’t!

Last, but certainly not least: believe in yourself and trust in the process. You’re meant to be here! You’re meant to be a part of this amazing community. Good luck, and have fun!

Once again: welcome to Princeton.

Sincerely,

A jealous senior who wishes she could do it all over again.

Editor's Note: Dr. Keith Shaw, director of transfer, veteran and non-traditional student programs and Alex Bustin '08 , senior associate dean and director of transfer and military/veteran admission work together on Princeton's reinstated transfer program. Hear from them about their roles and their experience establishing and growing this program.

How has reinstating the transfer program impacted the Princeton community? 

Keith: Alex and I are very proud of the students in our young transfer program and we are excited to welcome a new crew of Princetonians. In building this program, it was so exciting to use transfer admission as an access and inclusion initiative, and you can see that in the students we’ve enrolled.

Through Alex’s stewardship of transfer admission, it’s been humbling to see and hear the stories of so many fantastic candidates from all over the world with such a range of backgrounds and experiences. The transfer program has helped us to see a rise in our student veteran population and they’ve been quick to form a tight community and become a visible presence on campus. We’re also thrilled with our community-college scholars – many of whom arrived on campus with inspiring academic achievements already under their belts, such as the Jack Kent Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship. 

We’ve had the opportunity to meet and understand the perspectives of students who have attended various colleges or have had non-traditional trajectories. Our students have worked in various industries or in the military, giving us just a glimpse of what kind of impact they can have in enriching the student body once they get to campus.

Are there any misconceptions regarding the transfer program? 

Alex: A common concern we usually hear from prospective students relates back to their academic history. Since reinstating the transfer program, we’ve seen a wide range of applicants. Some who have always done well academically throughout high school and college and others who didn’t hit their stride until much later – maybe even after multiple attempts at college. We recognize that different students reach their academic prime at different times for any number of reasons. You absolutely can be a competitive applicant for our transfer program if you have a strong record over the most recent semesters. We’re admitting our students and community members for who they are now and not necessarily who they used to be.

What has been one of the most rewarding parts of reinstating the transfer program? 

Keith: My favorite job responsibility has been teaching the incoming cohort of transfer students in their customized writing seminar each fall, where they cultivate the intellectual practices of emerging scholars. Just as important, this writing seminar enables our students to build a  community of their own. As their instructor I have the opportunity to watch a classics major from a local community college refine a thesis statement with a Navy intelligence analyst, or a Marine special ops veteran spar over the finer points of Orwell with the Miami-Dade Jack Kent Cooke Scholar. This provides a window into what makes the program so special. Our transfer students’ varied, informed and mature viewpoints are in high demand on campus. As we look forward to their academic and professional successes, we’re excited and curious about what Princeton will learn from them.

How has Princeton helped non-traditional students transition to campus? 

Alex: Helping to make Princeton a comfortable home for transfer students with families has been a welcome and ongoing challenge. Several of our transfers moved here with spouses and children and that means a cultural transition for an entire family, not just an individual student. (In their first year, one student even welcomed a newborn into their family on the first day of classes.)  While there’s more to be done, we're grateful for the effort of so many campus offices that have invested to make this transition as smooth as possible for these families including Housing, Financial Aid and the Residential Colleges, who have all been working hard to provide the best possible options. 

We are looking forward to seeing how the transfer program will continue to grow in the coming years and we are excited to welcome the new class of transfer students to the Princeton community. 

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It’s post January 1 and (hopefully!) you have submitted your pieces of your application…that includes whatever application platform you chose to use and its requisite questions as well as your essays. Bear in mind that most schools will accept the “external” pieces of your application (college counselor and teacher recommendations, art submissions, interview reports) after the deadline as long as you have created an application by the deadline. So, no need to fret if that teacher recommendation didn’t arrive on January 1.

