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Princeton MSCS

Program Overview​

Very few admissions, very mysterious. Annual enrollment is 30 or fewer. Students are basically recruited to TA for undergrads. US undergrads from liberal arts colleges with strong GPAs and TA experience can give it a shot.

Admission Threshold & Data Points​

Princeton MSCS places heavy emphasis on GPA, whether your undergrad is a target school, and TA experience. There is no hard requirement for publications. Domestic (Chinese) applicants are typically from Tsinghua, Peking, Zhejiang, Fudan, or SJTU. For US undergrads, GPA needs to be very high (3.85 at least), but admission primarily depends on research interests and professor preferences, which vary year to year. Overall, students with US citizenship are admitted in greater numbers.

  1. Cornell CS undergrad, GPA 4.0, multiple industry internships
  2. McGill CS undergrad, two years as TA for advanced CS courses, GPA 3.95
  3. Ivy League CS undergrad (female), GPA 3.9, two years of research + RA experience, strong recommendation letters
  4. UC undergrad, CS+Math, GPA 3.8, two years of TA experience for advanced courses
  5. UCB undergrad, GPA 3.96, 5 semesters of TA experience, no research
  6. Yale CS undergrad, GPA 3.95, 2 years of research experience but no publications
  7. Top 10 CS undergrad, GPA 4.0, one publication

RA​

Research opportunities are abundant, and connections with professors are close. Compared to undergrad, graduate students interact more with professors -- there are basically weekly meetings to discuss research progress, and advisors generally provide a lot of support. I know some master's students whose advisors were willing to mentor them hands-on, and they ultimately received PhD offers from Princeton itself. The number of research opportunities depends on personal initiative. Princeton professors are generally very willing to work with students, especially in theoretical areas.

TLDR: The undergrads I know basically all went to FAANG or top trading firms.

For job hunting, Princeton still has a huge advantage, especially in Quant and Research Lab directions. If the goal is to be a Software Engineer at a big tech company, Princeton's brand is enough to get your resume straight into the interview pool -- getting interviews is not a problem. People in our lab get 3-4 internship offers every fall recruiting season, with a very wide range of choices. But if you're looking for Quant or Trading, Princeton is a target school, so there will be even more interview opportunities.

Life​

Princeton is a very quiet small town, great for academics, but with limited lifestyle options. Chinese and Japanese restaurant options are scarce. Most restaurants are on the upscale side, not ideal for everyday dining, so many people choose to eat at the dining hall or cook at home in their apartments. The library environment is excellent with a comprehensive collection, great for long study sessions. The gym is a highlight -- it's open until 1 AM, and hitting the gym at night is part of many people's daily routine. I think the hardest part about life here is that Princeton is really in the middle of nowhere, and winters are cold. Besides the library and the gym, there's not much else to do. In comparison, I did my undergrad in Seattle, which had a much richer city atmosphere, more food options, and more convenient living. The good news is that Princeton isn't too far from New York and Philadelphia, so you can visit NYC on weekends to get a change of scenery. Several people I know go to NYC every week or two, have a nice meal, and meet up with friends in the city -- it helps alleviate the monotony of small-town Princeton life.