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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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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 .

Want to write the perfect college application essay? Get professional help from PrepScholar.

Your dedicated PrepScholar Admissions counselor will craft your perfect college essay, from the ground up. We'll learn your background and interests, brainstorm essay topics, and walk you through the essay drafting process, step-by-step. At the end, you'll have a unique essay that you'll proudly submit to your top choice colleges.

Don't leave your college application to chance. Find out more about PrepScholar Admissions now :

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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Please tell us how you have spent the last two summers (or vacations between school years), including any jobs you have held. (About 150 words)…...

Princeton Supplemental Essay: Elaborate On One of Your Extracurricular Activities or Work Experiences That Was Particularly Meaningful to You

Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences that was particularly meaningful to you. (About 150 words) Upward Bound has been…...

Princeton Supplemental Essay: How Can We Unlearn the Practices of Inequality?

Tell us how you would address the questions raised by the quotation below, or reflect upon an experience you have had that was relevant to…...

Princeton Essay Prompts

Princeton university supplement prompts.

For A.B. and Undecided Applicants As a research institution that also prides itself on its liberal arts curriculum, Princeton allows students to explore areas across…...

Common Application Essay Prompts

The Common App Essay for 2020-2021 is limited to 250-650 word responses. You must choose one prompt for your essay. Some students have a background,…...

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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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How to Write the Princeton University Supplemental Essays 2019-2020

Princeton University , situated in the small and charming city of Princeton, New Jersey, is often regarded as one of the world’s most prestigious universities. Consistently ranked at #1 by the U.S. News undergraduate college rankings, it is no secret that Princeton exudes academic excellence and offers students a top-tier education.

With only 1,895 students being offered admission out of an applicant pool of 32,804, Princeton’s acceptance rate for the class of 2023 comes in at 5.8%. While many of these admitted students undoubtedly had strong academic and extracurricular profiles, the supplemental essays play an equally important role in gaining admission.

Although it might initially seem daunting to try to stand out among tens of thousands of applicants, CollegeVine is here to help and offer advice on how to tackle the application. Here is our guide on how to approach Princeton University’s 2019-2020 supplemental essays. Want to know your chances at Princeton? Calculate your chances for free right now.

Want to learn what Princeton University will actually cost you based on your income? And how long your application to the school should take? Here’s what every student considering Princeton University needs to know.

The Princeton University Supplemental Essay Prompts 2019-2020

Prompt 1: activities: please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences that was particularly meaningful to you. (response required in about 150 words).

Upon initially reading the prompt, it might seem difficult to articulate a thorough response in only 150 words. However, when used to its fullest potential, 150 words is just enough to show the admissions committee an activity you’re passionate about without being overly verbose.

One approach you could take when brainstorming this prompt is to construct a brief anecdote. If you were, for instance, an active member of the debate team, you could craft a story of an impactful debate tournament. Perhaps you could put the reader in your perspective by making it appear as if reader were physically there when the tournament occurred.

Avoid using all 150 words to simply summarize the extracurricular or work experience, as this does not highlight the impact this experience had on you. Remember, the prompt asks for something that was particularly meaningful ; make sure to demonstrate this, whether it be describing its cultural impact, emotional significance, or any other relevant attribute.

Still, it’s understandably difficult to be vivid while remaining within the word limit. Here is an example of a student who took advantage of the limited word count by crafting a concise, yet detailed opening sentence:

“My school’s newspaper and I have a typical love-hate relationship; some days I want nothing more than to pass two hours writing and formatting articles, while on others the mere thought of student journalism makes me shiver.”

This is a very strong opening because the student successfully introduces the topic while also appealing to the reader’s senses. The student maximizes the limited space by carefully choosing words that are both meaningful, yet clear.

When choosing a topic, it may be stronger to pick an activity that contrasts with your chosen major in order to round out your profile. While choosing something related to your major will not automatically hurt your application, it’s always best to illuminate parts of your personality that may not have been highlighted elsewhere on your application.

Prompt 2: Summers: Please tell us how you have spent the last two summers (or vacations between school years), including any jobs you have held. (Response required in about 150 words)

Like the previous question, this is another another brief essay. Similarly, you should try to avoid verbosity and instead try to frame your answer in a direct and concise manner while fully answering the question.

When answering this question, a possible approach is to discuss the lessons that you learned during these two summers through an extracurricular or work experience. If you choose this approach, however, make sure you don’t repeat what you wrote in the previous question.

Perhaps a job you held changed your view on an important attribute in your life or afforded you a valuable skill you previously didn’t possess. Or perhaps you spent your second summer caring for an aging relative and hearing your relative’s stories changed your emotional outlook on life. Here, you could indicate how your second summer opened your eyes in ways that the first summer did not.

Since all this is easier said than done, here is an excerpt from a strong essay:

“Before junior year, I spent several days shadowing Pennsylvania State Senator Nick Micozzie in his community office, observing meetings, making calls, listening to his advice, and realizing that, beyond writing, I’d also developed a powerful pull toward politics. Then, last summer, I spent an incredible week at Susquehanna University’s Advanced Writers Workshop, where I passed one day conquering homesickness and six more drafting, refining, and finally publicly reading a short story.”

This student does an excellent job of compacting an extraordinary amount of detail into two sentences without overwhelming the reader. The student details the roles assumed during these two summers and briefly discusses a new learned passion (a powerful pull towards politics).

No matter what topic you choose, avoid exaggerating your experiences, as this could come off as if your essay is trying too hard to be different or creative. Make your writing feel natural!

Prompt 3: A Few Details:

Your favorite book and its author, your favorite website, your favorite recording, your favorite source of inspiration, your favorite line from a movie or book and its title, your favorite movie, two adjectives your friends would use to describe you, your favorite keepsake or memento, your favorite word.

Here we have what could be both the simplest but most stress-inducing questions. Since these questions are so short, many applicants are caught up with choosing the perfect word or series of words to answer the questions. However, there is no perfect response, as the admissions committee simply wants to get a better feel of who you are; these questions are meant to be casual. No need to overthink it!

With that being said, however, keep in mind that your answers should be appropriate. For instance, if your favorite movie is something like Fifty Shade of Grey, perhaps that is better left unsaid. Avoid writing something offensive – exercise good judgement.

Some applicants may feel a need to include “academic” answers in an attempt to demonstrate intelligence or academic vigor. However, this is not necessary unless your favorites are, in fact, academic, since admissions officers can already see your academic excellence elsewhere in your profile. For example, if your favorite book isn’t Aristotle’s Politics, then there’s no reason to pretend that it is.

Overall, the admissions committee simply wants to get a better sense of the unique parts of your personality, so your answers to these rapid-fire questions won’t make or break your application. Just be yourself!

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Our chancing engine factors in extracurricular activities, demographic, and other holistic details. We’ll let you know what your chances are at your dream schools — and how to improve your chances!

Prompt 4: Essay (Your Voice)

In addition to the essay you have written for the common application or the universal college application, please write an essay of about 500 words (no more than 650 words and no fewer than 250 words). using one of the themes below as a starting point, write about a person, event or experience that helped you define one of your values or in some way changed how you approach the world. please do not repeat, in full or in part, the essay you wrote for the common application or universal college application., a) tell us about a person who has influenced you in a significant way., b) “one of the great challenges of our time is that the disparities we face today have more complex causes and point less straightforwardly to solutions.” omar wasow, assistant professor of politics, princeton university and co-founder of blackplanet.com. this quote is taken from professor wasow’s january 2014 speech at the martin luther king day celebration at princeton university., c) “culture is what presents us with the kinds of valuable things that can fill a life. and insofar as we can recognize the value in those things and make them part of our lives, our lives are meaningful.” gideon rosen, stuart professor of philosophy and director of the behrman undergraduate society of fellows, princeton university., d) using a favorite quotation from an essay or book you have read in the last three years as a starting point, tell us about an event or experience that helped you define one of your values or changed how you approach the world. please write the quotation, title and author at the beginning of your essay..

Before diving in, pay extra attention to this prompt, as it specifies an essay independent from your Common Application or Universal College Application essay. Avoid repeating the same topic, as this won’t highlight anything new in your application. With so many options, however, you should have a variety of ways to approach this essay.

If you have a specific person in mind that has personally influenced you or left a significant impact on your life, then this may be the perfect prompt for you. However, there are still some caveats to this prompt, as there are some topics that can be a little overdone or less-than-ideal.

Upon reading the prompt, many students immediately think of a family member, whether it be a sibling, mother, father, or grandparent. While there is nothing inherently wrong with choosing a family member, these essays can often appear cliche.

A more powerful way of approaching this topic would be to write about a scenario in which you disagreed with your chosen family member in some way. This could be someone holding you back, working against you, or challenging your ideals.

However, when choosing this approach, make sure to not turn your essay into a rant about the individual or appear overly-critical and negative. This can distract from the significance of the experience. Make sure to still be charitable to the person you disagree with, as this will create a much more powerful narrative.

For example, if you and a parent disagree on your career choice, you could highlight that you acknowledge their perspective even in your disagreement. Maybe your parents pressured you into going into medicine, but your true passion lies in social work. Although both express similar goals (helping others), your parents come from an economically-insecure, immigrant background and only want you to achieve financial security. Here, you understand your parents’ position, but continue to express a different perspective. Of course, you would want to elaborate upon this more by demonstrating its significance and influence.

Another approach to this prompt would be to discuss a peer. A positive scenario could perhaps be a friend who helped you overcome a major struggle in you life such as an insecurity, loss, or fear. Maybe your best friend was the person who was able to recuperate you from a tragic loss of a childhood pet. Or a friend helped you overcome the physical struggles that accompanied a sudden injury. Either way, be sure to emphasize the role that peer played during the interaction and highlight the reasons why it was significant.

If you describe a negative scenario with a peer, you could discuss about how an individual negatively impacted your mental health. Perhaps you experienced bullying and you want to discuss the impact this had on your educational experiences. Or perhaps you want to discuss how overcoming this initially damaging behavior allowed you to develop newfound strength, courage, and confidence.

With that being said, keep in mind what the prompt is asking. While not explicit, it is stronger to write about someone who personally impacted you. Many students may choose someone such as Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg in order to highlight how these individuals impacted their passion for technology or entrepreneurship. However, unless you have personally interacted with these public figures, your essay will not be as personal. Writing about such individuals will not ruin your application, but be mindful of the personal aspect to the essay.

If there’s a social or political issue that you’re passionate about or if you have personally fallen victim to one of these disparities, then this is a perfect prompt to explore your ideas on the subject. Upon first reading the prompt, it might seem a little daunting since it’s expressed as a quote instead of a clear-cut question. Although the prompt might seem a little broad, this allows you to incorporate more creativity and more variety when brainstorming topics.

One approach you could take when writing this prompt is to choose a political, social, or moral issue and analyze it by detailing its causes and suggesting possible solutions. Perhaps you are extremely passionate about the Me Too Movement and want to analyze the causes and implications. Or maybe you have thoughts about gender equality and want to show how this disparity constitutes a large part of who you are today. Here, the possibilities are endless.

With that being said, however, don’t forget that this is a personal essay and not an analytical paper. While it’s perfectly fine to analyze the disparity, make sure this doesn’t take up your whole essay. Instead devote space to discussing how your chosen disparity impacts you and specifically why it is important/relevant to you.