And now, the waiting begins. We recognize it’s not easy for applicants as we take the next several weeks to review applications and get back to you with a decision. It takes time, not just because of the volume of applications we receive, but because we are truly taking the necessary steps to get to know you through what you’ve written, what you’ve told us is important to you inside and outside of the classroom, and what the people you’ve asked to write letters for you have to say about you. Through this holistic process, we want to know what kind of student and what kind of community member you will be. We weigh all of those factors as we build an intentional community for the campus.

I realize that doesn’t make the waiting any easier! But, there are some things I suggest you do during this period:

1. Enjoy your senior year of high school – it’s the only one you’ll get. The fall was likely a little stressful getting your applications together, but you’ve still got the spring to enjoy friendships and activities that only come with being a senior.
2. Along with the above, keep your head in your studies. I know, it seems a little contradictory! But colleges want to see that you have maintained the good grades you presented when you applied all throughout your senior year.
3. Continue to engage in your activities outside of class. While colleges won’t check up on this, the ways you choose to spend your time are part of what makes you YOU.
4. Finally, and this is probably the hardest one of all, let it go. The process is now out of your hands, and you’ve done all that you can do. Try not to worry about the outcome. Know that the decision, no matter what it is, will have been carefully considered by the admission office. And believe that you will end up on a campus that is a good fit for you.

All best wishes to you as you enter this period of waiting. We look forward to being back in touch with you soon.

No two people have the same path to Princeton. If you’d told me four years ago that I’d be halfway through my third year at the University, I would’ve told you to get lost—I certainly thought there was no path to Princeton for me during my junior year of high school. Like many of you, I worked hard both in school and outside of it, but I didn’t come from a community that regularly sent students to highly selective colleges, let alone Princeton.

My favorite high school teacher asked me in the middle of junior year where I was thinking of applying to school. I listed off a few in-state schools—which were great options for me—however, she wanted me to cast a wider net. Now, I won’t claim that my decision to apply to Princeton was that simple, but with her guidance, she opened my eyes to schools that I hadn't dreamed of. 

I stumbled upon this very blog one Friday afternoon as I dutifully began to widen my college search. I realized, after going through pages and pages of it, that I could see myself at Princeton. Excited, I told my dad we needed to go visit—and we did. We packed up the Camry at 5:30 a.m. the following morning and made the four-hour trek to Central Jersey. 

We hopped on an Orange Key tour not long after arriving, and I remember being particularly awed by one building: Little Hall, a dormitory that is a part of Mathey residential college. We only passed by it briefly, but our guide told us it was, ironically, the largest undergraduate dorm on campus. It looked like a castle, and I couldn’t imagine how cool it must be to live there as a student. Imagine my overjoyed shock when I was randomly assigned to live there my first year! My dad talked our entire drive home about how impressed he’d been with Princeton.

Just a few short months later, I was submitting my application the day before the deadline. I remember going to pick up my cat—orange and white, like a tiger—to hug him for good luck. The wait was agonizing. I must’ve logged onto my admission portal a hundred times before the release date, hoping someone would accidentally upload my decision early. In the week leading up to release day, I was so excited I couldn’t sleep—I ultimately ended up with the flu because of it. On the day decisions were released, I told my parents I wanted to open it alone. They acquiesced, and I went around a corner to sit and open my online letter.

I can’t tell you what the moment is like, clicking the link to see a tiger appear. Literally, I can’t because I briefly blacked out from the shock (and probably the flu). I can tell you though, what it’s like to jump around on the couch and scream with your family just minutes after. I still sometimes can’t believe it happened to me—I’ll be walking to class, or to my eating club, and wonder just how my life brought me here. 

Thirty years ago, I stepped onto the Princeton campus a first-generation college student from a small town, intent on pursuing a degree in politics and applying to law school. I had a plan—one that was tangible and would land me in an occupation that everyone knew about.

Well, I followed through on the degree in politics. But somewhere along the road to constitutional law and torts, I realized that education and, more specifically, access to education was what truly interested me. I traded the LSAT for the GRE and enrolled in a graduate program that was a much better fit.

