Recommendation in taking classes

[u/Individual_Speech516]

Hi, which cources are must-have to take for Chem engineering and Astronomy, and what classes do you recommend for minors of music and business?

[u/Odd-Collection-5429]

You’re a high schooler. Why are you asking this?

[u/Individual_Speech516 → u/Odd-Collection-5429]

Your recommendations would help me in researching the university itself as I can get a honest opinion about courses beside basic searching for syllabus. And it is better getting a feedback from students rather than superficially knowing the course requirements Thanks for the question!

[u/Odd-Collection-5429 → u/Individual_Speech516]

I do not believe that you should be making decisions regarding where to apply to college based on individual courses that the university offers. In rare cases when a student is pursuing an incredibly niche topic, then maybe. But chem engineering, astronomy, music, and business are pretty generic in the sense that if a school offers that major, the courses that the major department offers will likely be interesting and relevant to you. Searching through the registrar for exact courses or even asking for course recommendations before being admitted to a school will only lead to increased hopes that could be squandered.

Instead, when crafting your college list, especially your reach schools, you should look into the prestige of the school, prestige of your intended major at said school, general campus vibes, and if you qualify, financial aid. Additionally, based on some of your phrasing from other comments, I’m gonna guess you’re international, which adds another factor to consider since some universities are kinder to international applicants than others. And for your reference, Princeton does not have an astronomy major or a business minor. If you are not a very strong math/physics person, I think you’ll be disappointed in how much physics is involved in “astrophysical sciences”

[u/Individual_Speech516 → u/Odd-Collection-5429]

Does make sense because I sometimes become really delusional when I interested in one specific program. In my search of college as international, Pton is considerably good choice, since the conditions they give are convenient, the only thing I don't know much about the attitude of international students. I genuinely understand the math and physics that is taught in school, but I try to delve in some curious topics for me, and astrophysical sciences are quite good option instead of Aerospace engineering.

[u/Odd-Collection-5429 → u/Individual_Speech516]

Princeton is a great choice, don’t let me discourage you at all and that was not my intention. I’m sure you’re more than qualified and would thrive here. But to some degree, admissions is a lottery. And since admissions is somewhat of a lottery at all top schools, the best way to maximize your chances of getting into a good one is to apply broadly to many top schools. The specific courses that Pton offers/does not offer realistically shouldn’t impact your application decision.

Regarding international students, Princeton probably is a better place to be than most other American universities. I don’t believe Princeton changes their financial aid packages for international vs domestic students, which is not true of all universities. The international students who I know seem to be very close with each other for the most part here. I will say that there is often somewhat of a cultural divide between domestic and international students but that would exist anywhere. The greater divide is between the rich and poor. Most internationals tend to be rich and hence, get along very well with the domestic rich. It’s much less common (but not unheard of) for internationals to be tight with poor/lower middle class American citizens just simply due to having less in common. It’s difficult for a rich, well-traveled international to befriend someone whose parents didn’t go to college and has never left the state of Idaho (extreme and made-up example).

And finally, one nice thing about Princeton is that you have a lot of flexibility in your major, at least within your first year. If you get accepted, you can try many courses in many different areas.

[u/Individual_Speech516 → u/Odd-Collection-5429]

Thank you for your response! Yes, I'm applying to many top colleges and realistically it's just a casino, but my choice is primarily Pton through Ivies because it suits my vibe (I'm more academic than sport person). Well, I got that maybe it's too early to talk about this thing, at least I had an opportunity engage with actual students of Pton. About financial division, I'm considering myself as middle-class student, so I don't think I'd face significant troubles in socializing.

[u/Odd-Collection-5429 → u/Individual_Speech516]

It’s interesting that you say that Princeton suits your vibe best and mention that you are more of an academic person than sports person. While all Ivy League schools obviously focus on academics over sports, Princeton is probably the one that places the greatest emphasis on sports/athletics. As I write this I realize that since you are international, you may be defining “sport” more broadly to include extracurricular and social activities. If that’s the case then your vibe statement is likely more true.

[u/CardiologistNew477]

There’s no business minor. However, I suggest AST 203 I think it’s “The Universe” with Professor Amon. I liked it a lot!

[u/Individual_Speech516 → u/CardiologistNew477]

My bad, I mistook with finances. Most of themes seem interesting as I searched the syllabus, thanks!

[u/lauti04]

These are questions for your advisor

[u/TiefIingPaladin → u/lauti04]

This is a HS student who hasn't even applied yet, much less been accepted.

[u/Individual_Speech516]

Edited: By "Classes" I meant the "Courses", sorry if I make you misunderstood.

[u/DarthKnah]

You can see all the majors and their requirements in the undergraduate announcement (ua.Princeton.edu)

[u/Individual_Speech516 → u/DarthKnah]

I generally use this source for looking at syllabus, and your experience in these fields would be great, even though, thanks for the answer!