Princeton asks for an academic answer that depends on your degree (A.B. or undecided, or B.S.E. for engineering), two essays under "Your Voice" (a 400-500 word essay on how your lived experience shaped you, and a 250-word essay on service and civic engagement), and three "More About You" answers of 50 words each.
The 400-500 word essay is the only supplement on this list with a minimum as well as a maximum, so it is close to a second personal essay. Princeton also requires a graded written paper, which is separate from these questions.
Princeton's questions at a glance
| Question | Limit | Who answers it | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academic interests (A.B.) | 250 words | A.B. degree (or undecided) only · Required | Why this major or school |
| Why engineering at Princeton (B.S.E.) | 250 words | B.S.E. degree (engineering) only · Required | Why this major or school |
| Your voice: lived experience | 400-500 words | Required | Background and identity |
| Service and civic engagement | 250 words | Required | Community |
| A new skill to learn in college | 50 words | Required | Short answer |
| What brings you joy | 50 words | Required | Short answer |
| The soundtrack of your life | 50 words | Required | Short answer |
Which questions you see depends on where you apply: A.B. degree (or undecided); B.S.E. degree (engineering). Answer only the ones for yours.
Not covered here: The graded written paper Princeton requires.
How to plan the Princeton supplement
- 1Start with the 400-500 word lived-experience essay and choose a different story from your Common App essay. Princeton asks three sub-questions in it; plan a paragraph for each.
- 2The service essay needs something you actually did. If service is not a big part of your life, write about a small, real act and what it taught you about responsibility to others.
- 3Use the three 50-word answers to sound like yourself: they are where readers meet your sense of humor and taste.
1. Academic interests (A.B.)
Princeton's wording · 250 words · A.B. degree (or undecided) only · Required“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?”
What it is really asking. Which academic areas pique your curiosity, and how Princeton's programs suit your particular interests. Both halves count: the curiosity and the fit.
How to approach it
- 1Name one or two areas and the question inside them that you care about.
- 2Show where the interest comes from with one recent example.
- 3Name specific Princeton ways of studying it (departments, courses, research, independent work) that you would actually use; check them on Princeton's site.
Mistakes to avoid
- Listing departments without saying what you would do in them.
- A tour of every interest you have.
Full guide: How to Write Princeton's A.B. Academic Interests Essay
2. Why engineering at Princeton (B.S.E.)
Princeton's wording · 250 words · B.S.E. degree (engineering) only · Required“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.”
What it is really asking. Why engineering, your experience of or exposure to it, and how Princeton's programs suit your interests.
How to approach it
- 1Lead with a problem you have tried to solve, not with a love of math.
- 2Give your hands-on experience honestly, even if small.
- 3Name what in Princeton engineering fits that problem, and check it is current.
Mistakes to avoid
- "I have always loved building things" with no thing.
- Programs named with no link to you.
Full guide: How to Write Princeton's B.S.E. Engineering Essay
3. Your voice: lived experience
Princeton's wording · 400-500 words · Required“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?”
What it is really asking. How your lived experiences will shape the conversations you have at Princeton: what lessons you have learned, what classmates will learn from you, and how your lived experience shaped you. Three questions in one, at 400-500 words.
How to approach it
- 1Choose one strand of lived experience you can show in scenes: a place, a family role, a responsibility, a culture, a turning point.
- 2Give the first third to a moment, the middle to the lessons, the last third to what you would bring to classroom and dining-hall conversations.
- 3Use the 400-word minimum for depth, not more examples.
Mistakes to avoid
- Answering only how it shaped you and skipping what classmates will learn.
- Reusing your Common App story.
Full guide: How to Write Princeton's "Your Voice" Lived Experience Essay
4. Service and civic engagement
Princeton's wording · 250 words · Required“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?”
What it is really asking. How your own story intersects with service and civic engagement: what responsibility to others looks like in your life.
How to approach it
- 1Choose one act or ongoing commitment and show it.
- 2Say why you did it, which is the intersection with your story.
- 3Look forward: how it would continue at Princeton.
Mistakes to avoid
- Listing volunteer hours.
- A savior story about people you helped once.
Full guide: How to Write Princeton's Service and Civic Engagement Essay
5. A new skill to learn in college
Princeton's wording · 50 words · Required“What is a new skill you would like to learn in college?”
What it is really asking. A new skill you would like to learn in college, in 50 words.
How to approach it
- 1Pick something specific and give the reason in one sentence.
Mistakes to avoid
- A skill chosen to impress.
More on this kind of question: How to write short answer questions
6. What brings you joy
Princeton's wording · 50 words · Required“What brings you joy?”
What it is really asking. What brings you joy, in 50 words.
How to approach it
- 1Small and specific beats grand.
Mistakes to avoid
- Abstract answers ("helping others").
More on this kind of question: How to write short answer questions
7. The soundtrack of your life
Princeton's wording · 50 words · Required“What song represents the soundtrack of your life at this moment?”
What it is really asking. The song that represents the soundtrack of your life right now, in 50 words.
How to approach it
- 1Name the song and one line about why now.
Mistakes to avoid
- Explaining the song instead of you.
More on this kind of question: How to write short answer questions
What our grader checks in your Princeton answers
Every answer is judged against a checklist for its kind of question plus one check written for Princeton's own wording. Each area comes back Met, Partly or Missing, and those verdicts (with the word limit) set the answer's readiness: Ready, Nearly there or Needs work. There is no score out of 100.
| Question | Princeton's own check |
|---|---|
| Academic interests (A.B.) | Names specific academic areas and Princeton programs, and how they suit the applicant's particular interests. |
| Why engineering at Princeton (B.S.E.) | Covers why engineering, the applicant's experience or exposure to it, and how Princeton's programs suit them. |
| Your voice: lived experience | Answers Princeton's three sub-questions (lessons learned, what classmates will learn, how lived experience shaped you) and reaches 400 words. |
| Service and civic engagement | Connects the applicant's own story to service and civic engagement with something they have done. |
| A new skill to learn in college | Names one specific skill in 50 words or fewer and why it appeals. |
| What brings you joy | Something specific and true in 50 words or fewer; small is fine. |
| The soundtrack of your life | Names a song and says in a few words why it fits the applicant now. |
The type checklists are on the supplemental essay grader page.
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