Most people who work in college admissions will tell you that it wasn’t their childhood dream. I’ve already noted it wasn’t mine. However, those of us who commit to the work usually come to realize that it is, in fact, our dream job. For me, being an admission professional allows me to do the work that I love—talk with people, introduce opportunities, dispel myths about how decisions are made and help build an intentional community for a college campus. The fact that I get to do this work at the place that formed me into a young adult and helped shape my ideas makes it that much sweeter.

Tonight, we will release the early action decisions for the Class of 2024—my first group of applicant decisions as Princeton’s dean of admission. During the past few weeks, my team and I have read and discussed the attributes that various students would bring to campus. I am humbled by the talent that exists in this applicant pool. There is no dearth of merit—that is, the ability to take what one learns here at Princeton and apply it to make a difference in the world. In fact, there is an abundance of merit of all types in the pool, which is what makes the decision-making difficult for our team and the process stressful for students, their families and their counselors. And recent developments involving admission to college takes the stress to an entirely new level.

I hope that no matter what your reason for being on the Princeton admission site (or reading this blog) you will note one important take away: Our job is to learn about our applicants. We do this not just through their transcripts and test scores, but also through their essays, recommendation letters and how they spend their time outside of class. Though academic performance is important, many intangible pieces of “merit” contribute to the academic and social fabric of the University. We look for creativity, a willingness to hear differing opinions, the ability to take risks, and evidence of a desire to work with others, among many other things.

My goal is to continue to use this space as an opportunity to provide some insight into the work that we do. Perhaps you will find that Princeton is a place that you want to learn more about. (In which case, I recommend you start here on the student blog.) Even if that is not the case, I hope that we can help make the admission process a little more transparent and just a little less scary.

Editor’s Note: A story about the newly admitted Class of 2024 will be available tonight at 7 p.m. EST on Princeton’s homepage.  To read future posts by Dean Richardson, Class of 1993, select “From the Dean” category on our blog homepage.

Editor's Note: The QuestBridge National College Match helps outstanding low-income high school seniors gain admission and full four-year scholarships to some of the nation's most selective colleges. Princeton has been a proud QuestBridge partner for many years now and every year, we match with a small number of students through College Match. Hear from some of our current QuestBridge Scholars and their experiences with the match process and the University. - Kayla McDonald, Assistant Director of Admission

David Hwang '23

Major: Undecided

Email: jyhwang@princeton.edu

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Congratulations! It may be hard to believe, but as a QuestBridge Scholar, you are incredibly deserving, and you should honestly take a moment in this tumultuous and overwhelming time to breathe and commend yourself. I remember, just a year ago, that this time was filled with heaps of letters, brochures, notifications and forms that contributed to this sense of happy chaos. Thus,  I want to briefly share my experience at Princeton as a fellow QuestBridge Scholar, so that you can perhaps get a feel for what it is like here.

I was surprised by being matched with Princeton University. I remember seeing the acceptance rate and thinking to myself that it was a long shot—perhaps too long of a shot. During the commitment period, I was distraught between some amazing opportunities at other colleges, but ultimately, Princeton had my heart. To put it simply, all of the schools I was fortunately blessed to choose from offered great programs with bountiful opportunities and generous financial aid. However, the undergraduate-focused culture at Princeton and the unique and diverse student body, conjoined with the stunning campus convinced me to matriculate at Princeton. The difference is significant.

And I know that I have not made the wrong decision. Yes, school can get difficult at times, and it is a lot of work, but that is true no matter where you go! Many resources will be available to you, and it is ultimately up to you to capitalize on them. I personally have found some classes at Princeton to be challenging, but at the same time, it is rewarding to know that I have done my best and that the results reflect that. 

My advice for those scholars who matched with Princeton would be to simply cherish the present moment. Be honest with yourself, trust yourself and take it one day at a time!

Danielle Newton '20

Major: Chemistry 

Email: dnnewton@princeton.edu

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I would advise the newly matched QuestBridge students to pick a college that has a large and established community of FLI (first-generation and low-income) students so that you have other people who share a similar background. Schools that prioritize bringing FLI students to campus likely also prioritize their success once they are there. I remember how selecting a school among an impressive list is overwhelming and challenging, but I’m so thankful I ended up at Princeton, and I’d love to see you on campus too!

