Dear Readers,

    As of this morning, Princeton has announced a new admission policy — it will reinstate its “early action” admission program.

    This program will require applicants to apply early only to Princeton, but will give accepted applicants until the end of the regular admissions timeline, to make a final decision.

    The main benefactors of such a policy will be students who are very sure that Princeton is their first choice, as well as the university itself, which can screen for the most suitable candidates early on in the process.

    If at this point, you are a little bit confused, don’t worry; I’m just as unfamiliar with this program as you are.

    You see, four years ago, the program was cancelled by Princeton in the hope that all other universities would follow suit and give all applicants a more level playing field, more time, and less pressure when applying to schools.

    Thus, I didn’t get a chance to apply early to Princeton; but not to worry, it generally worked out fine in the end.

    But I digress, the early action program is now being revived in response to other universities’ lack of a response. Again, only time can tell how much of an impact the program will have on potential Princetonians; yet whether the effects can be quantified accurately is a whole other issue.

    Personally, the few distinct things that I remember about my Princeton application was my interview conducted by a wise and friendly Princeton alumnus in Hong Kong and a Princeton welcome dinner with a group of younger alumni, also in Hong Kong. Both experiences were delightful and although professionally organized, quite informal.

    Since that day, I have not seen the alumni I met, but I guess that is just one of the tradeoffs to staying in New York for internships over the summer, eh? But there will always be time for reunions and fun.

    Enjoy the rest of the week, and have a great weekend!

    Sincerely, Laiyin