If you don’t feel particularly passionate about any specific political, social, or moral issue, another approach is to personalize the topic and discuss something specific to your experiences. If you have struggled with anxiety or depression, a strong essay could analyze the impact this had on you and how it has shaped your life today. If you are on the ADHD spectrum, you could highlight the effects this attribute has had on your education or lifestyle, and how you manage any challenges.

Another strong way to approach this prompt is to reflect on the privileges that you notice in your life. With this, however, it’s best to choose something more subtle and unique rather than discussing the more commonly perceived privileges of being white, male, or wealthy. For instance, if you have a particular skill or quality that somehow affords you a privilege that others may not have, this would be a great place to discuss that. Perhaps you are lucky to have a particular group of friends that keeps you humble and grounded. Or perhaps you are lucky to have a specific talent that many others may not necessarily have.

A creative way to execute the previous approach is to discuss how your life would be had you not had that privilege. What would have happened if you did not have the same group of friends you do now? How would your life be different?

Note: it’s important to consider that the quote in the prompt mentions “great challenges of our time,” so you should probably pick an issue or situation that is relevant or severe enough to fit the tone of the given quote.

Whichever topic or approach you choose, make sure to include a personal element into the essay, as this will make your writing much stronger and impactful. Remember, Princeton wants to know more about you , so make sure to let your personality shine through.

Like the previous prompt, this essay offers a great range of variety, as it is up to you to interpret what the quote means. Often, students immediately think of their heritage or ethnic background, especially if part of an immigrant family. While this is a good start and can definitely still produce strong essays, these are often overdone.

Another way to discuss culture is to analyze your experiences with a culture different from your own. Perhaps interacting with those of another culture taught you a valuable lesson on acceptance and broadening your worldviews.

For a more unique approach, you could instead interpret the word “culture” outside of its traditional usage. For example, you could talk about the culture (essentially the overall environment) at your school and how that has impacted your educational experience. Perhaps your school culture held you back in some way and challenged you by confronting you with adversity. Or perhaps it positively influenced you by introducing you to academic and extracurricular opportunities you wouldn’t have had otherwise. Either way, analyze both the negatives and positives, if applicable, to your experiences and tie in your personal experiences to craft a thorough narrative.

Culture can also apply to your strongest passion; you can discuss the culture surrounding this passion in a similar fashion as the previous example. If you’re an avid female gamer, for example, you could analyze the gaming community culture and the lack of female representation in League of Legends. By critiquing the misogyny, lack of access, and overall unwelcoming attitudes, you could show honesty while also offering solutions to these issues. By critiquing and suggesting possible changes over time, you demonstrate your awareness of modern issues while also highlighting a culture important to your individuality.

Ultimately, there are endless ways to interpret culture beyond those mentioned in this guide. Most importantly, no matter the subject, remember to unearth the value of your culture and the role that it has played or continues to play.

This prompt is arguably the most open-ended out of the four, since Princeton is essentially giving you the freedom to write about any topic you please. As long as your chosen quote reflects your values in some way or has changed them, then you are free to choose anything.

The essay or book you choose can definitely be academic, as this would help highlight your passion towards that subject and how this passion has impacted your worldview. If, for instance, you have read an eye-opening research essay on biotechnology, you could analyze the uniqueness of the topic and discuss how it has changed your perspective of the world. Perhaps it has taught you the value of slowing down in the midst of a technological revolution. Or perhaps it has done the opposite by strengthening your appreciation for technology and motivating you to pursue similar research.

In this case, political essays are a little tough to execute, but they can still definitely be done well. For example, if you live in a state or country where people of your background face prejudice or discrimination as a result of a prevailing political attitude, you could reflect on how that has challenged your empathy towards people who support a government that condones such discriminatory actions. A quote from any book or essay that relates to topics of prejudice, political turmoil, or even immigration would work well in this case.

Even with the plethora of options for this prompt, however, try to avoid cliche quotes such as “be the change you want to see in the world” or “if life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” These sayings have been used way too frequently and you’ll benefit from choosing something more unique that relates more personally to your life.

To demonstrate an excellent usage of a unique quote, one student cited the quote “You cannot be lonely if you like the person you’re alone with ” from Wayne Dyer’s The Power of Intention. Here is an excerpt from this student’s essay that successfully drew a powerful conclusion:

“After sliding around in the snow for a while, I went on the swing set and saw how far I could launch myself off the swing into the white powder, and to this day, I can vividly remember how much fun I had. I didn’t feel any qualms about being alone, and I didn’t experience any awkwardness or embarrassment when people asked about what I did over the break upon returning to school. Without that sense of independence, I probably would have stayed at home wasting my day with monotonous activities. Instead, I wasn’t afraid to go outside to play in the snow alone, free of insecurity, and create a memory I can still fondly recollect.

By spending time by myself, I’ve learned to like the person I’m always alone with. Even though I may not always be surrounded by others, through the internal strength I gain with this self-appreciation and independence, I will never be lonely.”

The overall conclusion is quite unique as the student interprets a quote on loneliness as a means to encourage self-love and independence. The student does an excellent job of making the topic extremely personal by crafting a narrative on individual strength, telling a story of playing alone in the snow and showing what lesson was learned from this experience. It is clear that the quote has a powerful meaning and connection to the student’s personal growth.

Prompt 5: Engineering Essay*

If you are interested in pursuing a bachelor of science in engineering degree, please write a 300-500 word essay describing why you are interested in studying engineering, any experiences in or exposure to engineering you have had and how you think the programs in engineering offered at princeton suit your particular interests., *this essay is required for students who indicate bachelor of science in engineering as a possible degree of study on their application..

This essay is only required for those who have indicated an interest in pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Engineering on their applications.

The key here is to be specific ; an implicit aspect of this question is “why Princeton engineering? What makes Princeton’s engineering program different from other programs? Why would this be a better fit for you? Rather than vaguely discussing the reasons why Princeton’s engineering program is something you desire, include specific classes and appeal to the philosophy of an engineering education. For instance, if there’s a particular class that interests you, don’t be afraid to directly mention it and connect the class back to your overall interests in engineering.

Extracurricular programs are another area you should definitely mention. If you’re passionate about sustainability, you could mention an interest in Princeton’s Engineers Without Borders and comment on how you will use your membership to promote sustainable engineering. If you enjoy working with kids, perhaps Princeton Engineering Education for Kids is more appealing. No matter your interests, be sure to mention a club or organization that could allow you to pursue these interests outside of the classroom.

If you have a preferred area of specialization, such as bioengineering or chemical engineering, it would be great if you’re able to tie this back to your current passions or activities. Maybe you are already involved in an organization at your current school that deals with these more specialized areas of engineering. If so, make sure to emphasize this, as this would allow your passion to shine through and show previous relevant experience.

Be warned, however, that listing all your engineering related activities can make your essay sound like a resume. Rather than simply providing a list, connect each activity to each other in order to construct a more cohesive essay. Make sure that any change in topics flow smoothly from one to the next to avoid transforming your essay into a laundry list of your achievements.

Another direction that you could take when discussing previous engineering experience is to discuss your state of mind when partaking in these activities. Perhaps working on complex engineering problems gets your adrenaline pumping or perhaps you find it quite therapeutic and relaxing. It’s always a good idea to show the admissions officers how you feel when partaking in subjects you’re passionate about.

As always, remember to show Princeton another piece of yourself by highlighting your passions, interests, and goals and connecting these back to Princeton’s academic environment.

Hopefully, reading this guide has allowed you to approach Princeton’s supplemental essays with the utmost confidence, making you all the more excited to become a potential Tiger. Happy writing!

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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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Breaking down the MPA/MPP personal statement, personal essay, and supplemental essay

Essays for graduate study cover a myriad of topics. Here at SPIA, we hope our essays help reflect and speak to our culture, our community, and our values—the stuff we care about. We require a variety of essays and short answer written responses, and each serves a slightly different purpose toward helping us to understand the academic and professional trajectory of each person as well as the motivation for graduate study at Princeton. No one thing is determinative in our process or application; we read each file individually and holistically, and admissions decisions are based on the totality of information in the file. 

The personal statement should answer the prompt and include an explanation of one’s commitment to a career in public service. We are interested in a clear description of the policy areas of interest to you and why you care about them as well as how your previous academic, personal, and professional experiences have shaped your career goals. We want to know why you want to enroll at SPIA, what you hope to gain from our program, as well as your career plans in terms of policy issues and agencies or organizations you wish to work with and why. We are looking to understand Why Princeton. Why now. And what’s next.

SPIA’s supplemental essay has long been the part of our application where we ask you to go beyond the other dimensions of the file and where we seek to get to know you on a more personal and individual basis. We all come from somewhere and it shapes us – both in who we become and what we value. We’re interested in your story and what shaped you. What do you value? This essay often helps us to further understand the person behind the paper.

This year, the Graduate School introduced the personal essay . The announcement of this essay reaffirms Princeton’s strong commitment to welcoming students from diverse backgrounds and experiences. It provides applicants an additional space to describe how their academic interests and life experiences will help them contribute to Princeton’s scholarly community. We hope to further understand how you will contribute to our tight-knit and vibrant campus community.

We understand there may be some similarities and overlap in how you interpret and write each essay. Our hope, of course, is that each essay will reveal something new and that each provides space and opportunity to translate through as rich and as full a description of your background, goals, and aspirations as possible. 

Through each of them, we are looking for you to tell us your story in the way that only you can.

49 Princeton Essay Samples

Updated for the 2024-2025 admissions cycle.

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Founded in 1746, Princeton University is one of the oldest colleges in America, and it’s steeped in a rich history. Known for its wide range of interdisciplinary offerings, this New Jersey-based school has approximately 40 undergraduate concentrations. Princetonians benefit from smaller class sizes, specialized teacher attention, and an abundance of research possibilities. The school is known for its heavy focus on undergraduates. It’s thus no surprise that so many successful alumni have come out of Princeton, including three Supreme Court justices!

Unique traditions at Princeton

1. Bicker - Bicker is an intensive selection process organized by Princeton's independent eating clubs that decide which students can join the eating clubs and what privileges they will have once they do join. 2. Nude Olympics - An annual campus event in the 1970s that occurred during Reunions week and originally began as a way to welcome incoming freshmen. 3. Cannon Wars - A campus-wide event held annually in the spring that pits freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors against each other as they try to capture a certain number of opponent's cannons. 4. Lawnparties - An outdoor event held annually in the spring that features live music, food, and all-day activities on the University's front lawn. 5. Tiger Portrait Ceremony - A symbolic event held each year in which freshmen paint their hands and add their handprints to the Tiger mural in the Princeton University Chapel.

Programs at Princeton

1. Princeton Outdoor Action (POA): This student-run organization offers weekly trips and expeditions that take members rock climbing, skiing, biking, and hiking across the northeastern United States. 2. Bridge Club: This club gives students multiple avenues to learn and engage with the bridge card game. 3. Program in Teacher Preparation: This program provides pre-professional grounds for students wanting to pursue a career as an educator. 4. Princeton Economics Association: This club offers students a variety of events, workshops, and roundtable discussions to learn more about the field of economics. 5. Science Olympiad Club: This student-led organization allows members to learn and compete in science related events to strengthen their scientific knowledge and problem-solving skills.

At a glance…

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Princeton, NJ

Real Essays from Princeton Admits

Prompt: princeton has a longstanding commitment to service and civic engagement. tell us how your story intersects (or will intersect) with these ideals..