My first year at Princeton was more of a transition than I was expecting—I hadn’t heard of J.Crew, I thought squash was a vegetable and not a sport and I had never worn a pair of “Bean” boots. But before I even stepped on campus, I was welcomed by a community of FLI students and faculty through the Scholars Institute Fellows Program (SIFP). Throughout my first two years at Princeton, I met with a group of SIFP students each week to share and gather advice or stories through the guidance of an upperclassmen mentor. SIFP also provided me with so much support: everything from extra precepts for organic chemistry to rides to the nearby mall for Halloween costumes. I have also remained quite involved with QuestBridge throughout my four years at Princeton. I’ve been a National College Admissions Conference Group Leader, and I attended the QB25 Conference in San Francisco this summer. Additionally, I have also been a part of the Quest Scholars Network on campus.

With all of the support, guidance, companionship and mentorship I’ve received at Princeton as a FLI student, I haven’t felt that anything is off-limits. Princeton has awarded me generous financial aid for two summer study abroad programs and a summer senior thesis research grant. Joining an eating club, traveling abroad for the first time and much more were fully accessible to me.

Daniel Palleres '20

Major: Computer Science

E-mail: DanielPallares@princeton.edu

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When I started senior year of high school, I wasn’t even thinking about Princeton as an option for my undergraduate education. I didn’t think I could get in, and I knew my parents couldn’t afford it. My college and career counselor encouraged me to apply through QuestBridge, and I was left speechless when I got matched.

After visiting Princeton and several schools I was admitted to, I realized that Princeton was the best choice for me. The diversity in academic passions, the wealth of resources available to me as an undergraduate, and the support that the institution provides for first-generation and low-income students are unmatched.

Now that I’m in my final year, I have fully integrated into the University. I’m finishing my concentration in Computer Science at the School of Engineering & Applied Science, I’m president of the eating club Quadrangle and I have a job lined up for after graduation. I’m excited to come back to Princeton as an alumnus.

Marisela Neff  '20

Major: Chemistry 

Email: mneff@princeton.edu

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Being matched to Princeton through QuestBridge has truly been life changing for my family and me. Coming from a first-generation and low-income background, I was entirely convinced Princeton was not within reach. However, getting matched to Princeton has allowed me to take a step into a world of opportunities that I never could have imagined were available to me.

After visiting Princeton, I fell in love with the University’s focus on its undergrad students and its dedication to creating leaders who will change the world. I have been so grateful for resources like the Freshman Scholars Institute and Scholars Institute Fellows Program, which helped me adapt after high school and get introduced to all that the University has to offer. At Princeton, I’ve been able to travel the world, interning in India and Ecuador for two months while also visiting Peru, Chile, and Cuba through the Office of International Programs. I’ve participated in and lead a civic engagement trip on social-political issues that I am passionate about in Washington D.C. and Detroit, Michigan through the Pace Center for Civic Engagement. And finally, as a senior, I’m spending a lot of time working in an organic chemistry synthesis lab for my senior thesis. As a premedical student studying Chemistry with a certificate in Latin American Studies, Princeton has certainly been challenging. However, the support and opportunities available here are truly one of a kind.

Dear Prospective Students:

Take a deep breath. I know that college application season can be a stressful time.  I’m actually going through the same process⁠—law school⁠—so I feel your pain. 

You’ll end up where you’re meant to be. You’ll be happy. You’ll be successful. Everything’s going to be okay. These are phrases we hear all the time during the application season. We hear them so often that we don’t end up paying enough attention to them. Looking back on my undergraduate applications, I’m realizing that everyone was right. You shouldn’t take it personally; your application is a very small representation of who you are, and the admission decision is not a reflection of you.

