''Conversation With …'' Dean of Admission Janet Rapelye, Part 1 [HQ]

Dear Dean Rapelye,My question, like that of
Nicole Roman's, has to do with which types of
students are most likely to appeal to the
admissions board. What are the most values
attributes to have? Following that topic, a more
personal quest...ion has to do with changing
schools. Due to the fact of my father being in
the military I have been changing residences for
most of my life. By the time I*** done with high
school I will have gone to four different schools.
I would be a senior this year but I have decided
to go to Germany for a school year and attend a
German school. Therefore I will not graduate in
2011 but in 2012. How will this impact the
opinion of the admissions board? More
importantly, is it looked upon as positive or
negative?

Dear Dean Rapelye, I took college courses over
the past few summers at various institutions. I
am not looking for credit, but I would like to
submit my grades for the admissions process.
Should I still submit 'official'
transcripts, or wou...ld copies suffice for
admissions?Also, I took part in a summer
internship. I would like to submit my my
employer's letter of recommendation; however,
I have read that extra letters of recommendation
may hurt my chances of admission. Is this true for
Princeton?Thank you very much!Gabrielle
Costa

Dear Dean Rapelye, I*** a prospective student to
Princeton University and I was wondering what you,
as dean of admissions, look for in home schooled
students. I*** in tenth grade and*** planning on
taking various SAT subject tests as well a...s the
ACT and SAT. I*** also going to Duel Enroll at my
local community college. At Community college,
should I take classes pertaining to my possible
major, or do you have suggested courses/coursework
that would stand out on my application? I realize
that, because I*** home schooled, it is sometimes
hard to compare me to other prospective students.
Is there anything I should be doing that would
help me stand out more? Thanks for this great
opportunity! Anden Emery

Dear Dean Rapelye, I'm currently studying in
a british school in Qatar , however i'm
originally from Egypt. I was wondering if there is
any person in Qatar related to the university who
i can meet and ask them about the university in
detail...s and if yes, do they do interviews for
the university?One more thing, every time i email
one of the international admission officers about
my questions i never get a reply, can you kindly
send me the right email. And what is required from
an international student to apply for political
science at Princeton university?

Dear Ms. Rapelye I*** a student from UK and I***
starting year 12 with new subjects. Therefore i
can't apply for 2011 entry. What will happen
if I apply for entry in 2012? Will I still be
allowed as I will be 19? I don't have an
indepth kno...wledge about applying for US
universities so it will be grateful if you could
answer my question.Thank you.

Hi Dean Rapelye! Do you have a program where
prospective students can directly contact
Princeton alumni? I would love to hear from
someone studying there right now. Thanks so much!
:)

Dean Rapelye, I*** a prospective student that
will graduate from high school in 2012. I'm
interested in pursuing a career in architecture.
Is there some way I can recieve general
information about that particular major? Also, is
it possible when taking such a major to take
courses in the fine arts, as well? Thankyou so
much!

Hello Dean Rapelye for personal reasons it has
become apparent to me that i should stay and
attend a university in my home state, for at least
two years, my inquiry is: does Princeton
University grant entry to transfer students?

Dear Dean Rapelye,I'm an Egyptian Senior at
an American School in Egypt. I was wondering about
both the SAT subject tests and the TOEFL exam.Are
the subject tests obligatory or are they merely
favorable? especially if I'm taking an AP
exam....Also, if I have reached a certain score on
my critical reading and writing sections of the
SAT, is TOEFL still required?Thank you
:)

Dean Rapelye, I*** a prospective student and I
will graduate high school in 2012. I*** highly
interested in Biotechnology, Molecular Biology,
and Particle Physics. My question to you regards
the weight that Princeton puts on standardized
te...st scores. I have heard from different
sources that Princeton will not pay as much
attention to the rest of a student's
application if his or her standardized testing
scores are not extremely high, although they are
above average. I was wondering if this was true or
not. There are many people, including myself, who
aren't the strongest test-takers but are
genuinely passionate about a subject and should be
able to convey their passion through their
academic course selection and performance, as well
as in their application essays. I would highly
appreciate a response.Thanks!

Dean Rapelye, I visited Princeton last year and
it was the most wonderful experience I've had
visiting colleges. My question regards a program
that I learned about in one of the information
sessions. It's an international program that
sends a few newly admitted undergraduates abroad
for a year before they begin their four years at
Princeton. I was wondering how I would apply for
that program, if it is still offered. Thank you!

