Princeton needs more PALs

Dean of Admission Janet Rapelye recently finished a national recruiting tour with her counterparts from Harvard and the University of Virginia. The deans joined forces in the wake of their decisions to end early admissions programs and now aim to broaden their student applicant pools.

When the University decided to end Early Decision last fall, admissions officials said they hoped to devote more time to student outreach. Sending Rapelye on a 19-city tour is a welcome effort, but the University must do more to reach out specifically to low-income applicants. Admissions officers often visit schools, but they lack the manpower to make a comprehensive effort to focus on schools with a high proportion of low-income students. Better utilizing current student and alumni admissions outreach programs would help to fill this gap.

Princeton Admissions Links (PALs) has the potential to greatly increase the University's network with high schools nationwide. This program, operated by the Admission Office, sends students back to visit their own high schools and talk about Princeton. But PALs could easily be expanded so as to allow students to visit many different high schools in their region, especially those with a high proportion of low-income students. With additional training, students could effectively represent the University to entire school districts. The Admission Office could pay students for their efforts, adding a financial incentive to boost participation in the program.

Alumni are another underutilized resource. The Alumni Council currently runs Alumni Schools Committees that send former Princetonians to give interviews and information sessions at schools. The Office of Admission could work with these alumni to expand their relationship with nearby schools. Young alumni could be especially useful in this regard. Matthew Halgren '09 recused himself from participating in this vote.