Wilson School accepts 47 percent of applicants

Weeks of anticipation came to an end yesterday for 90 sophomores who opened their mailboxes to find that they had been accepted to the Wilson School.

A record 190 sophomores applied to the Wilson School this year and 100 — more than in any recent year — were rejected or waitlisted by the University's only selective major. In the last decade, between 130 and 167 sophomores have applied to the major.

This year's 47 acceptance rate is far lower than the 58 percent acceptance rate the school has averaged in the last seven years. Despite the more competitive nature of the application process, the pool was "not stronger than in the past few years," Wilson School undergraduate program committee chair and professor Stanley Katz said.

Katz said that an applicant's demonstrated interest in public policy is the most important criterion considered in the evaluation process. "We do look to see what kinds of courses the student has taken, the letter of recommendation and grades," he said, "but the most important thing is the 250-word, personal statement."

He said there is no GPA cutoff for applicants, explaining that some accepted students had lower GPAs than some who were rejected. "It's better to have a 4.0 than a 2.0, but there's no cutoff," Katz said.

The school selects "on the basis of [applicants'] academic record, strength of preparation, the perspectives and experiences they would bring to the School, and their commitment to the study of public and international affairs," according to its website.

In terms of differences between the academic and intellectual background of students from this year's pool compared to last year's, Katz said that the school "doesn't break down the entering class into categories."

He did note that an increasing number of students have expressed an interest in international affairs — particularly in China and the Middle East — in recent years.

Students accepted to the program cited various reasons for their interest in majoring in the Wilson School.

James Coan '09 said that applying to the interdisciplinary program, which allows students to take courses in economics, politics, psychology, history and sociology, was "a very logical step," for him because of his interest in science and public policy.

Another sophomore, Rachel Rizal said she was attracted to the Wilson School because of its "more practical, analytical and problem solving approach" to the issues of science, medicine and health in which she is interested.

Rizal said that her preference for the Wilson major stemmed in part from the program's mandatory junior task forces — simulations designed to aid students in developing the skills involved in approaching issues of public policy. "It's not like you're trying to solve some great world problem," she said. "But I think it gives you good practice at how to look at world problems."

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Shannon Brink '09 also said that she was drawn to the program's interdisciplinary approach.

"I had a pretty good idea from the start that Woody Woo would be the right place for me to combine my interests," she said. "I got the letter in campus mail. I was excited and kind of relieved because all my friends already have an idea of what their majors are. It helped me plan out my courses for the rest of my Princeton career."