The leaves crunched beneath my boots as I ascended the stone steps. Above me, squirrels zipped through the trees. I was hiking through Bach Ma National Park with my World Wildlife Federation group in search for traps and snares. The park was protected land, but illegal poaching was rampant. Wire traps were strung along the forest bed, ready to capture wild animals to be sold on the black market. It was just another threat to an animal population already endangered by expanding agriculture and infrastructure developments.

As we stopped for a break, our mentor told stories of how she used to roam the forests, waiting until sundown to see if the elusive saolas would come out. Her eyes lit up as she talked of their unicorn-like horns and striking white streaks. It seemed downright magical to me that such an animal was only discovered 30 years ago, and equally tragic that it had already reached critically endangered status in that time. 

Over a year has passed since this hike, yet I still think about it all the time. Our work inspired me to build an adaptive animal sound recognition system — one that could gather real-time data about fauna populations in a non-invasive manner. For me, the key to conservation lies at the nexus of innovation and policy. I'm eager to harness the power of technology to protect natural habitats. But I'm also excited to advocate for government initiatives that ensure these spaces remain sustainable for generations to come.

Essay by Rosie

Statistics & Data Science + Ethics, Politics & Economics (and Musician?) @ Yale :D

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?

In the short time I’ve been a youth leader, I’ve learned that my role is to make sure that each kid feels like they have a voice and that every lesson we teach allows kids of all identities to feel more welcome in our Church community. As a leader for my youth group, I review lectures sent to us by the youth ministry organization, LifeTeen, and my team makes sure that they are engaging enough for our kids to stay focused. Every so often, we’ll come across a more controversial topic, so we have to be careful about how we present it to the kids. On one particular day, we planned to discuss how the Church views the exploration of gender identity. However, our adult leaders did not have enough time to consult our team of youth leaders to review it and make it more relatable to the kids. As they taught the lesson, my team and I realized that what the lesson plans were stating about the transgender community could turn some of our members away from Christianity instead of bringing them closer to God. My main issue was that the lesson plan inaccurately depicted the transgender experience by assuming that they view gender and sex as “customizable” without allowing a transgender person to explain the issues that they face within our society. I crafted an email expressing our concerns and sent it to the leader of the LifeTeen organization. A few weeks later, they responded with no indication of them changing the original lesson plan to more accurately depict gender identity. Because of their inability to relay information to a modern audience, we stopped using their lesson plans to discuss social issues within our youth group. At our next meeting, I suggested that we have a more in-depth discussion about gender identity so the kids could express how they felt about the topic as well. I was proud that they also recognized that all humans, including transgender people, have a place within the Church and that they realized that God cares more about the content of our character.

Essay by Sage Hanks

Hello! I am a prospective neuroscience major at Princeton, and I'm interested in the intersections between neuroscience, race, and gender!

Prompt: Briefly elaborate on an activity, organization work experience, or hobby that has been particularly meaningful to you.

For seven summers, I spent a month at an electronics-free, Jewish sleepaway camp. Unable to easily communicate with my parents, I learned independence and have become a leader at camp. Last summer, I was a songleader-in-training. I led daily services and once even ran a program alone. At first, songleading intimidated me. I was singing and playing guitar alongside my role models and practically interviewing for my dream summer job. In preparation to take that role next summer, I led music games with younger children, jammed out with older campers during their band practices, and implemented camper input—such as playing songs from Olivia Rodrigo’s “Sour” album—in services to make them more engaging. Over the years, I’ve grown from a young camper to a responsible leader running services for the entire camp. I’ve bettered campers' experiences, and I'm grateful to have made a lasting impression on a community that I love.

Essay by Kaya

Hey! I'm a sophomore at Princeton majoring in neuroscience on a premed track. I'm in an acapella group and several other clubs.

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Someone with the same interests, stats, and background as you

Princeton University Supplemental Essay 2022-2023

Princeton Supplemental Essay 2022-2023

There are seven Princeton University supplemental essays that all applicants must write. While this may feel daunting, take comfort—each Princeton supplemental essay is on the shorter side. However, the Ivy League application process may feel exhausting. That’s why it’s important to start early. Then, you can dedicate sufficient time to every part of your application. This includes the seven essays that we’ll go over in this Princeton essay guide. 

The first four essays are slightly longer, with word limits ranging from 150-250 words. However, the last three Princeton supplemental essays are very short—they’re capped at only 50 words. You can view the Princeton supplemental essays on Princeton’s admissions site .

Princeton Essays: Quick Facts

• Princeton acceptance rate : 4% – U.S. News ranks Princeton as a most selective school. 
• 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) 
• Single-choice Early Action : November 1 st
• Regular Decision : January 1 st  
• Princeton application note : In addition to your Princeton supplemental essays and the Common App essay, you will also need to send in a graded written paper as a part of your Princeton supplemental materials. Students can complete the Princeton application via the Common App or QuestBridge . 
• #1 Princeton essay tip: Princeton admissions wants to further get to know you through your essays. Use your writing style and essay responses to show what you would bring to Princeton as a student and community member. 

What are the Princeton essay prompts?

In addition to completing the personal essay on the Common App or Questbridge application, applicants will also complete seven Princeton supplemental essays. 

The Princeton essay prompts have low word counts and cover a large span of topics. Through this breadth, the Princeton essays aim to let you show Princeton admissions who you are and why you would excel on campus. Let’s dive into the specifics of the Princeton essay prompts. 

Princeton Supplemental Essays

We’ll walk through each of the prompts above in this Princeton essay guide. But first, you may want to learn about the application process from someone who’s experienced it firsthand. Read this application story from one admitted student. 

Remember that with such low acceptance rates , Ivy League schools are always a reach. However, when applying to Ivies, all you can do is try to create the best Ivy application possible. This includes writing stellar essays that we’re going to outline in this Princeton essay guide. 

Princeton Essay: Extracurricular Activities Essay

Briefly elaborate on an activity, organization, work experience, or hobby that has been particularly meaningful to you. (150 words), extracurricular activities essay.

The first essay we’ll discuss is the extracurricular activities essay. Your extracurricular activities essay will highlight one activity that means the most to you. 

Princeton supplemental essays are a great way to add meaningful information to your personal application narrative . What do we mean by that? Well, a successful Princeton supplemental essay will not just repeat information that is already in your Princeton application. This extracurricular activities essay asks students to do more than just replicate their activities list. 

Princeton application essays let you show who you are as a person beyond your test scores, grades, and activities. Sometimes, when students are asked to reflect on a particularly meaningful extracurricular activity , they simply reiterate information from another part of their application. However, this Princeton supplemental essay does not just ask what activity you’ve been most involved in. Instead, it aims to help the admissions committee understand what lessons you’ve learned from taking part in a meaningful activity. You should also discuss how this activity has helped you grow in other areas of your life.

What NOT to do…

Here’s an example of how not to approach the second of your Princeton University supplemental essays. Say you’re on the softball team , and this year you were elected team captain. This would certainly be a meaningful extracurricular activity! However, if you focus the essay on how you spent your season perfecting your pitching skills, you won’t be taking advantage of the opportunities this Princeton supplemental essay offers. 

To respond effectively to the Princeton supplemental essays, you could talk about how being the softball team captain helped you to develop leadership skills. This might include effective communication or support for team members who lacked confidence. These skills are transferable to many areas outside of softball. They also represent your own personal growth.  

Emphasize universal lessons learned

Whatever your extracurricular activity, focus this Princeton supplemental essay less on skills that are specific to that particular activity—such as writing a Model UN policy statement, mastering a challenging piano piece, or repairing a motor. Instead, emphasize lessons and character development that will help you in a variety of circumstances in college and beyond. 

Since this Princeton supplemental essay is just 150 words, you should stick to writing about one extracurricular activity. Leave explanations of the activity’s mission and the role you played in the organization to the activities list. Then, you can spend most of your words elaborating on the lessons learned.

Princeton Essay Reflection Questions:

• Does your essay identify one extracurricular activity that is particularly important to you?
• Do you show your reader how this activity helped you grow in a way that can be applied to other contexts?
• Does your essay reflect on how you may continue to grow in the future?

Princeton Supplemental Essay: A.B. Degree Applicants & Undecided Majors

This Princeton supplemental essay prompt asks you to reflect on your academic interests and how Princeton will help you develop and excel in those interests. We’re going to focus on what that means if you are applying as an A.B. degree applicant or undecided. But before we jump right into this Princeton supplemental essay prompt, let’s clarify what exactly is an A.B. degree. 

What is an A.B. degree?

An A.B. degree is a Bachelor of Arts degree. An A.B. degree focuses on the liberal arts and humanities. Many disciplines fall within this degree. In fact, unless you are going into the sciences or engineering , you’ll likely have a Bachelor of Arts. Majors such as architecture , economics , literature, foreign language, and history fall within this degree. However, there are many more. 

There are 37 concentrations for applicants to specialize in within the Bachelor of Arts degree at Princeton. You can check out the full list of majors and disciplines offered at Princeton within the A.B. degree here . 

There are many advantages to a liberal arts education. While Princeton is a top-ranked university, you may be interested in other schools that offer excellent liberal arts programs. Check out our list of the best liberal arts colleges for more inspiration. There, we break down the difference between a college and a university. We also highlight some of our favorite college picks. 

Princeton supplemental essay prompt for A.B. degree applicants and undecided majors

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), your essay must address two points.

Not only do you need to explain how and why you are interested in your chosen academic area , but you also need to highlight the role Princeton will play in your future. In your essay, you should show how Princeton will foster your academic passions and help you build your career. 

First up, you will need to select at least one academic area of interest. If you already know your intended major, you have a great topic for the first of your Princeton supplemental essays. However, if you aren’t sure what you want to study, keep in mind that this Princeton supplemental essay does not ask you to commit to a major. Instead, you can simply talk about one or more academic subjects that interest you. 

If you need help, try thinking about what subjects in school you have most enjoyed. Additionally, think about if there are any particular subtopics that you have found especially exciting. You can also look at the list of majors Princeton offers and explore department pages to see if any area stands out to you. 

Connecting your interests

If you have multiple areas of interest—especially in seemingly unrelated fields, like History and Computer Science, or Sociology and Physics—you can absolutely talk about them both in your Princeton University supplemental essays. Pointing out unexpected ways that your interests intersect can even help you stand out in your Princeton application essays. Just remember that with a word limit of 250, there isn’t much room to go into depth about more than one or two academic fields. 

Getting specific

Once you have selected an area of study for your Princeton supplemental essays, you’ll come up with a short list of examples from your life that demonstrates your genuine connection to the subject. You don’t need to include all of these experiences in your Princeton essays. However, justifying your academic interests with club participation, independent research, and/or personal experiences will show the admissions committee that you have thought carefully about your future and the role Princeton can play. 

Not sure what counts as a “genuine connection” to your academic area of interest? Here’s a hint—salaries, your parents’ wishes, and the perceived prestige of certain majors and careers may play a role in your decision-making. However, they likely won’t count as genuine personal reasons for wanting to study a particular topic. 

Connect to Princeton

Finally, remember that this is a Princeton supplemental essay—so your answer needs to show a connection to Princeton! Look through departmental websites, chat with current students if possible, and research extracurricular opportunities that connect to your chosen field. Make sure to mention at least one Princeton resource related to each subject you discuss in your Princeton supplemental essay.