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That being said, it’s difficult to actually internalize such an ideology. There’s no trick to surviving the application season. There’s no trick to being the perfect applicant. All you can do is your best, and after that, it’s a waiting game. What I can tell you is that you should enjoy your senior year as much as possible. Next year, your slate will be wiped clean and you’ll be left to find your own path, most likely without the help of the people you’ve grown up so close to. College is unlike anything you’ve ever experienced, and that’s both scary and exciting!

Take the time to appreciate the little things. The homecooked meals, the familiar hallways of your high school or the ability to go home after a long day. Appreciate the same faces you see, day after day. Take time to be thankful for the neighborhood you grew up in, your siblings who may annoy you at times, your pet that you love more than anything in this world. The distance that comes with most college experiences tends to complicate these things.

But at the same time, look forward to meeting new people, getting to know a new place or making new friends. Look forward to becoming more independent, discovering new interests and exploring a side of academia you’ve never experienced before. Application season is so, so stressful, but it’s also momentous; the decision you make will affect you for the rest of your life! So no pressure…

Take a deep breath, and good luck.

As the deadline for early action applications to Princeton looms closer and closer, I’m constantly reminded of my own path to Princeton and the process it took for me to get here. I remember how stressful the college application process was, with everyone asking, “Where are you applying?” and, “What’s your first choice?” It’s easy to get overwhelmed by these questions, especially if you’re not quite sure of how to respond.

The process of making your list of schools to apply to is tough. I remember I didn’t understand why it was so hard when I was young; why couldn’t students just apply to every single school in the country? That way they’d surely get in somewhere. I didn’t realize that each application came with an application fee, not to mention the fact that the Common Application limits the number of schools you can apply to through their platform. (If the application fee is a hardship for your family – you can check with the school to see if fee waivers are available.) Upon learning this, I started to understand why so many students have a hard time crafting their list.

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So, how do you go about making “The List”? What should you keep in mind when looking at schools? Below is a survival guide to college applications.

1. Location. Location is key. Many high school students can’t wait to graduate and go to a university far away from home, but here’s a pro tip: everyone gets homesick at some point or another. Maybe you miss your parents, siblings or pet. Maybe you miss sleeping in your own familiar bed. Maybe you miss that small-town feel. Whatever the reason, it’s very hard to go home for the weekend if you live far away. When I was looking at schools, my parents insisted on a “no-fly zone,” meaning the schools I chose had to be within driving distance from home. At first, I thought this was a huge limitation; then I realized that, since I lived in New York, I had so many colleges within driving distance from me!
2. Campus feel. When I was looking at colleges, I remember that the way a campus was structured was really important to me. I wanted a campus that felt like a campus. For that reason, a lot of city schools didn’t make it to my list. One aspect of Princeton that I love is that it has a physical gate that clearly signifies where the campus is. This solid campus structure makes the school feel homier to me, which was important. If you’re a person who loves cities and being immersed in them, try adding more city schools to your list!
3. Money. Money can be a sore subject that not a lot of people like to talk about. Nevertheless, the reality is that money is a huge factor when students apply to college. There are many different ways to go about this. In-state tuition versus out-of-state tuition can make a huge difference at some schools. At others, the financial aid program is what attracts students. When I made my list of schools to apply to, I made sure to keep all of this in mind before choosing universities. Princeton's generous financial aid program made college possible for me, as the program is need-based and is committed to meeting 100% of a family’s demonstrated need. Princeton also reevaluates your family's financial situation every year in order to account for any changes, making it extremely flexible!
4. Academics. Of course! We can’t forget the actual reason why you go to college! The academic opportunities at a university will likely be a deciding factor during your application process. Part of what attracted me to Princeton was its academic rigor which, in turn, opens doors to countless internship and career opportunities.
5. Alumni network. When you apply to a school, you have to also keep in mind your plans for after college. A strong alumni network goes a long way when it comes time to look for work, internships, fellowships, graduate programs, etc.  In fact, over 26,000 alumni volunteers work with the University in various capacities including providing opportunities and advice to students and young alumni interested in internships and careers.