Thank you for taking the time to create such a
wonderful video and answering our
questions!I'm currently a senior in high
school and*** applying to Princeton through the
Questbridge program and I was wondering about the
application through ...the program. How many
applicants did Princeton receive through the
college match program, and how many applicants
were accepted? What were the figures for the
students who did apply, did not get matched, but
then later applied through the regular admissions
process?Once again, thank you, and I hope to see
you (or your staff) in Seattle!(p.s you might want
to bring an umbrella because the rain clouds are
starting to roll in).

Dear Dean Rapelye,I*** a prospective Princeton
student with an interest in international studies.
When I visited campus and asked the students
about the Woodrow Wilson School and the
application process for that specific major, I
became co...nfused. Is there a specific
application process for admission to the Woodrow
Wilson school or is applying to Princeton and
noting on the common application an interest in
the Woodrow Wilson school sufficient? Thank you
very much!

Hello :)I*** just a sophmore but I wanted to know
more about the requirements really. I wanted to
know what kind of classes I should take, and what
SAT/ACT scores should really put me in good
position.

Dean Rapelye,Hi, I'm a prospective student
with a Premed interest. However, I*** undecided on
a major but slightly leaning towards course
studies in the social science area. I*** also
seriously interested in studying abroad and having
acces...s to research. I would like to know more
about the opportunities Princeton has to offer for
an adventurous but***bitious student like myself.
Thank you!

Dear Dean Rapelye,I'm currently a senior
getting ready to apply to Princeton this fall.
Last year, I was able to participate in research
in the field of Botany and have since published my
findings in a peer-review science journal. Would
it ...be appropriate for me to submit a copy of my
manuscript in addition to my application? If so,
how would I do that? Thanks

Dear Dean Rapelye, i want to appreciate the
university administration for this great
opportunity to communicate directly with
you.I'm a prospective student with a deep
passion for Economics but with a concentration on
finance.Becoming a fin...ancial ***yst as always
been my dream.However,My questions are as
follows1. I*** a resident in United state New
Jersey precisely.However, i did not have my high
school education in United state but Nigeria in
west Africa.So i want to ask if Princeton accepts
West African Examination Certificate.(WAEC or
GCE)?2.Will this affect my chances of getting
admitted into Princeton knowing priceton to be
very competitive?3.what are the requirements for
obtaining schorlarship at princeton.Do high scores
in SAT enable you to get a schorlarship. I will be
elated if my questions are anwsered. Thank you in
advance.

Dear Dean Rapelye, I would like to echo the
sentiment of Gabby Marie, who asked about
supplemental letters of recommendation. I would
consider myself a "well-honed" student
(I*** heavily involved in debate), and thus I
think that a suppleme...ntal recommendation from
my debate coach would be useful. I*** sure a large
number of other prospective applicants, especially
the "well-honed" ones, find themselves
in a similar situation. Would you advise
submitting a supplemental letter of recommendation
in this circumstance?Secondly, I thought the
campus was wonderful when I visited it, but I
don't recall signing anything, or registering
my visit in any way. Is the purpose of the campus
visit more for the student to determine whether
Princeton is a good fit for them, or for Princeton
to determine whether an applicant has a
demonstrated interest in the university?Thank you
very much.Mike Neubauer

Dear Dean Rapelye, I*** only a sophmore but I
have already wanted dearly to go to Princeton for
many reasons. I*** not going to write everything I
would like to ask, that would probably require a
ten page essay, but just I would like to kno...w
my chances that bcause of my dads work I trave
around many times in a year, and does that lessen
my chances? Thank you for your time. Kelsie
B.

Dear Dean Rapelye,I*** a junior right now, and
would love to hear some of your thoughts on how I
can find a program/major that will best reflect
some or all of my passions, including sciences and
math, theater, performing arts, debate, and
...language studies; does the engineering program
at Princeton allow for continued access to other,
more arts-oriented subjects? If I chose to pursue
a major in the humanities, could I still possibly
continue on to a career in sciences?Thanks for
your help...and why would you recommend Princeton
over any other university? What makes Princeton
special?Thanks again!

Dear Dean Rapelye,I*** an applicant for the class
of 2015, and I have performed multiple stand-up
routines for pay at local comedy venues. Would it
be appropriate for me to enclose some videos of
these performances, even though some may
co...ntain mildly offensive material? Gör

Dear Dean Rapelye,Is there a cutoff point for SAT
scores? If so what are they?I realize that playing
piano does not distinguish me enough.I have
written over 10 songs on the piano and I wonder
ifcomposing is indeed enough to distinguish
mys...elf. Im lookingto go into Princeton's
Civil Engineering program because ofmy love for
physics! Thanks for your time Mrs. R!
=)Luke

Dear Dean Rapelye,I*** an international student,
currently a senior at an international school in
Bangkok.You mentioned that you are looking for
students who will bring to Princeton something
that no one else can bring; what are some
exampl...es of such "unique" qualities
or accomplishments that you are looking for in an
applicant?Does Princeton want to see letters of
verification for activities that I have been
involved in outside of my school?Lastly, what kind
of volunteer opportunities are there around the
area surrounding Princeton?

