Connor Mann
Tell us about yourself, Connor!
What is your anticipated school and intended major? Electrical and Computer Engineering at Princeton University, class of 2029
What did you do in the military? I was a Radio Reconnaissance Cryptologic Linguist in the US Marine Corps
What’s a fun fact about yourself? I can make a mean pad thai (with my wife’s help).
Tell us about your experience applying to college. When I first decided to go to school instead of reenlisting, I had no idea how to navigate the college application process. It wasn’t until I signed up for S2S and had my first phone call with Whitney Cason (my S2S advisor) that I actually understood what the process looked like, and that it was possible to go to a great university even if I wasn’t the best student in high school. The moment the call ended, she introduced me to the veterans admissions directors of every school I was interested in applying to via email. This enabled me to schedule calls with these admissions directors and learn about their programs as well as what they look for in applicants to their schools. The information I gained from these meetings as well as my call with Whitney was invaluable; they provided me with a definitive path forward. They encouraged me to take classes at a community college to get back in the hang of being a student, and spend as much time as I could before I started my first semester in community college rebuilding the math skills I lost after not being in school for nearly a decade. From that point onwards, S2S provided me with a solid support network that I could use to seek advice on what steps to take during the application process—how and when to fill out applications, how to format my resume, what classes I should take in community college, application essay help, or, at times, even a word of encouragement. Whitney and Tom (my ambassador) were always available to answer all of my questions and give extremely valuable advice. They managed to transform what seemed like an impossible task into something achievable.
What was the biggest benefit to using Service to School throughout the application process? Every school has different requirements for transfer students. For non-traditional students, the process is confusing and downright backwards at times, so the biggest benefit to using Service to School during my application process was having an empathetic professional in my back pocket to help guide me through the process of presenting my life experiences on applications designed for 17 year old high school students.
How was peer-to-peer mentorship helped you in your journey to higher education? Since my ambassador was also a veteran with similar experiences to my own but also had a significant amount of professional experience, he was able to help me better translate my military experience into something easily understandable to people who are not veterans in my essays and resume. I would absolutely recommend peer-to-peer mentorship to other veteran students.
What are you most excited about in regards to starting school? What’s your favorite part about the school you chose to matriculate at? I am excited to meet, learn from, and work with so many passionate, bright minds with incredibly interesting experiences that are totally different from my own. I am also super excited to take this path together with my wife who was admitted to Princeton with me. My favorite part about Princeton is also what I am most excited about: the students here are some of the smartest, most passionate, motivated and interesting people I have ever met. Their desire to learn and grow as well as their lofty ambitions are contagious, but most importantly I’ve found that students and faculty here love to collaborate and lend a helping hand.
What are your goals post-graduation? After graduation, I want to lead a team of engineers to solve problems in energy, software, and communications spaces.
Connor’s advice for veterans who are applying to college:
Build strong relationships and take a real, genuine interest in the people you meet. The humility, empathy, and important lessons you’ve learned from working with others are great things to reflect upon in both your application essays and your life’s journey.
Congrats again Connor on your acceptance to Princeton!