I hope that these tips will be helpful to you during your college application process. However, you should also keep in mind that you’re going to end up where you’re supposed to be. The admission process doesn’t always work out the way you expect it to, and the stress of the “What-ifs” is exhausting and simply awful. Try not to feed into the frenzy of college applications; if you focus on keeping your own process under control, you’ll be much happier in the end!

Three years ago, I was in the same shoes as many of you right now. I had my heart set on going to Princeton. I had been thinking about it and preparing to apply for months. I had taken my standardized tests, fulfilled my academic requirements and consulted with the relevant people. Eventually, midway through October, I finally submitted my application to Princeton for Early Action.  

Then, the hardest part began: the waiting. After all the months of build-up, once you submit your Princeton application, the unfortunate reality is that you will not hear back for a while. For me, this was hard to reconcile. I wanted an answer right away! While I was certainly still busy with other college applications and my senior year course work, I remember how difficult it was to not obsess over the status of my application every second of every day. 

Eventually, I realized that obsessing was not going to get me anywhere. After you submit your application, there is absolutely nothing else you can do. You have worked incredibly hard to get to this point, so regardless of the admission result, you should be proud of yourself and your accomplishments. I know that this is easier said than done. Still, at the end of the day, it is so important to remember that Princeton is a highly selective institution. The number of incredibly qualified students that do not end up here is high. As such, whichever way the admission decision goes should not be taken as an indication that your hard work is in some way less valid. So try not to obsess about what the decision will be! Take a moment to breathe. Focus on the things you care about. Take part in activities that take your mind off of the waiting. While this is easy for me to say in retrospect, it was only once I stopped obsessing over the waiting that I was able to make the most of my senior year. 

I started studying Arabic, took up rock-climbing and ran on my high school cross-country team. Outside of adopting these new activities, I tried to make more time for things I had been too busy for most of high school. I ate more meals together with my family. I finally watched the show, "Grey’s Anatomy," to understand what all the hype was about. I went to a yoga class with my friend (and promptly determined that there was a reason I had not done yoga during all of high school). I still thought about college and applications, but I also made space for new explorations and existing passions. Ultimately, when it finally came time to hear the admission result, I was nervous (that is totally normal), but ready!

My parents always encouraged me to go to college. Not only was I encouraged, but I was expected to pursue higher education. Not in a “We’re forcing you to go to college” way, but more of a “College helps you succeed and you will be successful” way. Nevertheless, I quickly realized that my current and future situation wasn’t like that of my friends.

My path to college was a little different. My parents didn’t go to college. My dad didn’t finish high school. My parents moved to America from Spain when they were 20 years old, not knowing a word of English and without a cent in their pockets. Sure, Princeton is the number one school in the country, and it’s part of the prestigious Ivy League, but there isn’t one specific way to make it here.

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Many students at my high school would say that they were not applying to any Ivy League schools because of how expensive they are. My parents had heard the same thing, but they still encouraged me to apply; they said that college is important, and that, somehow, they would find the money. One of my mother’s colleagues had a son who went to Princeton, and she told my mom about Princeton’s incredible financial aid program. Suddenly, Princeton seemed that much more attainable.

My family and I visited Princeton for the first time during my sophomore year of high school and attended an information session about financial aid. There, we learned that aid packages rely on grants, not loans. This means that 82% of students graduate from Princeton debt-free. We also learned that Princeton has a need-blind admission policy, which means that financial need is not taken into consideration when making admission decisions. There’s even a financial aid online estimator, which allows you to input your financial information to see an estimate of how much your family would have to pay to attend Princeton. We were so excited; I have a twin sister, which meant that my family would be paying two college tuitions at the same time. Princeton’s financial aid would help make that possible.

When I was admitted to Princeton in December of 2015, I committed that same day. Some of my friends waited a few weeks after their admission to a bunch of schools so that they could compare the financial aid package received from each school, but I knew I wouldn’t get anything better than what Princeton was offering me. The financial aid office made itself so available to my family for any questions we had during the application and matriculation processes; since my parents had never done this before, we had many questions! Princeton’s financial aid made Princeton possible for me, and I’m eternally grateful.