How I Got into Princeton
Hey loves!
A few months ago, I woke up early to check the outcomes of my applications to American universities. I remember that the results came out at 7am Hong Kong time and I was nervously refreshing the application portal pages from 6.57am onwards. I guess part of the reason for which these results mattered so much to me is that you reveal a lot of personal things in your applications and you just hope that it pays off.
I received quite a few rejection letters that day and thought that there was no real point in opening my Princeton application status since universities with higher acceptance rates had rejected me. When scrolling through my rejection letter from Princeton, I realised that it was quite long for a rejection letter and went back to the top where it said "Congratulations!" I am very grateful for this result and I decided to share a little about my application with you guys.
Many of my friends have asked me what I think got me into Princeton. The most honest answer I can give you is that I do not know the answer. I only know that someone on Princeton's admission team thought that a combination of some elements in my application could justify giving me a spot in their class of 2022.
To all of you watching the video linked above: Please remember that having the same activities and statistics is not a guarantee to get admitted to the same university. Just like UWC, Princeton (and most if not all US universities) tries to build a diverse class. Admitting only one type of student would not serve that purpose well. So do not be afraid if your application would look very different!
Applying to universities can be a nerve-racking journey but you can also try to enjoy it. Personally, I loved writing my application essays for American universities because they ask you to reflect on your experiences, your choice in life, your aspirations, and your values. I believe that I learned quite a bit about myself from writing my applications. I would advise each and everyone out of there to do their best when writing their applications but not to let the writing stress them out. After all, you are in your final year in high school and you should enjoy it! You waited so long to become a senior - make sure it was worth the wait.
I am planning to share a little bit more about my college applications in the near future so feel free to let me know if there is a specific aspect of the college application process that you would like to know more about. If you would like to get a little insight into my time while waiting for my results, here is an article on flying to Abu Dhabi for my interview for NYU Abu Dhabi.
Lots of Love,
Elena
