We Have Enjoyed Getting to Know You: Bringing in the Class of 2027
Source: https://admission.princeton.edu/blogs/we-have-enjoyed-getting-know-you-bringing-class-2027 Parent: https://admission.princeton.edu/taxonomy/term/944
December 12, 2022
By
Dean Karen Richardson '93
Dean Karen Richardson '93
Karen Richardson is a Class of 1993 alumna. She became the dean of admission at Princeton in July 2019. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in politics and has a master’s degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. As a Princeton student, Richardson was a resident adviser at Forbes College. She sang in the Gospel Ensemble, worked at Princeton-Blairstown Center, was a Big Sister, and worked in the Office of Admission as a federal work ...
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It's That Time of Year Again: Welcoming the Class of 2027
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It’s that time of year again. Here in New Jersey, the weather has turned colder, the trees have surrendered the last of their leaves, and my team and I are making last minute tweaks to the incoming first year class.
We’ve spent the past several weeks reading, re-reading and discussing the applications that many of you reading this blog put hours of preparation into. We have appreciated learning about your academic pursuits, the activities that intrigue you outside of the classroom and the factors that led you to apply to Princeton. We have laughed at your funny anecdotes, cried (yes, cried) over some of the situations you have trusted us enough to share and thought about how you might add to this vibrant community. And now it comes down to your receiving a decision.
You might not believe it, but this is not my favorite part of my job. Don’t get me wrong, I think I have one of the best jobs on this campus – being able to serve my alma mater in a way that introduces her to prospective students around the world. But in this moment, providing decisions that will exhilarate some and devastate others is not my idea of fun.
So, each year, I try to remind ALL applicants that receiving a decision from a college (whether it’s Princeton or some other amazing institution of higher learning) should not make or break you. If you receive positive news, that’s excellent! Celebrate, decide if it’s the place you can see yourself learning and growing inside and outside of the classroom and base your decision on whether or not to enroll on whether or not the school is a fit for you academically, socially and financially.
If you receive not-so positive news, know that one school’s decision does not indicate anything about your ability to be successful in college. I can only speak for Princeton, but each year we receive applications from many more highly qualified students than we could possibly admit. And, each year we have to say no to many of those same students. I realize that that doesn’t take the sting out of receiving anything other than an admit. Still, I hope that you will not let the received decision keep you down. Rather, take a minute to absorb it, and then regroup and put your efforts into your senior year activities and any other applications that need to be finished. Importantly, remember to enjoy the second half of your high school senior year as making those memories are as important as figuring out the next phase of your life.
Whatever decision you receive from Princeton or any other college or university you have applied to, please know that we have enjoyed getting to know you. Your story is unique to you and important. And whatever campus community is allowed to benefit from your presence will be all the better for it.
Good luck with this next adventure!
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