How does Princeton build its incoming class?

PPrinceton builds its freshman class in parts, each with targets and none with quotas, according to former officers who spoke to the Daily Princetonian in 2020. They used a homely image for it: a pizza assembled in slices, among them academic strength, talent, diversity and family ties to the university. In practice, an applicant is read against the others competing for the same slice far more than against the whole pool, which changes what counts as standing out.

Most families measure their child against everyone who applies. The comparison that decides the case is narrower, and it rewards a kind of evidence few applicants plan for.