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Princeton University is located about an hour away from both Philadelphia and New York City. The school is the fourth oldest college in the United States, having been founded in 1746. It is a highly competitive school, admitting less than 10% of its applicants each year. This page outlines helpful information about how to get into Princeton.
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Introduction
- Princeton University is a highly selective school, located in Princeton, New Jersey. Competition for one of the 1,200 spots in its freshman class is fierce. In 2008, there were 21,430 applications for the class of 2012. Of these 2,122 were accepted, with 1,243 enrolling in the fall of 2008. 13.7% of those were children of alumni. Even if your parents didn't go to Princeton, there are some things you can do to increases your chances of admission.
Step 1: Attend the Right High School
- Choosing the right high school can help you get accepted to Princeton.
- Certain prep schools have a good track record for getting their students into elite schools.
- If you're considering a private school, ask about their acceptance rate to Princeton.
- Anything above 10% means that they are doing better than the national average.
- The public school that has the highest number of graduates accepted to Princeton is Princeton High School, in Princeton New Jersey.
- They send 10-20 students each year.
- Children whose parents teach at Princeton High School can attend the university for half-tuition.
- The school accepts students from outside the district on a tuition basis.
Step 2: Prepare in High School
- Princeton doesn't have formal prerequisites, but generally expects that students will have taken the following courses, if available at their high school.
- Four years of English, with an emphasis on writing
- Four years of mathematics (including calculus, if interested in engineering)
- Four years of the same foreign language
- Two years of laboratory science (which should be physics and chemistry if interested in engineering)
- Two years of history
- Electives in the visual or performing arts
- The courses should be taken at the highest level your school offers, such as honors, Advanced Placement (AP) or dual-enrollment.
- Grades are important. Although Princeton admitted only 9.9% of its applicant pool in 2008, 16.4% of the students with GPAs of 4.0 and higher were admitted.
Step 3: Score Well on Standardized Tests
- Princeton requires standardized tests as part of its admissions process.
- A student can take either the SAT Reasoning Test or the ACT. The highest scores for each section of the SAT will be used in the admissions decision, even if they are from different testing dates.
- Three SAT Subject tests are required, in any subjects a student chooses. If the applicant is interested in engineering one must be in math, and one in physics or chemistry.
Conclusion
- Admission to Princeton can be helped by having a parent who attended the school, graduating from a high school which has a good track record of being a feeder to Princeton, and presenting a good academic record. Participation in a few extracurriculars, showing commitment and achievement to interests outside the classroom will also enrich your application.
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