Ms. Rapelye,I present you a conundrum...I can go
to GA Tech and Study what I love, or I can go to
Princeton for its' reputation and networking,
but still study in my field of Computer Science.
...At Tech I will have the opportunity for
Marching Band, Friends I know, My Major in the
field of Game Design and Computer Human
Interaction (not human computer interaction, the
other way around...I'm different =p), and
overall enjoy my time.My parents know though, that
if I have a Princeton degree, I can go anywhere I
want...but not necessarily into what I want to
do...and the networking never stops. This is what
we pay for, the networking...I*** applying to
Tech, should I apply to Princeton (which involves
more tests and money and time). Which school
should I choose?Thank you for your time,--Harrison
Katz

Dean Rapelye,I'm currently spending a year
in Germany with the Congress Bundestag Youth
Exchange Program, which is sponsored by the US
State Department. My year here is replacing my
senior year in High School. This means,
unfortunately, tha...t I will only have 22 credits
on my transcript when I graduate High School
(though I*** taking equally, if not considerably
more difficult classes here in Germany). However,
for the three years that I was in America, I took
every AP Class that I could manage, and performed
well with my vigorous course schedule. I also have
the basic recommended requirements of 4 math
courses, 3 sciences, etc., and will be able to
graduate after this year. Basically, I was just
wondering if my shortage in credits is a problem
for my applying to Princeton, or if the quality of
the courses I have is enough to make up for the
lack in quantity. Thanks so much for your time
:)!

Dean Rapelye,I*** an international student from
India in my senior year,an planning to apply to
Princeton this december.i had a few questions
regarding application for international
students.1)Am i eligible for financial aid if i
apply for ...the early decision?2)How competitive
is acceptance if i ask for financial
aid?

Dean Rapeyle, Hi!I*** currently in my second year
of A-Levels and I was wondering how much Cambridge
values O and A-Levels. Can A-Levels substitute for
AP classes? Thanks a lot!

From an alum and parent - The dean's best
advice is to go visit the schools that you are
applying to, it quickly becomes clear where you
feel comfortable and even though you may not be
accepted at your first choice, in the end there
are many, many good colleges out there. keep an
open mind and if you are a serious student you
will do well many places -of course Princeton is
very special ...

Dean Rapeyle, I was wondering how much weight
extra curricular activities have in admissions,
especially if the student is a part of a rigorous
academic program that might not allow for a lot of
free time? And secondly, how important are ...SAT
scores if the students grades are
impressive?

Dean Rapeyle,Hello! I*** a junior at a high
school in New York State, and I had a question
about Regents examinations. How heavily are tests
like our Regents weighed in comparison to local
finals and overall achievement in the class itself
...during the admissions process? And also, how
heavily are the results of AP exams weighed in
applications? And finally, during the process, is
community service and/or jobs in the community an
important factor?Thank you for the opportunity to
ask these questions,Grace Thiele

Dean Rapelye,How much does Princeton value work
experience?

Generally, how many transfer apps do y'all
receive per year and what is the acceptance rate
for transfer students?

Ms. Rapeyle,Since Princeton includes an essay on
its supplement to the Common App, do you disregard
the regular Common App essay and only read the
supplement's essay? If you do read the Common
App essay, is it less looked at or weighted as
...much as the supplemental essay?

Dear Dean Rapeyle,For the arts supplement, who
will evaluate the music recording submissions?
Also, are students able to take music lessons with
a Professor without pursuing a degree in
music?Thank you so much,Stephanie Wang

Dear Dean Rapeyle,I*** totally***azed by this
idea and i have to confess that it is a great one
, especially for international students . I*** a
Moroccan student in my senior year willing to
apply for Princeton university , I went through
y...our website to have informations about the
university , I just want to know if that every
application is taken into consideration or if
there is an automatic eliminator program based
on standardized testing , if so what are the
minimum scores you demand in TOEFL and sat as well
as sat subject tests to be considered for a
Princeton admission .Thanks in advance ,looking
forward to hearing from you .nice
regards

Hello! I*** currently a High School Junior. My
biggest dream is to get into a prestigious school
like Princeton. What do you recommend me to do to
become a strong applicant and to increase my
chances of getting into a school like
Princeton...? Another question is: How much does
the reputation of the High School from which a
prospective student come from affect the
application of a student? Thanks a lot,David
Hernandez.

