Princeton Supplemental Essays 2025–26: Prompts and Examples
Princeton’s supplemental essays ask how you think, how you show up in community, and how you live the idea of “in the nation’s service and the service of humanity.”
This guide walks through all of the Princeton supplemental essays 2025–26, including each official essay prompt with clear “What to Do,” “What to Avoid,” and short examples you can use as models—not templates—to craft your own responses.
Essay 1: Academic Interests (A.B. or Undecided) – 250 Words
Prompt (A.B. or Undecided)
“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? (Please respond in 250 words or fewer.)”
What to Do
Focus on one or two academic areas that genuinely excite you.
Show a track record of curiosity: classes, projects, independent reading, research, or clubs.
Connect your interests to specific Princeton offerings (departments, certificates, programs, teaching style).
Explain why Princeton’s version of this field is a strong fit for you.
Hint at a broader purpose: how these interests connect to questions, communities, or problems you care about.
What to Avoid
Listing many unrelated interests without depth.
Dropping random course or professor names with no real connection.
Repeating your activities list instead of telling a focused academic story.
Making this only about a career outcome with no love of learning.
Example Snippet
In ninth grade, I wrote a science fair project on ocean acidification; by eleventh, I was staying up late reading about climate justice campaigns in cities like Newark and New Orleans. I am drawn to the way Princeton lets me follow that thread across disciplines. A course like From Wilderness Protection to Climate Justice would help me connect the science of climate change to the histories of environmental movements and Indigenous land rights. I am also excited by faculty such as Professor Wei Peng, whose work uses policy models to weigh the tradeoffs of decarbonization across health, equity, and economics. I can imagine starting in foundational chemistry and environmental studies, then gradually joining research that asks not only “Is this solution technically sound?” but “Who benefits from it, and who is left out?”
Essay 1 (B.S.E.): Engineering at Princeton – 250 Words
Prompt (B.S.E. Applicants)
“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. (Please respond in 250 words or fewer.)”
What to Do
Tell a story that shows you doing engineering: building, coding, designing, troubleshooting.
Name at least one engineering area you are considering (for example, mechanical, computer science, civil and environmental).
Connect your interests to features of Princeton engineering: design opportunities, research institutes, interdisciplinary options, or the way ethics and public good are emphasized.
Show how you hope to use engineering in ways that align with service and impact.
What to Avoid
Buzzwords like “disruptive innovation” or “cutting-edge technology” without substance.
Extremely technical explanations that do not reveal anything about you.
Describing Princeton as if it were any generic engineering school.
One-time “I built a robot” stories with no reflection or ongoing engagement.
Example Snippet
When my town moved its bus schedule to an online-only system, my grandmother stopped going to her senior yoga class because she could not navigate the website. I spent weekends teaching myself front-end development and eventually built a simplified schedule app just for her. That small project showed me that good engineering is as much about listening as it is about code. At Princeton, I am drawn to studying computer science within an engineering school that emphasizes ethics and public good, so I can keep designing tools that work not only technically, but for the people who need them most.
Essay 2: “Your Voice” – Lived Experience and Conversation – 500 Words
Prompt
“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? (Please respond in 500 words or fewer.)”
What to Do
Choose one or two specific threads of your life, not your entire biography.
A family business or shared routine.
A cultural, geographic, or religious community.
Ongoing responsibilities (translation, caregiving, work).
Show concrete scenes: conversations, conflicts, or decisions that shaped your perspective.
Explain how these experiences influence the way you listen, question, and contribute in group settings.
Look ahead to how you will participate in Princeton classrooms, dining halls, and residential life.
What to Avoid
Broad overviews of your life that never go deep.
Lists of identities or labels without showing their daily impact.
Villainizing others; nuance and empathy matter here.
Generic claims like “I value diversity” with no specific stories.
Example Snippet
I grew up in Room 114 of the roadside motel my parents manage, our apartment separated from the lobby by one thin door. By middle school, I was folding towels behind the front desk, refilling the coffee urn, and listening to truck drivers at 2 a.m. trade stories with families on their way to college tours. Weddings, funerals, job interviews—people checked in carrying their best and worst days in rolling suitcases.
In that narrow hallway, I learned how quickly anger softens when someone feels genuinely seen. I watched my mother talk down an exhausted guest whose reservation had vanished, not by arguing about policy but by asking how long he had been on the road. I started doing the same at school—sitting with the classmate who always ate alone, asking the lab partner who never turned in homework what else was going on.