• Does your essay identify at least one of your academic areas of interest?
• Do you demonstrate a meaningful, genuine connection to the academic field you discuss? 
• Does your essay illustrate how Princeton can help you explore your academic interests? 

Princeton Supplemental Essay: For B.S.E. Degree Applicants

So, if you don’t fall into the category of an A.B. degree applicant or an undecided major applicant, don’t get too excited. You didn’t exactly luck out of an essay. All applicants will either respond to the previous Princeton supplemental essay prompt or this one depending on their major. 

So, the next prompt we’re going to outline in this Princeton essay guide is for B.S.E degree applicants. Now that we know what an A.B. degree is, let’s discuss the B.S.E degree. 

What is a B.S.E degree?

A B.S.E. degree is a Bachelor of Science and Engineering. If you’re the captain of your robotics team or spend your free time doing your own science experiments, then it’s likely that this degree has caught your attention. Basically, if you plan to pursue a STEM major, then this is the prompt for you. Some majors that fall within the Bachelor of Science and Engineering degree are chemical and biological engineering, electrical and computer engineering, and computer science. 

Overall, there are 37 concentrations available to B.S.E. degree majors at Princeton. Check out the full list here . 

Princeton supplemental essay prompt 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. (250 words).

This prompt is not exactly the same as our prompt for A.B. degree and undecided applicants. However, the basic guidelines are actually quite similar. When responding to this prompt, give some background on your involvement in STEM programs. Remember that you don’t want to just repeat your activities list. Instead, delve into the meaning and significance behind those STEM-specific experiences. How did they impact you? What made you decide to study engineering as a major?

Choosing your topic

First, brainstorm your experiences within the sciences. Then, try to choose the most important moment to mention in this essay. You don’t have many words to answer both parts of this question. So, focus on one experience that led you to decide to study engineering. Choose to write on a topic that was genuinely impactful. Your passion for this academic area should be evident in your essay. 

Now that you’ve chosen the “why” of engineering, you need to answer “why Princeton?” Was there a certain program, internship, or certification within the B.S.E. degree that only Princeton offers? Get specific when answering these questions. Search for programs within the B.S.E. degree if you don’t already have programs in mind. The biggest mistake a student can make in this Princeton supplemental essay is giving a generic answer that could work for any school. So, make sure your reasoning is specific to Princeton. 

Show your passion

Successful Princeton supplemental essays will show Princeton admissions why they’re so passionate about studying engineering at Princeton. Use your unique voice and writing style when responding to this Princeton supplemental essay. You can be creative and passionate while also answering the prompt completely. 

• Does your essay identify your specific interests within the sciences?
• Do you highlight your passion for your topic?
• Does your essay showcase how Princeton will foster your STEM-related interests? 

Princeton Supplemental Essays: Your Voice

Getting started

Before you begin writing your Princeton essays, try these writing exercises . These exercises will help you narrow down your topics and themes for the Princeton essays. They’ll also help you to get inspired and in touch with your writing style and voice. That way, you can write strong Princeton essays where you sound genuinely passionate and excited about your topic. Remember, the best Princeton essays will highlight what makes you unique. 

Princeton admissions urges applicants to write essays that show what they’ve done both academically and non-academically. This helps the admissions team get a better idea of who you are as not only a student, but also a person. As a part of some helpful tips from Princeton admissions, the site states that Princeton essays are your chance to “convey ideas in your own voice.” But, what exactly does that mean?

Write in your own voice

Writing in your own voice means that the words you’re expressing are essentially an extension of you as a person. The reader should be able to feel your personality through your style, tone, and word use. This may seem like a hefty task, but there are things you can do to find your own voice in writing if you haven’t already. 

All of the Princeton supplemental essays should be written in your own voice and style. If you write your Princeton essays in your own voice and tell a compelling story, then you will be able to convey exactly why you should be admitted. 

CollegeAdvisor’s Tips for finding your Writing Voice: 

Set a timer for fifteen minutes and allow yourself to write on the topic at hand freely. Don’t think about spelling, grammar, word choice, etc. Just write what comes naturally. Read it over after you’ve hit your time. You’ll probably be able to pick out the most important themes and expand on them in a more “formal” way for each Princeton essay. 

Write as you

This may sound odd, or maybe extremely obvious as we are talking about your voice. Still, this is one of the biggest mistakes students can make in their Princeton essays. Don’t write what you think admissions wants to read. You shouldn’t need a dictionary to read your own Princeton essays. Basically, don’t try to be the world’s best writer: just be you.

Show your personality

Hopefully, if you are writing words without trying to be anyone else, then your personality will come across. However, often in essay writing, students try to sound too formal. This can dilute your voice and personality. Yes, you should use proper grammar and a clean structure. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t be creative and show your personality through your writing style. Additionally, your personality will come naturally when writing about a topic you are passionate about. So, be sure to choose topics for your Princeton supplemental essays that genuinely excite you. 

Know when you’re done

This can be difficult, but you don’t want to obsessively rewrite and edit your Princeton essays. Give yourself ample time to write your essays, but don’t over-edit. You want your writing to be sharp and mechanically impeccable, but you don’t want to lose your voice. With each edit, it’s easy to get stuck in thinking more about what admissions wants to read and lose who you actually are, which is the whole point of these essays. Your final essays should convey your personality; don’t lose your voice as you revise your drafts. 

Voice can be tricky

Understanding voice when it comes to writing can be difficult. The words should seem like yours, but they also shouldn’t be overly conversational for the Princeton essays. To best understand how to use your voice when writing the Princeton supplemental essays, check out some successful Princeton essay examples. Use these Princeton essay examples to observe how each student used their individual voice but also thoughtfully and comprehensively answered the Princeton essay prompts. 

Finally, the Princeton essay examples can serve as inspiration, but don’t try to copy their voices. A successful Princeton supplemental essay shouldn’t be able to pass as anyone else’s. 

Princeton Essay Prompts – Your Voice #1

Now, let’s look at the next two Princeton essay prompts and get into the specifics of how to answer them completely while also showing your voice. 

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)

Like many universities, Princeton aims to bring together students who are curious, willing to hear other perspectives, and able to reevaluate their own positions. The Princeton University supplemental essays help the admissions team to see if students fit these qualifications. This Princeton supplemental essay offers you the chance to demonstrate how you responded to different perspectives in the past. In doing so, it lets you show Princeton how you will engage with your classmates in the future.

Selecting a topic

There are two strong strategies for approaching this third Princeton supplemental essay. First, you could write about a time when you had a difficult conversation that helped you to change your thinking on a challenging topic. This approach likely requires considerable vulnerability and humility. However, it can be very powerful if done effectively. Second, you could write about a time when you challenged another person or group’s belief or practice. While this approach runs the risk of sounding preachy, it can also be very effective if you highlight your personal stake in the issue and show the reader why you felt it was important to speak up.

Whatever approach you select, make sure the tone and topic of your Princeton application essays are appropriate for the goals of this prompt. Debating where to grab lunch with your friends is not exactly a weighty issue! It should also go without saying that your Princeton supplemental essay should not conclude with you advocating on behalf of racism, sexism, or any other form of prejudice.

Telling your story

Beyond your choice of topic, the most critical component of this Princeton supplemental essay is how you illustrate that this experience helped you gain new insights. These insights could be a change in your own perspective. They also could be a better understanding of how others view a complicated topic. Additionally, you could discuss how the situation helped you understand your own perspective—especially if you learned something about your values and priorities. 

Remember that this Princeton supplemental essay also asks you to think about how you will use your insights going forward. Though your response will look different depending on your situation, think about how you will behave or think differently in future difficult circumstances. This could be a continuation of the behavior you exhibited in your initial example, or your new insights could push you towards a new pattern of behavior. Whatever you choose, remember to be genuine, vulnerable, and honest.

Reflection Questions for your Princeton Essay:

• Have you chosen a situation appropriate to the tone of the Princeton supplemental essay prompt?
• Does your essay demonstrate vulnerability and reflection as you recount your difficult conversation and its aftermath?
• Does your draft illustrate new insights that influenced your perspective, informed future actions, or changed your relationship with another person/group?
• Does your essay look forward to how you may approach future conversations differently?

Princeton Essays – Your Voice #2

Like other Princeton University supplemental essays, the prompt below gives you a few options. First, you can discuss how you have been committed to service and civic engagement throughout high school. Alternatively, you can talk about the ways you will use Princeton’s resources to engage in these pursuits. The best approach to this Princeton supplemental essay will combine these options. In doing so, it will talk about your past, present, and future of civic engagement and service. 

Princeton has a longstanding commitment to service and civic engagement. Tell us how your story intersects (or will intersect) with these ideals (250 words)

Articulate your reasons for involvement.

As you think about service and civic engagement, be sure to articulate your reasons for engaging with these goals. First, try to highlight any long-term, formal volunteer work. However, if you don’t have an experience like this, you can also talk about more informal projects. Say the bulk of your service work is mostly one-off experiences, like helping a neighbor weed her garden or tutoring a few junior high students in math. These are absolutely examples of service and civic engagement, and they can be a great fit for the Princeton supplemental essays. However, unless you clarify your underlying reasons for doing these activities, you run the risk of sounding disorganized. 

Instead, you could frame your Princeton supplemental essay around your commitment to community. You might state that as part of that goal, you try to make yourself available to jump in wherever you see a need. Supplying these examples with a broader organizing narrative helps you to sound more intentional and thoughtful in your behaviors.

Structuring your essay

Begin this Princeton supplemental essay question by establishing your history as a civically engaged person in high school. Then, connect those experiences to ones you will have at Princeton. No matter your intended career field, there are plenty of ways to use this Princeton supplemental essay to establish your interests in service and/or civic engagement. For some majors—looking at you, political science—this Princeton supplemental essay prompt makes it easy. Connections between your academic field of study and opportunities for civic engagement may not be as clear in some other majors, but this offers you the chance to be creative. 

Of course, when writing your Princeton supplemental essays, you do not necessarily need to connect your academic interests to the ways you intend to engage in service. Perhaps you are planning to study physics but also have a long-held interest in advocating for victims of sexual assault. Using your Princeton essay to tie together seemingly disparate interests can help Princeton understand your complexity and depth. Unexpected responses in your Princeton supplemental essays can even be stronger than those with obvious connections between major and civic engagement. 

Focus on your growth

Finally, remember that this Princeton supplemental essay prompt asks you to illustrate your involvement in service and civic engagement in the context of your own story. Your Princeton supplemental essays should ultimately be about you and your growth. So, don’t just write an essay about a particular service project. Your essay should focus on how this project aligns with your personal values, how engaging in this pursuit has helped you to grow as a person, and how you hope to make a difference in this cause using Princeton’s resources.

• Does your Princeton supplemental essay identify at least one area in which you are civically engaged or involved in service work?
• Does your draft highlight your values and motivations for getting involved in your cause?
• Have you highlighted specific Princeton resources that can help you pursue service and/or civic engagement in college? 

How do I write my Princeton supplemental essay?

In this Princeton essay guide, we’ve seen how to respond to the Princeton essay prompts specific to your major. Shortly, we’ll dive into how to write the remaining Princeton essays. However, when it comes to writing each Princeton supplemental essay, there are two important guidelines to follow. 

#1- Make sure your essays remain specific to Princeton

While it may seem obvious, writing a generic Princeton essay is the biggest mistake an applicant can make. Princeton only accepted 1,500 students to the class of 2026, and that was their effort to expand the undergraduate enrollment. Just think of all the students who apply to this Ivy League university. If you want a chance at admission, then you need to write exceptional, and specific, Princeton essays. 