Hey Dean Rapelye,I have been through the
Princeton website but would like to know more
about the certificates offered for
interdisciplinary studies. I*** hoping to enter
the B.S.E. program; to what extent will I be able
to take classes in e...conomics, specifically, or
any other department in the A.B. program?Thank
youTimo Santala

Hello Dean Rapelye,I visited Princeton a couple
times and love the campus and the school. I have
a question regarding the senior thesis. In the
video and in the info sessions I've been to,
it seems like the project or paper that
Princeton... does senior year is supposed to be in
relation to your major. Is that true? If, for
example I'll probably go into engineering,
can my senior thesis be something written because
I love to write? Or must it be within your major?
Thank you for listening,Stephanie
Alimena

Wow, I give my thanks to both Princeton and you
Janet Rapelye for offering such a service to
prospective applicants. With that said, my
question is one that involves Princeton's
attitude as a whole. I have read and researched
that Princeton... is a very conservative school,
maybe not ideologically in its student body, but
at least its administration and perhaps the way
they make offers of admission. As an essay-writing
tip, do you recommend I maintain that conservative
tone that describes the typical Princeton kid(and
this comment lol) or should I write what I want to
and make sure its a GOOD essay at heart. I have
heard that writing informally can sound the most
effective, but Princeton seems to want the kid
that comes from a superior plane? Hopefully I***
wrong? I*** from lower-middle class super average
American suburbia, and although I desire to enter
the Princeton-esque atmosphere and see myself as
that type of student, my essay will reflect my
grown environment....

I've heard from a student I know at
Princeton (and from Wikipedia) that there is a
grade deflation policy in place. Is this true?

Dear Dean Rapelye,In applying to schools,
I've found that interviews are really useful
for me as a prospective student and for admissions
advisors. Does Princeton Admission do anything
similar to that?Thank You!...-Charles
Hoyt

Hello Dean Rapelye, I*** currently in the process
of applying to colleges, and have a lot of
colleges (including Princeton!) on my list. I was
wondering what sets Princeton apart from the other
Ivy League Schools? Thank you,...Gabrielle
Richardson

Dear Dean Rapelye,I*** currently a senior and
have almost completed my application. I would like
to consider trying out for the Princeton Chamber
Orchestra or concert Orchestra. I visited back in
April when the Orchestra was playing Mahler
...symphony no. 6 and it was***azing. I currently
play in my high school chamber orchestra and pit
band. Would you recommend that I contact the music
department as part of my application process?Best
regards, Alex Spencer

Dear Dean Rapelye,Thank you for taking the time
to make this video for prospective student. This
video has been very informative and helpful
towards my goal of applying to Princeton
University. However, I still have one question
that I hope... you can answer for me. Throughout
my research, of different colleges to apply to, I
have noticed that some universities give you a
week to participate in classes you would like to
take without having to sign up for them. Does
Princeton have something similar to this? Thank
you for your time,Michelle Quezada
Valenzuela

Hello Dean Rapelye!Thank you for this video. It
is very helpful to me as a high school junior who
is very confused and excited about applying to
colleges. I have a few questions about applying
and going to a university as a freshman:Are all...
freshmen required to live on campus in dorms or
can you opt out? (And if one chose to live
off-campus, could this be something held against
you in the application process?) Are many
scholarships offered specifically for out of state
students?I know you addressed the issue of
extra-curricular activities being based on the
individual along with grades, but how highly
esteemed do you hold the Girl Scout Gold
Award?Thank you for your time and for making this
video!

One more question: To be contacted for an
interview, must all of our application materials
be turned in by a certain date, say, December
10?Best regards,Yashar

Dear Dean Rapelye,Thank you very much for this
informative video. I*** a high school senior, and
am currently applying to colleges, including
Princeton. My question is: Does Princeton
University provide any resources or assistance to
studen...ts who are looking for internships or
other opportunities for out-of-class experience?
Best regards,Maxim Kondratenko

Hi Dean Rapelye,Regarding the essay question
'Tell us about an event or experience that
helped you define one of your values or changed
how you approach the world,' could you
elaborate on what admission officers are looking
for in this ques...tion? Can 'values'
include career goals or interests or does the word
encompass a more general meaning in this
instance...values such as honesty, hard work,
etc.Thanks!