At Princeton, I will bring that motel lobby with me into precepts and dining halls. I am the person who notices when the barista is overwhelmed, when the quiet student flinches at a joke, when a discussion is circling the same loud voices. My lived experience has taught me to ask small questions—“Long night?” “What is on your mind?”—that change the temperature of a room. In a community that values respectful, challenging conversations, I hope my classmates learn from me how much courage it can take simply to walk up to the front desk and ask for help.
Essay 3: Service and Civic Engagement – 250 Words
Prompt
“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? (Please respond in 250 words or fewer.)”
What to Do
Focus on one clear thread of service in your life. Service can look like:
Family responsibilities and care.
Tutoring, mentoring, or peer support.
Community organizing, advocacy, or mutual aid.
Religious or community-based service.
Show how this service grew out of your story: your background, values, or experiences.
Reflect on what you have learned and how you have changed, not only what you did.
Connect to how you hope to continue service and civic engagement at Princeton.
What to Avoid
Treating service as a list of hours or positions.
“Savior” narratives where you are the hero rescuing others.
Only talking about future plans without any past actions.
Vague statements about “giving back” with no concrete examples.
Example Snippet
When my school cut late-bus routes, my younger neighbors stopped attending our after-school homework lab because they could not get home safely. At first, I simply walked them back each evening. That turned into a rotating parent carpool, then a petition to the school board asking them to reconsider how transportation cuts affected working families. We did not get our buses back, but we did build a habit: parents sharing schedules, students texting when they arrived safely, teachers staying late to help.
That experience reshaped my idea of service. It is less about dramatic wins and more about quietly rearranging your day so someone else is less alone. At Princeton, where service is woven into the mission, I hope to keep asking the simple question that started all of this: “Who is being left out of this decision, and what can I do from where I stand?”
Short Answer Questions: “More About You” – 50 Words Each
You will answer all three of these Princeton essays 2025–26 short responses, each in 50 words or fewer.
Short Answer 1: New Skill in College
Prompt
“What is a new skill you would like to learn in college?”
What to Do
Choose a specific skill you genuinely want to learn.
Connect it subtly to your interests or values.
Let your curiosity and openness come through in very few words.
What to Avoid
Overly grand ambitions that sound unrealistic.
Skills chosen only to impress, with no real meaning for you.
Using precious words on long explanations; keep it focused.
Example Snippet
I want to learn documentary filmmaking—how to frame a shot, edit footage, and layer in sound—to capture the stories of small businesses in my neighborhood before they disappear from the block and from memory.
Short Answer 2: What Brings You Joy
Prompt
“What brings you joy?”
What to Do
Zoom in on a small, vivid moment or ritual.
Use one or two sensory details to make it feel real.
Let the answer quietly reveal your relationships or priorities.
What to Avoid
Abstract ideas like “helping others” with no image attached.
Treating it as a throwaway question.
Trying to sound impressive rather than honest.
Example Snippet
Joy is my little brother bursting into my room with a half-finished drawing, demanding a “gallery critique” while I am buried in calculus. For ten minutes, the limit I am finding is the curve of a dragon wing, not a function on my problem set.
Short Answer 3: Song as Soundtrack
Prompt
“What song represents the soundtrack of your life at this moment?”
What to Do
Pick a real song that truly resonates with your current moment.
In one or two sentences, connect the song’s mood or theme to your life.
Use this to highlight your mindset, growth, or what you are working through.
What to Avoid
Selecting a song only because it seems deep or intellectual.
Quoting long lyrics.
Choosing a song whose themes you would not feel comfortable discussing with an adult reader.
Example Snippet
Right now, my life sounds like “Dog Days Are Over” by Florence + The Machine—the frantic drums, then the breath between verses. I am in that in-between beat: leaving behind a heavy few years and running toward a future that feels loud, bright, and a little terrifying.
Putting Your Princeton Essays 2025–26 Together
Each of the Princeton supplemental essays 2025–26 has a distinct job:
The academic or engineering essay shows what you love to learn and why Princeton is the right environment for that curiosity.
The “Your Voice” essay shows how your lived experience shapes the way you move through community and conversation.
The service essay shows how you already act on your responsibility to others.
The short answers give quick, memorable snapshots of your personality and daily life.
When you look at your full set of Princeton essays with examples and drafts, you should see a coherent picture: a student who is intellectually alive, reflective about their experiences, and ready to contribute to Princeton’s community and mission.
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