#2- Highlight your unique voice

When writing each Princeton essay, make sure you write in your own unique voice and style. Princeton admissions won’t engage with a basic story about how you volunteered at a nursing home one summer. But, if you show us a snapshot of your volunteer experience that shows us how it was meaningful to you and gave you transferable skills, then that’s a different essay completely. Don’t be afraid to write creatively with your own personality. After all, your essay needs to stand out. Just make sure that you answer the Princeton essay prompts completely while doing so. 

How Ivy League Admissions Officers Rate Your Application

When applying to a competitive school like Princeton, it’s important to understand how your application will be evaluated. Check out this article on how admissions officers rate Ivy League applications. Still, remember that you shouldn’t write an essay that reads as something you think admissions wants to see. 

Princeton Essays: More About You

The final prompts that we’re going to dive into in this Princeton essay guide may seem like the easiest, as they have a 50-word maximum. This is a common tactic among highly selective colleges. When approaching these Princeton supplemental essay questions, remember that writing very short—yet compelling—responses is far more challenging than writing interesting longer essays. When figuring out how to get into Princeton and overcome the Princeton acceptance rate, every part of your application matters. Within these essays, the same concept applies. You should choose every word of these shorter Princeton essays carefully.

Princeton Essay #1

What is a new skill you would like to learn in college (50 words).

When writing your Princeton supplemental essays, remember to be creative. Try to go beyond the easiest and most immediate answer you can think of! Of course, you will learn to research, read, and manage your time in college. However, what are some more unique skills that you’d like to learn? 

Your answer to this Princeton supplemental essay prompt can be academic in nature (“I’d like to learn how to read Medieval French and how to conduct formal archival research”) or non-academic (“I hope to master my grandmother’s spaghetti sauce recipe using only the utensils I keep in my dorm room”). Either way, this Princeton supplemental essay is all about a specific, concise answer.

Highlight your values

Your chosen skill for this Princeton supplemental essay should also reflect your core values. Perhaps if you go the Medieval French language and history route, developing that skill could help you achieve your goals of honoring the past and bringing little-understood experiences to light. If you want to master your grandma’s spaghetti sauce, that effort could align with your values of prioritizing family, expressing your creativity, and being thrifty with the things you already have. 

When thinking about this Princeton supplemental essay prompt, please note that you do not need to try and impress those who will read your Princeton essays. In fact, they would much rather hear about a skill that you genuinely would love to develop rather than a skill that you think would impress them. After all, genuine responses to your Princeton supplemental essays help your reader to understand you better.

Be detailed

Bearing the word count in mind, you do not need to explain every detail of your response to this Princeton supplemental essay prompt. You should include enough detail so that your reviewers know what you are talking about. However, you can leave things a little ambiguous if it suits your purposes. It can often be effective to use plenty of figurative language to describe your chosen skill, how it interests you, and why you want to learn it in college. To go back to the spaghetti sauce example—you might describe to the Princeton supplemental essay readers what the sauce smells like, what different components taste like, and what the emotional experience of eating it with your grandmother feels like. 

• Have you selected a new skill that you want to develop in college—not a skill you already have?
• Does your essay invite the reader in with sensory details to illustrate why this skill is interesting to you?
• Is your chosen skill something that you genuinely want to pursue, or have you selected something based on what you think your reader will find impressive?
• Does your essay fit within the very small word limit?

Princeton Essay #2

What brings you joy (50 words).

Like other Princeton supplemental essay questions, the very short word limit challenges you to say something interesting and genuine with significant constraints. Additionally, this Princeton supplemental essay asks you to respond to a rather profound question. So, it is critical that you find an answer that resonates with your readers and avoids clichés.

Let’s start with those clichés: responding with an obvious answer like “my family” or “nature” without any specific details virtually guarantees that your Princeton supplemental essays will be the opposite of memorable. Princeton University supplemental essays like this—where many people would respond similarly—don’t tell your reader anything unique about you. Instead, cliché responses imply that you rushed through your Princeton essays and wrote down the first thing you thought of. Even worse, it could suggest that you assumed this Princeton supplemental essay prompt was not important.

Keep it specific

A far better approach for the sixth of the Princeton supplemental essays would be to focus on small and unique details. Instead of “my family,” you could write about the secret look you share with your sister when something funny happens or the specific meow your cat uses when he wants you to pick him up. Rather than sweeping statements about nature, Princeton University supplemental essays like these should discuss the feelings you have when you wake up early to see the sunrise. Whatever your approach, drill down to specific and sensory details that can paint a picture for your reader. 

At its core, this Princeton supplemental essay question asks how you see the world and interact with it emotionally. So, there are very few things that are wrong to talk about here. As with all Princeton University supplemental essays, no matter what you choose to discuss, highlight as many details as possible. Then, trace your emotional experience of joy for the reader. These strategies will help you use your own voice and provide insight into who you are. The clearer and more specific your source of joy, the stronger your Princeton essays will be. 

• Does your draft have a clear answer to the Princeton supplemental essay prompt?
• Do you have sensory details supporting your answer?
• Does your draft highlight your emotional experiences?
• Does your essay comply with the word limit?

Princeton Essay #3

What song represents the soundtrack of your life at this moment (50 words).

This Princeton supplemental essay prompt is fun—a less existential version of some of the other Princeton supplemental essays. As with the other subjective Princeton University supplemental essays, there are no right or wrong answers. Still, you should stick to just one song. The rest of your 50 words in this Princeton supplemental essay should explain why that song is the soundtrack of your life.

You might use this Princeton supplemental essay to highlight something interesting going on in your life now. This could include an important relationship, an exciting milestone, or a particular emotional experience. For example, maybe after your summer job working for a local daycare center, the soundtrack of your life has become the theme to a popular children’s TV show. Maybe you have a favorite song that helps you de-stress before big exams. Whatever you choose for this Princeton supplemental essay, your readers want you to use this Princeton supplemental essay prompt to show the personal significance you attach to a particular song. So, make sure you share some context.

Strategies to avoid

Less effective strategies for this Princeton supplemental essay include listing very popular songs for the sole reason that they’re popular, responding with a non-specific reason (i.e. “it makes me want to dance”) with little explanation, or simply not providing any context to your response at all. Always remember that these Princeton University supplemental essays should show the admissions committee something new about you.

• Did you identify one song to discuss in your Princeton supplemental essay draft?
• Have you provided context or an explanation for why this song is the soundtrack of your life?
• Does your answer to this essay tell your Princeton essays reviewer something new about you?

More Princeton Requirements

In addition to your Princeton supplemental essays, you will also need to submit the other Princeton requirements so that your Princeton application is complete. Applicants will need to submit their completed Common Application, Princeton supplement (Princeton essays), graded written paper, and their application fee by the application deadline. 

Princeton requirements include: 

• Transcript. An official high school transcript needs to be sent by your school.
• School Report. This is to be completed by your school counselor via the Common Application. 
• Counselor Recommendation. In addition to the School Report, your counselor will also need to submit a recommendation. You can “invite” them to do so on the Common App.
• Two Teacher Recommendations. Teacher recommendations should also be submitted via the Common App. You should ask for recommendations from teachers who have taught you in higher-level courses and in core academic subjects. 
• Midyear School Report. This needs to be submitted by a school official when your midyear grades are available. Be sure to ask them to do so. 

Test-optional admissions

Princeton is test-optional for the 2022-23 application cycle. This means that applicants won’t be penalized in the evaluation process if they choose not to submit standardized test scores. However, if English is not your native language and you haven’t been attending a school for at least three years where the instruction is in English, then you will need to complete and submit the TOEFL, IELTS Academic, or PTE Academic.

There are also optional Princeton supplemental materials that you may want to complete in order to enhance your application. After all, given the low Princeton acceptance rate, you’ll need more than a good SAT score or an average GPA to get in. Use the opportunity to shine in another area that hasn’t yet been highlighted in your application if applicable. 

For applicants who excel in the arts or opt for an interview

Students who’ve excelled in the arts may want to complete the arts supplement . Applicants are also offered optional alumni interviews. Once your entire application has been submitted, Princeton admissions will invite you to an alumni interview unless you’ve opted out of one. If you choose not to interview, you will not be at a disadvantage in the admissions process. 

Check out the complete list of Princeton requirements in order to submit and request everything needed for your application by the deadlines (EA or RD). Be sure to read the application tips before you apply as well. 

Tips for Choosing a Graded Written Paper

As a part of the Princeton supplement, students are required to submit a graded written paper . Princeton admissions wants to see how students express themselves when writing in an academic setting. Keep in mind that this graded written paper should enhance your application by showing how you could contribute to the Princeton community. It should also highlight how you would excel in an academically rigorous and demanding environment such as Princeton. 

Things to consider when choosing your graded written paper:

• You can submit essays, research essays, papers, exam essays, etc. The essay should not be a creative writing essay—don’t submit your favorite haiku. 
• The paper should be from the last three years of high school. It should be a paper for an academic core course such as English, History, or Social Studies. 
• The paper needs to have the teacher’s grade and comments if applicable. Supply a grading rubric if there was one as well. 
• Your essay should be one to two pages in length. 

Students are able to submit their graded written paper via the Common App or you can upload it to your Princeton applicant portal. You may also mail it to the admissions office. 

Choose a paper that shows your growth

It may be hard to narrow down your options when thinking about all of your graded essays over the past three years. If one stands out to you, and you think it demonstrates your writing ability in an academic setting, then great. However, don’t feel limited to submitting your highest-scoring essay. You do not need to submit an A paper. Instead, you could submit a lower-scoring paper that shows a moment of growth or understanding. 

Your Princeton supplemental essays should have a clear voice and personality. However, the aim of the graded paper among the Princeton requirements is to show your writing capacity within an academic setting. Sure, this paper will provide admissions with more insight as to who you are. However, it should highlight your academic accomplishments above all else. 

Princeton Supplemental Essays & the Admissions Process

Remember that Princeton is one of the most competitive schools in the nation. In fact, it’s currently ranked #1 on U.S. News’ Best National Colleges list. While it may seem stressful to complete so many Princeton supplemental essays, try to think of the Princeton essays as another opportunity to impress Princeton admissions and overcome the low Princeton acceptance rate. 

In short, the Princeton University supplemental essays that we’ve outlined in this Princeton essay guide aim to offer your reader insight into who you are, how you think, and how you can enrich the campus community. Princeton wants you to be thoughtful, honest, and creative in your responses. 

Details and language

Remember that what makes your Princeton supplemental essays unique and memorable is not the experience you write about itself. Instead, the impact lies in the details you share and the language you use to express yourself. The more detailed your essays, the more your Princeton supplemental essays will reflect you as a unique individual rather than one of the thousands of applicants. Princeton essays are most effective when they help your reader feel a personal connection to you and an investment in your future success. 

Focus on Princeton

While many of these tips can apply at any school, you are writing Princeton supplemental essays. Remember to anchor your experiences, hopes, and goals in each Princeton supplemental essay response to the resources available on campus. The more specific you are in your Princeton application essays, the better. You might mention individual professors or classes, hint at research questions that fascinate you, or explain how particular clubs and organizations can help you grow as a scholar and as a person. This will serve you better in your Princeton essays than just listing resources for which Princeton is famous. You want to use your Princeton supplemental essay prompts to demonstrate to the admissions team that you’ve explored the website beyond the first page.

