Princeton Supplemental Essays 2022-2023

When it comes to applying to the top schools in the country, your application is vitally important.

In order to give yourself the best chance of gaining admission, you need to make sure all aspects of your application are top-notch. In this post, we’re going to do a deep dive into how to write Princeton supplemental essays and everything you need to keep in mind as you write.

Princeton uses the common app, and this means that you will be asked to answer essay questions contained in the common app. But like many top schools, Princeton also requires that you complete a short activity-based essay as well as an additional essay about your personal or intellectual growth.

The Princeton supplemental essays 2022-2023 allow applicants a certain amount of freedom when choosing their supplemental essay topic. Still, we’re going to look at each essay prompt and discuss the best way to respond to each topic.

The Princeton Supplemental Essay Prompts 2022-2023

So, let’s start by looking at each supplemental essay prompt, and then we will discuss how to approach each one individually.

When it comes to responding to the Princeton supplemental essays 2022-2023, there are several important factors to keep in mind.

First, you need to choose a prompt that you can respond to with authority and integrity.

When applying to Princeton, the questions you answer as part of the supplement are somewhat dependent on which type of degree you choose to pursue, but there is also a section to which all new freshman applicants need to answer. Let’s first look at the essay prompts by degree.

How to write the Princeton supplemental essays?

For those intending to pursue an A.B. degree or are undecided about their major, the essay prompt is as follows:

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.)

So, let’s take a close look at this prompt, what it is asking for, and how best to respond. First, note that the topic is broad. Princeton is giving you a great deal of latitude for answering this question, but that can be even more challenging.

The Princeton supplemental essays 2022 are meant to give you the opportunity to show the admissions staff your true personality, so make sure to craft an answer that feels unique to you.

When it comes to the field of study that you will write about, make sure it really is the field that is most interesting to you. Don’t make the mistake of attempting to try to impress the admissions staff by writing about a high-level or esoteric field.

What will actually impress the admissions staff is your genuine passion for a certain area of study. Pick something you are really excited about.

The second part of the question requires some thought and a bit of research. This part of the prompt asks you to combine your existing passion with a program (or programs) that Princeton currently offers.

This means taking some time to review which programs Princeton currently offers, and how these programs can further your intellectual curiosity.

This essay isn’t merely a chance for you to talk about the areas of study where you have done well in the past. Instead, this essay asks you to envision how specific Princeton programs can fuel your intellectual goals.

As you may have noticed, there is a Princeton supplemental word limit for the essays. This word limit isn’t absolute, but you should try to stick as closely to it as possible.

The next essay prompt is specific to those intending to earn a B.S.E. degree in engineering. The prompt isn’t really that different from the first prompt, but it is more specific.

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.)

When it comes to how to write Princeton supplemental essays, the goal isn’t to trip you up or ask hard to answer questions.

This prompt, like the first one, simply asks you to elaborate on an engineering experience that was particularly valuable to you. This could be an experience you had in school, or it could be an engineering project that you created based on your curiosity.

As with the first prompt, the second part of this prompt asks you to explain how you think the programs at Princeton will allow you to further your academic goals.

When doing this, try to be as specific as possible. Plenty of schools offer degrees in engineering. So, why will the programs offered by Princeton be more valuable than those offered by another institution?

The next section of prompts requires a response to all questions from all applicants. Princeton includes a “Your Voice” section to allow you to explain your background, but also your values.

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

Because these prompts are also quite broad, there is no one way to respond to them. Instead, this is where you need to think about what integrity and leadership mean to you.

In the first prompt, your goal should be to describe an event in which you had your ideas or worldview challenged in a way that caused a difficult conversation.

Again, the goal here isn’t to describe the most impressive event you can think of, but rather an experience in which you truly learned about a differing perspective that has continued to shape your worldview. Have you volunteered in your community? Have you taken on leadership roles as part of this service?

The second prompt is an opportunity for you to showcase your leadership abilities. Princeton doesn’t just want to know that you participated in community service. They want to know what that service meant to you, and in what ways did you show initiative by taking on a leadership role.

The final section is the “More About You” section which really just lets you have some fun and let your personality shine. The prompts are as follows:

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?

There are no right or wrong answers to these questions. Their goal is to give you the opportunity to show Princeton just how interesting and unique you are.

At AdmissionSight, our goal is to help you with every step of the college admissions process. The Princeton supplemental essays 2022 can seem daunting at first, but our experience and expertise will help you navigate the entire process with confidence. Hopefully, this guide to the Princeton supplemental essays 2022-2023 has been helpful, but if you want more information about how AdmissionSight can help you realize your dreams, set up your free consultation today.