Joining the network

As tens of thousands of high school seniors eagerly anticipate their admission decisions, 86 of them already consider themselves part of the Princeton community. One day before regular decisions are released, the “Princeton Class of 2014!” group on Facebook — a forum for members to meet future classmates, learn about the University and discuss shared concerns — already boasts roughly 86 members and 40 wall posts.

Though the group will certainly expand in the coming days, its membership is primarily confined to athletic recruits who have received a likely letter from the Admission Office. While a likely letter is not an official admission decision, recruits said they understood it indicated their almost certain acceptance.

Julia Stoner, a crew recruit from Haddonfield Memorial High School in Haddonfield, N.J., joined the group after she received her likely letter in November.

“Knowing about Princeton so early has been the most helpful part of senior year by far,” she said in an e-mail. Despite having received a likely letter, Stoner said she is still “anxiously awaiting [her] official acceptance.”

Jason Ray, a football recruit from Detroit Country Day School in Beverly Hills, Mich., is another prospective athlete who joined the group.

“I saw it on another football player's page [in December 2009] and joined it because I figured I would meet other ‘likely letter people’ like myself and meet future Princetonians,” he said in an e-mail.

Stoner, who is considering a major in math or science, and Ray, who is planning to study economics, both said that receiving likely letters has made for a less stressful senior year.

“I see my friends stressing over applications, and I feel kind of guilty that I didn't have to go through that whole process,” Stoner said. “[But] I'm thankful that this is the way things worked out, because I have been able to use the time I would have spent on applications for schoolwork or other more enjoyable things.”

“It's really comforting to know where I'm going while many of my friends are still fretting about where they'll end up,” Ray said.

Stoner noted that she has already “taken a few day and overnight trips” to campus. “I like to come up whenever I get a chance, so I can get used to what my life will be like next year,” she said.

But not everyone in the group has received a likely letter. Jonathan Bernard, a senior at Jesuit High School in Portland, Ore., joined the group to learn more about the University and meet potential future classmates.

“The main reason I joined was to ask questions, see other prospective students and already admitted students, and where they are from,” he said in an e-mail. “I was hoping to understand why other students, probably already admitted, are choosing Princeton.”

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Bernard, a prospective molecular biology major who currently considers Yale his top choice, has joined several universities’ Class of 2014 Facebook groups to hear from current students about life outside the classroom.

“Many of the other groups I've joined have current students as administrators there to answer questions,” he explained. “I was hoping that might be the case for Princeton.”

“I was wondering how people liked or adjusted to the area surrounding Princeton: Is there always something to do in one’s spare time?” Bernard added. “I was also curious about the diversity of campus, cultural, religious, etc., as well as the social life on campus.”

Though the group purports to represent already admitted students, it is unclear whether the group’s membership represents the future University community. The group’s founder, Schnonyxila Miller, appears to be a fake account, while some members come from other colleges, including Dartmouth, West Virginia University and the University of Memphis.

And though this group is the largest “Princeton Class of 2014” group on Facebook, it is by no means the only group. A number of smaller groups, including “Princeton class of 2014,” “Princeton University Class of 2014” and “Princeton University– Class of 2014 (OFFICIAL GROUP),” have also appeared.

Still, the group stands as a testament to the enthusiasm and eagerness that a new class brings to the University each year.

“Overall, I can't wait to be a part of Princeton next year,” Stoner said. “I'm ready and excited to come to Princeton in the fall.”

“Princeton is a lot different than my home, [but] I'm excited to start a new chapter in my life,” Ray said.