Don’t brainstorm topics for the Princeton supplemental essays based on what you think the reviewers will want to hear. It sounds cheesy, but choose to write your Princeton essays on topics that genuinely matter to you.

5 Tips on How to Write the Princeton Supplemental Essays

Every student will tell a different story with their Princeton supplemental essays. Remember that you aren’t simply answering the Princeton essay prompts. Rather, you’re using the Princeton essays in order to enhance your application narrative. Since the Princeton acceptance rate is so low, you need to do all you can to stand out. 

So, what are the most important things to keep in mind in order to make each Princeton supplemental essay a success?

Five tips on how to write your best Princeton supplemental essays: 

#1- be specific.

We’ve mentioned this before, but it’s of utmost importance. Your Princeton essays need to be specific to not only you as an individual, but also specific to Princeton. Refer to specific programs, extracurriculars, or courses that are only offered at Princeton. Share meaningful experiences in your Princeton essays that highlight your unique connection to the school. 

#2- Have a voice

Be sure that your writing voice comes across in each Princeton supplemental essay. Don’t write your Princeton essays thinking only about what admissions wants to see. These essays should show your unique personality. 

#3- Choose topics carefully

The topics that you choose to write about will make or break your essays. That doesn’t mean that the topic itself matters—it’s how you write about it. You need to choose topics that you are genuinely passionate about. That’s the only way that your authentic voice and personality will shine through in each Princeton supplemental essay. 

#4- Fully answer the Princeton essay prompts

Don’t get carried away artfully and creatively painting a beautiful scene with words and then forget to answer half of the prompt. Make sure that your writing has style, but also answers each prompt thoughtfully, carefully, and completely. 

#5- Start early

The best way to write successful Princeton supplemental essays is by giving yourself ample time to brainstorm, draft, and revise. These essays are likely a stressful part of the application process. Rushing them will amplify that stress. Do yourself a favor and start the process early in order to write your best Princeton essays. 

Princeton Essay Guide and Additional Resources from CollegeAdvisor

The best way to write successful Princeton supplemental essays is by using the resources available to you. Learn all about what it takes to write successful college essays with the ample resources available from CollegeAdvisor. 

You may want to start your Princeton journey by learning just how to get into Princeton. Our guide will provide applicants with important highlights on how to tackle the application process despite the low Princeton acceptance rate. When thinking about how to get into Princeton, it can seem overwhelming. Take advantage of everything that is available to you, starting with the How to Get Into Princeton guide. 

How to Get Into Princeton Guide

Princeton essay resources

For more Princeton essay guidance, you may want to start by reviewing the previous essay guide for Princeton. Reading the past guide will surely get you into the Princeton essay writing mode. If you are confident in understanding what admissions looks for, then you will be able to write freely and surely within that scope. Additionally, you can read these essay tips from admissions experts. While they aren’t specific to Princeton, they can guide you when completing all of your college essays. 

39 Essay Tips from CollegeAdvisor.com’s Admissions Experts

Princeton Webinars

Finally, after learning all about how to get into Princeton and reading the Princeton essay guides, watch a Princeton University panel webinar . This webinar will provide you with important information from Princeton alumni on just what it takes to apply to and attend Princeton.

Princeton University Panel

Princeton Supplemental Essay – Final Thoughts

You are more than a collection of statistics, and the Princeton University supplemental essays are meant to help the admissions committee understand what unique skills and characteristics you can offer the Princeton community. While there are many Princeton supplemental essays to write, thoughtful execution of these Princeton essays can help your application stand out. 

Use our guide

Use this Princeton essay guide to help you approach your Princeton supplemental essays carefully and intentionally. Also, be sure to have one or two people read over them before you submit your Princeton supplemental essay prompts. Whether from your college advisor, your school counselor, a teacher, or a trusted friend or family member, external feedback on your Princeton University supplemental essays will help you to ensure that you are putting your best foot forward. Still, when applying feedback, be sure to maintain your unique voice and style. Best of luck!

This article was written by Sarah Kaminski. 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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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.

About Kat Stubing

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Mackesy, Defense Lead Princeton Past Dartmouth 15-5

March 30, 2024 | Men's Lacrosse

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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Daniel Kahneman, Nobel laureate who upended economics, dies at 90

He found that people rely on shortcuts that often lead them to make wrongheaded decisions that go against their own best interest.

Daniel Kahneman, an Israeli American psychologist and best-selling author whose Nobel Prize-winning research upended economics — as well as fields ranging from sports to public health — by demonstrating the extent to which people abandon logic and leap to conclusions, died March 27. He was 90.

His death was confirmed by his stepdaughter Deborah Treisman, fiction editor at the New Yorker. She did not say where or how he died.

Dr. Kahneman’s research was best known for debunking the notion of “homo economicus,” the “economic man” who since the epoch of Adam Smith was considered a rational being who acts out of self-interest. Instead, Dr. Kahneman found, people rely on intellectual shortcuts that often lead to wrongheaded decisions that go against their own best interest.

These misguided decisions occur because humans “are much too influenced by recent events,” Dr. Kahneman once said. “They are much too quick to jump to conclusions under some conditions and, under other conditions, they are much too slow to change.”

Dr. Kahneman was affiliated with Princeton University when he won the 2002 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences “for having integrated insights from psychological research into economic science, especially concerning human judgment and decision-making under uncertainty.” He shared the award with Vernon L. Smith, then of George Mason University in Virginia, who pioneered the use of laboratory experiments in economics.

Dr. Kahneman took a dim view of people’s ability to think their way through a problem. “Many people are overconfident, prone to place too much faith in their intuitions,” he wrote in his popular 2011 book , “Thinking, Fast and Slow.” “They apparently find cognitive effort at least mildly unpleasant and avoid it as much as possible.”

Dr. Kahneman spent much of his career working alongside psychologist Amos Tversky, who he said deserved much of the credit for their prizewinning work. But Tversky died in 1996, and the Nobel is never awarded posthumously.

Both men were atheist grandsons of Lithuanian rabbis, and both had studied and lectured at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Their three-decade friendship and close collaboration, chronicled in Michael Lewis’s 2016 book, “The Undoing Project,” was a study in opposites.

According to Lewis, Tversky was the life of the party; Dr. Kahneman never even went. Tversky had a mechanical pencil on his desk and nothing else; Dr. Kahneman’s office was full of books and articles he never finished. Still, Dr. Kahneman said, at times it was as if “we were sharing a mind.” They worked so closely together that they tossed a coin to decide whose name would go first on an article or a book.

Their research helped establish the field of behavioral economics, which applies psychological insights to the study of economic decision-making, but also had a far-reaching effect outside the academy. It was credited with changing the way baseball scouts evaluate prospects, governments make public policy and doctors arrive at medical diagnoses.

Inspired in part by “Judgments Under Uncertainty,” an early paper by Dr. Kahneman and Tversky, economist Richard Thaler and legal scholar Cass Sunstein developed the concept of “libertarian paternalism.” Thaler and Sunstein’s 2008 book, “Nudge,” suggested ways that governments could encourage people to save for retirement, take care of their health and make other intelligent choices with minimal intrusion by authorities.

Dr. Kahneman presented his ideas to a general audience in “Thinking, Fast and Slow,” which distinguished between two modes of thought: System 1, in which the mind, acting quickly, relies on intuition, immediate impressions and emotional reactions; and System 2, in which the mind, slowing down, functions more rationally and analytically and is able to correct errors made by System 1.

Much of the time, Dr. Kahneman argued, the mind works in System 1 and draws conclusions using System 1’s toolbox: rules of thumb, cognitive biases and anything else that speeds up the judgment process.

Dr. Kahneman and Tversky did experiments that demonstrated various cognitive biases. They showed, for instance, that many more people were willing to make a 20-minute trip to save $5 on the price of a $15 calculator than to make the same trip to save the same amount of money, $5, on a $125 calculator — an example of what is known as the framing effect.

In another Kahneman-Tversky experiment, students were told about a fictitious Linda, 31, who was an activist in college and “was deeply concerned with issues of discrimination and social justice, and also participated in anti-nuclear demonstrations.”

Then the students were asked which was more likely: that Linda is a bank teller or that Linda is a bank teller and is active in the feminist movement. The vast majority went with bank teller and active feminist, which has to be the less likely choice because the probability of two conditions will always be less than the probability of either one. This experiment demonstrated what is known as the conjunction fallacy, another way in which people sometimes fail to think logically.

One type of psychological distortion that occupied Dr. Kahneman in later years was the difference between “experienced” and “remembered” well-being and between experienced and remembered happiness or unhappiness. The remembered experience, he said, was largely determined by its most extreme moment, or peak, and by its end — hence the “peak-end rule.”

According to the rule, if we have a pleasurable experience at the end of a vacation, for instance, we tend to remember the entire holiday fondly. Similarly, if we feel less pain at the end of a medical procedure, we recall the entire experience as less painful. Sometimes, he found, the remembered experience is more important than the experience itself.

Daniel Kahneman was born in Tel Aviv on March 5, 1934, while his mother was visiting relatives in what was then the British mandate of Palestine. The Kahnemans made their home in France, and young Daniel was raised in Paris, where his mother was a homemaker and his father was the chief of research for a cosmetics firm.

During World War II, he was forced to wear a Star of David after Nazi German forces occupied the city in 1940. One night in 1941 or ’42, he later recalled, he stayed out past the German-imposed curfew for Jews while visiting a friend, and he turned his sweater inside out to hide the star while he walked a few blocks home. He then crossed paths with a soldier in the SS, who called him over, picked him up — and hugged him.

“I was terrified that he would notice the star inside my sweater,” Dr. Kahneman noted in a biographical essay for the Nobel Prize ceremonies. But the German pulled out his wallet, showed him a photo of a boy, gave him some money and sent him on his way. “I went home more certain than ever that my mother was right: people were endlessly complicated and interesting.”

As the Nazis stepped up the mass arrest of French Jews, Dr. Kahneman’s father narrowly escaped deportation to a death camp. The family fled to still-unoccupied Vichy France, where they eventually found refuge in a chicken coop in the seaside town of Cagnes-sur-Mer. In November 1942, the Germans took control of Vichy France.

As Lewis noted in his book, Dr. Kahneman had to hide in plain sight, attending school but avoiding social contact with teachers and classmates. While he found human personality intensely interesting, Lewis wrote, “his survival had depended on keeping himself apart.”

The Germans and their French collaborators stepped up the search for Jews in hiding. Dr. Kahneman’s father, a diabetic, found it increasingly difficult to secure medication and died of complications from the disease just six weeks before the Allied D-Day invasion. “I was really angry about his dying,” Dr. Kahneman told Lewis. “He had been good. But he had not been strong.”

After the war, Dr. Kahneman moved with his mother and sister to what soon became the state of Israel. At 15, he took a vocational test that said he had the makings of a psychologist. He graduated from Hebrew University in 1954 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and mathematics. He fulfilled part of his military service requirement by devising character assessment tests for recruits.

In 1961, Dr. Kahneman received a doctorate in psychology from the University of California at Berkeley and returned to Hebrew University as a lecturer. There he met Tversky, who was gaining a reputation as one of the most brilliant psychologists of his generation.

Dr. Kahneman’s first marriage, to Irah Kahn, ended in divorce. In 1978, he wed Anne Treisman, a cognitive psychologist who studied mechanisms of perception and attention. They taught at the University of British Columbia and Berkeley before joining Princeton in 1993.

