Not one of us at Princeton who annually read and reread the thousands of applications for admission during my time as Dean believed either the process we used or the ultimate decisions we made to be perfect, whatever the criteria for perfection. Ultimately, however, to the best of our limited abilities we made those decisions. In doing so we tried, and I assure you that admissions personnel at Princeton and other schools around the country continue to try, to evaluate every application with an open mind, respect for each applicant as an individual, and no small measure of humility.

As you go through this year, try to retain a sense of perspective and even a sense of humor. I know how important where you attend college is to you, but I also know that the differences between attending one college and another are often very slight. Whatever you do, don’t let the college application process so preoccupy you that you miss out on all that your school has to offer you during your senior year. Happy trails.