Meanwhile, Tversky took a position at Stanford University. The physical separation made cooperation with Dr. Kahneman difficult, if not impossible, and the friendship soured.

By the late 1980s, Dr. Kahneman had come to believe that Tversky did not sufficiently value his contributions to their work, and Tversky had his own complaints about Dr. Kahneman. “I sort of divorced him,” Dr. Kahneman later said . The two revived their friendship in the months before Tversky died of melanoma in 1996.

Treisman died in 2018 . Dr. Kahneman later lived with Barbara Tversky, the widow of his longtime collaborator.

In addition to Tversky, his partner of four years, survivors include two children from his first marriage, Michael Kahneman and Lenore Shoham; four stepchildren, Jessica, Daniel, Stephen and Deborah Treisman; and seven grandchildren.

Dr. Kahneman received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, from President Barack Obama in 2013. An inveterate pessimist, he said he and his wife had not expected the Nobel, despite a raft of honors received over the years.

“We thought the probability was 0.2,” Treisman told the Philadelphia Inquirer after Dr. Kahneman’s award was announced. “We were quite interested to see who won.”

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College Sports | College Wrap: Princeton men’s lacrosse cruises…

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College sports | college wrap: princeton men’s lacrosse cruises past dartmouth.

PRINCETON — Welcome Back, Bill Tierney.

The Princeton men’s lacrosse team honored its legendary former coach on Alumni Day in the best way possible.

Star attacker Coulter Mackesy scored four goals and the No. 13-ranked Tigers cruised to a 15-5 victory over the Big Green on Saturday afternoon at Sherrerd Field at Class of 1952 Stadium. Mackesy has 25 goals and 16 assists on the season.

Nate Kabiri, Colin Burns and Tucker Wade all scored twice and Michael Gianfrnacoro stopped 14 shots for Princeton (6-3, 2-1), which won its second straight game.

Mason Morel had 21 saves for Dartmouth (3-6, 0-2).

Rider 8, Saint Peter’s 4

LAWRENCEVILLE — Brian Young struck out nine over seven innings, Erich Hartmann and Anthony Paskell knocked in two runs each and the Broncs (9-14, 6-0) swept the Peacocks (7-22, 1-5) to win their seventh in a row.

Women’s Lacrosse

Rider 19, Marist 15

LAWRENCEVILLE — Kylee Garcia had six goals and four assists to lead the Broncs (8-3, 2-1) past the Red Foxes (3-7, 2-`). Toni Gismondi and Elena Bontatibus had four goals each for Rider in a second straight win.

Canisius 5, Rider 3

LAWRENCEVILLE — Jessie Niegocki collected three hits to give her seven in the series, but the Broncs (9-18, 2-1) couldn’t complete the three-game sweep as Gianna Fazzolari and Rosie Gomez both homered to salvage the finale for the Golden Griffins (8-12, 3-2).

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Zeynep Tufekci

You Don’t Need to Freak Out About Boeing Planes (but Boeing Sure Does)

By Zeynep Tufekci

Opinion Columnist

“Ah, it’s a Boeing Max,” I exclaimed to my travel companions after we boarded our plane a few weeks ago. I looked to see if we were seated next to a hidden door plug panel like the one that blew out on Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 in January. We weren’t, but joining a trend on social media , we cracked a few jokes at Boeing’s expense: “Maybe they can charge extra, saying it’s potentially an even bigger window seat.”

The Federal Aviation Administration recently informed the passengers on that ill-fated Alaska Airlines flight that they may have been crime victims . The agency hasn’t explained why, but Boeing has told the Senate that it cannot find documentation of exactly how the door plug was removed and reinstalled, even though the company acknowledged it is supposed to have kept such records. Facing all this, the company announced last week that it was replacing its chief executive. But the bad news wasn’t over: On Thursday, a New York Times investigation reported a disturbing pattern of sloppy safety procedures and dangerous cost-cutting. One expert who had spent more than a decade at Boeing told The Times, “The theme is shortcuts everywhere — not doing the job right.”

Is it any wonder that some travelers are trying to avoid Boeing planes? Kayak, the travel booking site, noticed an uptick in the number of people trying to weed them out ; it recently made that search filter more prominent and even added an option to specifically avoid certain models.

Boeing’s problems, great as they are, are just one reason that consumers might be wary of taking flight. United Airlines now also faces scrutiny for a series of safety incidents, although many experts say the issues there do not appear to be systemic. The biggest danger of all may be understaffed air traffic controllers and overstuffed runways , which lead to far too many near misses.

Personally, I am not worried about flying and other than cracking some ill-advised jokes, I have not changed my behavior. That’s why I hadn’t bothered to check whether I’d be flying on a Boeing Max, or any type of Boeing plane, until after I boarded.

The trajectory of Boeing as a corporation, however, is another matter. It’s going to take a lot more than a shuffle at the top to fix that company’s problems. But the fact that Boeing managed to cut as many corners as it did is testament to the layers and layers of checks, redundancies and training that have been built into the aviation industry. Aviation safety is so robust because we made it so.

Two seemingly contradictory things are both true: U.S. commercial passenger airlines have gone an astonishing 15 years without a single death from a crash. And there is a huge safety crisis in commercial aviation that we urgently need to fix.

Commercial aviation is a complex system involving many dynamics: technology, engineering, corporate culture, regulation, weather, human factors, politics and more.

It’s extremely hard to predict what will emerge from so many different things interacting all at once — an example of the so-called butterfly effect, in which a tiny insect flapping its wings leads to major weather on the other side of the world. And though testing every part of the system on its own is necessary, it’s insufficient, since it’s the interaction of many moving parts that creates those hard-to-foresee problems. Solving equations won’t be enough to manage it all because such systems defy easy calculations.

We do, however, have methods to manage complex and safety-critical systems, and if done right, they can work very well.

Perhaps the most important measure is redundancy, the layering of precautions. Since even a minor failure could set off a catastrophic chain of events, it’s important to shore up everything. That’s why many plane parts have duplicates or backups, and much of planes’ production and maintenance is subject to inspections by multiple people.

Redundancy, however, while great for safety, is expensive.

The first Boeing 737 Max crash occurred in Indonesia in 2018 . Everyone on board was killed. The next was in 2019, in Ethiopia. There were no survivors of that flight, either. After that, the planes — which had been flying globally for more than a year — were grounded by the F.A.A. (About 387 of them had been delivered at that time, and 400 or so more were in production.)

The public later learned Boeing had added a new software system to the planes to help keep them stable. Because the system made the planes behave more like older Boeing models that pilots were already familiar with, the company got permission from the F.A.A. to avoid retraining pilots on the new planes (a cost savings for the airlines that bought them) or even telling pilots about it.

Those two flights proved the danger of that approach. T he new system relied on a single sensor, even though the planes were equipped with two. When that sensor failed, pilots lacked the information to diagnose the problem and avoid disaster. Boeing’s actions were a violation of those core tenets of aviation of building in redundancy and understanding how complicated interactions can create problems that no one predicted.

Given the impossibility of testing for every outcome, keeping complex systems safe also depends on another crucial signal: near misses. If something goes wrong but disaster is averted, the correct response should not be a “whew” and back to normal. It should be caution and investigation.

The Times investigation shows how alarmingly different Boeing’s approach was.

The Boeing plane that crashed in Indonesia had, the day before, experienced the exact same problem with the new stabilization system. But on that flight happened to be a third pilot, riding off-duty in the back of the cockpit . When things went haywire, he was able to suggest the correct sequence of actions and saved the day. Had Boeing updated pilots about the system, would the passengers on the airplane’s next flight have landed safely? We’ll never know.

That third pilot — in that case, present purely by luck — was an example of how redundancy can save lives. So is a co-pilot. Planes fly on autopilot all the time, and can even land on their own. Still, regulations require a second person in the cockpit for many types of passenger flights, not just to handle things in the extremely rare event that the primary pilot gets sick or dies mid-flight, but to help manage emergencies and equipment failures . It’s the same reason that planes have more engines, more tires and more ways to extend the landing gear than they need for any individual flight, just in case one of those things fails, as has happened many times.

An extra layer of safety helped avert the Alaska Airlines blowout from turning into a catastrophe: Because the incident occurred so soon after takeoff, all the passengers were still required to wear their seatbelt.

Pilots even do a “walk-around” of their plane just before takeoff to conduct a final visual inspection. Commercial aviation works because of the principle of trust nothing and check everything.

It’s hard to escape the conclusion that those at the company who took all those shortcuts figured the system, with all its redundancies, would save them. But that’s a gamble. Eventually, two or three or four rare mishaps will align.

A Boeing representative told me that the company was taking responsibility and working to improve quality. But we need to see action, not promises.

So, why should anyone still fly on Boeing’s planes? Or fly at all? Because the statistics still show that commercial aviation is miraculously safe, far more so than all the alternative ways of traveling.

While I don’t check for who manufactured the planes I fly, I do keep my seatbelt on even when the captain says I don’t have to. Other than that I’m as comfortable as possible while flying. I know that, on balance, air travel is a well-regulated system staffed by highly trained crews with layers and layers of safety precautions and a dedication to learning from past accidents. Let’s keep it that way.

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips . And here’s our email: [email protected] .

Follow the New York Times Opinion section on Facebook , Instagram , TikTok , WhatsApp , X and Threads .

Zeynep Tufekci  ( @zeynep ) is a professor of sociology and public affairs at Princeton University, the author of “Twitter and Tear Gas: The Power and Fragility of Networked Protest” and a New York Times Opinion columnist. @ zeynep • Facebook

‘Total Disgrace’: Anger, Frustration as Mass Heating Failures Across Russia Leave Thousands in the Cold

P ODOLSK, Moscow region – Residents throughout Russia affected by unprecedented winter heating outages in recent days have expressed their frustration and urged local authorities to restore heating in their homes.

In Podolsk, a town some 30 kilometers south of the capital Moscow, at least 149,000 residents — nearly half of its population — were left without heating when a heating main burst at a nearby private ammunition plant.

“It’s a total disgrace. There is no heating and no hot water. We have to sleep in sleeping bags,” Yuri, a local resident, told The Moscow Times.

“I have no words to describe how bad the situation is," said Yuri, who declined to provide his surname. "We have had no heating for almost six days."

Heating issues have affected residents in the Moscow region, where temperatures have plunged to as low as minus 20 degrees Celsius in the past week, as well as people in the Far East Primorye region , the cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg , Penza , the southern Voronezh and Volgograd regions and more.

In the Tver region, a group of residents filmed an appeal to President Vladimir Putin, saying that they “are freezing from the cold” in the village of Novozavidovsky.

“We're literally being killed by the cold,” a woman in the video said, adding that they have been sending requests to local authorities since September after their houses were connected to a boiler room whose power was reportedly insufficient.

“This is some kind of torture and extermination of the population 100 kilometers from Moscow,” she added.

Residents of the Moscow region town of Elektrostal lit a fire in the street to draw the authorities’ attention to the heating problem.

“It’s impossible to stay in our houses. We're freezing!” a group of women in the video said.

Suffering from subzero temperatures, residents are placing the blame on local authorities and utility services for failing to take necessary precautions and not taking action to resolve the situation.

“We are sending complaints everywhere but no one listens to us. We have portable heaters working in every room, but the temperature inside is still 10 degrees Celsius,” Yelena from Podolsk said.

“There is a clinic and a hospital, as well as kindergartens, where there is no heating. And we have no answers, no assistance, no explanation,” Yelena added.

Podolsk authorities opened temporary heating centers and declared a state of emergency.

Local authorities linked the heating problems to the fact that the town is heated by a boiler plant owned by the Klimovsk Specialized Ammunition Plant, a private ammunition factory and one of the largest weapon cartridge production enterprises in the country.

“The facility is under tight security conditions, which limits our ability to oversee winter preparations,” the Moscow region’s Vice Governor Yevgeny Khromushin said last week. “We were unaware of the problem for nearly a day.”

An unidentified Moscow region official and two senior executives at the plant were arrested on suspicion of providing unsafe services, Russia’s Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes, said in a statement Tuesday.

Investigators said that Podolsk’s deputy mayor was accused of misusing authority by issuing a readiness certificate for the boiler house at the plant.

In the neighboring Tver region, the authorities opened a criminal case over the laundering of over 84 million rubles ($938,993) in heating bills paid by residents, the Astra Telegram channel reported this week, citing unidentified sources. According to investigators, the heads of the local water intake and boiler house misappropriated the heating payments for personal use.

Reacting to the heating failures, Putin on Tuesday asked Emergency Situations Minister Alexander Kurenkov to provide heat and electricity to the affected residents.

The outages appear to be the latest effect of several decades of crumbling infrastructure in Russia which have been linked to endemic corruption and mismanagement.

The overall decay of Russia's municipal infrastructure surpassed 70% in 2022, the pro-Kremlin newspaper Izvestia reported .

According to Sergei Pakhomov, head of the State Duma’s Construction, Housing and Utilities Committee, water pipes that were 90 years old or even older were still in use as recently as two years ago in some cases.

Housing, utilities and communal services are a common source of problems for Russians during the winter.

In St. Petersburg, residents regularly complain about extensive ice coverage on city streets and sidewalks, with many people ending up in the hospital over the years due to slipping and falling accidents.

In the Siberian republic of Khakassia, two villages were left without electricity last month due to apparent issues with outdated communication systems.

In the winter of 2020, five people in the Perm region were killed after a pipe burst.

When asked about the latest heating outages, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov acknowledged the problems and linked them to poor municipal infrastructure, saying that people “had to endure a lot of inconvenience in the cold and without electricity.”

"Despite all the titanic efforts to update all housing and communal services systems, there's still a certain part that remains considerably deteriorated. These programs will continue, but it is impossible to update all pipes and all housing and communal services systems in 10-15 years,” Peskov said.

As for now, residents affected by heating issues appear to lack optimism that the problems will be solved efficiently.

"It's been a week since we've had heating, and the temperature in my apartment is around 11 degrees Celsius,” Podolsk resident Lidiya told The Moscow Times.

“Unfortunately, no one knows when it will be repaired,” she added.

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40 facts about elektrostal.

Written by Lanette Mayes

Modified & Updated: 02 Mar 2024

Reviewed by Jessica Corbett

Elektrostal is a vibrant city located in the Moscow Oblast region of Russia. With a rich history, stunning architecture, and a thriving community, Elektrostal is a city that has much to offer. Whether you are a history buff, nature enthusiast, or simply curious about different cultures, Elektrostal is sure to captivate you.

This article will provide you with 40 fascinating facts about Elektrostal, giving you a better understanding of why this city is worth exploring. From its origins as an industrial hub to its modern-day charm, we will delve into the various aspects that make Elektrostal a unique and must-visit destination.

So, join us as we uncover the hidden treasures of Elektrostal and discover what makes this city a true gem in the heart of Russia.

Key Takeaways:

• Elektrostal, known as the “Motor City of Russia,” is a vibrant and growing city with a rich industrial history, offering diverse cultural experiences and a strong commitment to environmental sustainability.
• With its convenient location near Moscow, Elektrostal provides a picturesque landscape, vibrant nightlife, and a range of recreational activities, making it an ideal destination for residents and visitors alike.

Known as the “Motor City of Russia.”

Elektrostal, a city located in the Moscow Oblast region of Russia, earned the nickname “Motor City” due to its significant involvement in the automotive industry.

Home to the Elektrostal Metallurgical Plant.

Elektrostal is renowned for its metallurgical plant, which has been producing high-quality steel and alloys since its establishment in 1916.

Boasts a rich industrial heritage.

Elektrostal has a long history of industrial development, contributing to the growth and progress of the region.

Founded in 1916.

The city of Elektrostal was founded in 1916 as a result of the construction of the Elektrostal Metallurgical Plant.

Located approximately 50 kilometers east of Moscow.

Elektrostal is situated in close proximity to the Russian capital, making it easily accessible for both residents and visitors.

Known for its vibrant cultural scene.

Elektrostal is home to several cultural institutions, including museums, theaters, and art galleries that showcase the city’s rich artistic heritage.

A popular destination for nature lovers.

Surrounded by picturesque landscapes and forests, Elektrostal offers ample opportunities for outdoor activities such as hiking, camping, and birdwatching.

Hosts the annual Elektrostal City Day celebrations.

Every year, Elektrostal organizes festive events and activities to celebrate its founding, bringing together residents and visitors in a spirit of unity and joy.

Has a population of approximately 160,000 people.

Elektrostal is home to a diverse and vibrant community of around 160,000 residents, contributing to its dynamic atmosphere.

Boasts excellent education facilities.

The city is known for its well-established educational institutions, providing quality education to students of all ages.

A center for scientific research and innovation.

Elektrostal serves as an important hub for scientific research, particularly in the fields of metallurgy, materials science, and engineering.

Surrounded by picturesque lakes.

The city is blessed with numerous beautiful lakes, offering scenic views and recreational opportunities for locals and visitors alike.

Well-connected transportation system.

Elektrostal benefits from an efficient transportation network, including highways, railways, and public transportation options, ensuring convenient travel within and beyond the city.

Famous for its traditional Russian cuisine.

Food enthusiasts can indulge in authentic Russian dishes at numerous restaurants and cafes scattered throughout Elektrostal.

Home to notable architectural landmarks.

Elektrostal boasts impressive architecture, including the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord and the Elektrostal Palace of Culture.

Offers a wide range of recreational facilities.

Residents and visitors can enjoy various recreational activities, such as sports complexes, swimming pools, and fitness centers, enhancing the overall quality of life.

Provides a high standard of healthcare.

Elektrostal is equipped with modern medical facilities, ensuring residents have access to quality healthcare services.

Home to the Elektrostal History Museum.

The Elektrostal History Museum showcases the city’s fascinating past through exhibitions and displays.

A hub for sports enthusiasts.

Elektrostal is passionate about sports, with numerous stadiums, arenas, and sports clubs offering opportunities for athletes and spectators.

Celebrates diverse cultural festivals.

Throughout the year, Elektrostal hosts a variety of cultural festivals, celebrating different ethnicities, traditions, and art forms.

Electric power played a significant role in its early development.

Elektrostal owes its name and initial growth to the establishment of electric power stations and the utilization of electricity in the industrial sector.

Boasts a thriving economy.

The city’s strong industrial base, coupled with its strategic location near Moscow, has contributed to Elektrostal’s prosperous economic status.

Houses the Elektrostal Drama Theater.

The Elektrostal Drama Theater is a cultural centerpiece, attracting theater enthusiasts from far and wide.

Popular destination for winter sports.

Elektrostal’s proximity to ski resorts and winter sport facilities makes it a favorite destination for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter activities.

Promotes environmental sustainability.

Elektrostal prioritizes environmental protection and sustainability, implementing initiatives to reduce pollution and preserve natural resources.

Home to renowned educational institutions.

Elektrostal is known for its prestigious schools and universities, offering a wide range of academic programs to students.

Committed to cultural preservation.

The city values its cultural heritage and takes active steps to preserve and promote traditional customs, crafts, and arts.

Hosts an annual International Film Festival.

The Elektrostal International Film Festival attracts filmmakers and cinema enthusiasts from around the world, showcasing a diverse range of films.

Encourages entrepreneurship and innovation.

Elektrostal supports aspiring entrepreneurs and fosters a culture of innovation, providing opportunities for startups and business development.

Offers a range of housing options.

Elektrostal provides diverse housing options, including apartments, houses, and residential complexes, catering to different lifestyles and budgets.

Home to notable sports teams.

Elektrostal is proud of its sports legacy, with several successful sports teams competing at regional and national levels.

Boasts a vibrant nightlife scene.

Residents and visitors can enjoy a lively nightlife in Elektrostal, with numerous bars, clubs, and entertainment venues.

Promotes cultural exchange and international relations.

Elektrostal actively engages in international partnerships, cultural exchanges, and diplomatic collaborations to foster global connections.

Surrounded by beautiful nature reserves.

Nearby nature reserves, such as the Barybino Forest and Luchinskoye Lake, offer opportunities for nature enthusiasts to explore and appreciate the region’s biodiversity.

Commemorates historical events.

The city pays tribute to significant historical events through memorials, monuments, and exhibitions, ensuring the preservation of collective memory.

Promotes sports and youth development.

Elektrostal invests in sports infrastructure and programs to encourage youth participation, health, and physical fitness.

Hosts annual cultural and artistic festivals.

Throughout the year, Elektrostal celebrates its cultural diversity through festivals dedicated to music, dance, art, and theater.

Provides a picturesque landscape for photography enthusiasts.

The city’s scenic beauty, architectural landmarks, and natural surroundings make it a paradise for photographers.

Connects to Moscow via a direct train line.

The convenient train connection between Elektrostal and Moscow makes commuting between the two cities effortless.

A city with a bright future.

Elektrostal continues to grow and develop, aiming to become a model city in terms of infrastructure, sustainability, and quality of life for its residents.

In conclusion, Elektrostal is a fascinating city with a rich history and a vibrant present. From its origins as a center of steel production to its modern-day status as a hub for education and industry, Elektrostal has plenty to offer both residents and visitors. With its beautiful parks, cultural attractions, and proximity to Moscow, there is no shortage of things to see and do in this dynamic city. Whether you’re interested in exploring its historical landmarks, enjoying outdoor activities, or immersing yourself in the local culture, Elektrostal has something for everyone. So, next time you find yourself in the Moscow region, don’t miss the opportunity to discover the hidden gems of Elektrostal.

Q: What is the population of Elektrostal?

A: As of the latest data, the population of Elektrostal is approximately XXXX.

Q: How far is Elektrostal from Moscow?

A: Elektrostal is located approximately XX kilometers away from Moscow.

Q: Are there any famous landmarks in Elektrostal?

A: Yes, Elektrostal is home to several notable landmarks, including XXXX and XXXX.

Q: What industries are prominent in Elektrostal?

A: Elektrostal is known for its steel production industry and is also a center for engineering and manufacturing.

Q: Are there any universities or educational institutions in Elektrostal?

A: Yes, Elektrostal is home to XXXX University and several other educational institutions.

Q: What are some popular outdoor activities in Elektrostal?

A: Elektrostal offers several outdoor activities, such as hiking, cycling, and picnicking in its beautiful parks.

Q: Is Elektrostal well-connected in terms of transportation?

A: Yes, Elektrostal has good transportation links, including trains and buses, making it easily accessible from nearby cities.

Q: Are there any annual events or festivals in Elektrostal?

A: Yes, Elektrostal hosts various events and festivals throughout the year, including XXXX and XXXX.

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