Princeton University Top Questions

Princeton is racially and religiously diverse, but is socioeconomically homogeneous. It seems that most of the students come from wealthy families and attended private high schools.

I don't really participate in those types of groups, but I have friends that do on both sides. KASA is huge and very active. So it Manna/PEF/PFA. LGBT tries and some people get very involved, but my friends who are gay haven't encountered that much discrimination. It feels pretty open to me. The low-income groups aren't there, but with Princeton's financial aid package, most people are on it, so that's something of an equalizer. I feel like basically anyone can find a home here. Maybe if you were super nerdy, shy, wanted to go out but never did, and ended up working miserably you would hate it. But there are so many ways to get involved that it's basically impossible. Students wear anything from heels and dresses/sport coats to sweatpants and pajamas. Totally doesn't matter. Different types of students def interact. I have friends in PEF and PFA and Manna, though I'm atheist. Also, my friends are of all different types racially and sexually and socioeconomically. Done and done. 4 tables...the soroity/fraternity/ivy/cottage table, the jock table, the asian manna table, and the randos who constitute most of the student body. You can look at Princeton stats for geographic distribution. You definitely get to know the names of big schools. CA, NY, and NJ are clearly huge, but that hasn't been a limiting factor. Some student are politically aware, many aren't. Organized political action is smaller than people who actually care about politics. Oh well. Students are mostly moderate. My friends dont' talk about how much they'll earn, unless it's living out of a box as a comp lit/art history major.

I actually went to a public high school that was 98{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} white and Christian, so I’d never really met any Jewish or Muslim kids until I got to P-ton. While no ethnicity/background dominates like Anglo-Saxon, there are definitely communities for everyone. For instance, a number of my friends were involved with the LGBT scene, and they could kind of mold it as they liked. You definitely see a lot of popped collars and sundresses when it’s warm outside, but most students don’t come like that—it’s just a tradition that you find your own place in. There are a lot of middle-to-upper –class kids, but they aren’t (usually) the lazy kind. They still had to work to get here and to set themselves apart from the crowd. That’s what’s really cool about Princeton students—you know they’ve got some angle that got them in, whether it’s because they lived in Germany for 5 years or play the vibraphone better than anyone else, and it’s really cool when you bring that all together. That being said, I hung out within my eating club, which was known for being a little more edgy, artsy, and bohemian, so those are the people I knew the best—they balanced being really smart with being really fun and really talented. So I can’t complain too much about the prepsters, since I didn’t really interact with them outside of class, ever. I guess my point is that you can find people like you no matter who you think you are when you get to Princeton, and once you do, the rest of the student body kind of sorts itself into place.

My social circle was varied geographically (I had friends from all over the country and from abroad, as well), racially (I’m white, but I had fewer white friends than I did Asian (Eastern and Southeastern) and black), and religiously (my friends were Christian, Muslim, and Hindu, with a few Jews—unlike the predominantly Jewish demographic of my high school). The school is less varied, I’d say, by measure of economic background and sexual preference. Most of the students I knew were fairly well-off—but, admittedly, since the school has a no-loan program, there’s also a good opportunity to go on financial aid with no repercussions later. And while Princeton isn’t hostile to gays, it doesn’t offer an especially welcoming environment, either. Dress is often preppy (especially at lawnparties, outdoor concerts held twice a year, where girls wear sundresses and boys sport plaid shorts—really), but to class, students often wear sweats or pajamas.

The student body at Princeton is diverse, but is also somewhat stratified. You can look at the numbers on Princeton's website, but I can tell you that there truly are lots of international students and racial minorities on Princeton's campus. That being said, the interaction between different racial groups at Princeton is pretty minimal. This is partially due to the eating clubs. (Digression: the eating clubs are large mansions on a street right off campus where upperclassmen take their meals. They also have parties on the weekends.) Many more white students are members of eating clubs than black students. There used to be an eating club - Campus Club - which was home to many of the African-Americans on campus, but that club closed a few years ago. Although this is purely speculation, I would guess that since Campus Club closed, many of the African-American students have either gone "independent" (meaning they're not members of an eating club) or have remained in the residential college system after sophomore year, resulting in further stratification of social life on campus.

There are student groups to accommodate almost anyone, including very active LGBT groups, ethnic clubs, and religious organizations. There is also a very large community of international students, and even American students all seem to be very well traveled and internationally-minded, so there is an acceptance and interest in different cultures. The Jewish community in particular seems very prominent and active with the CJL (Center for Jewish Life) adjacent to campus and frequently hosting events. There is a significant gay community, but many do not choose to participate in LGBT groups on campus and complain about the gay dating scene, which is very limited at Princeton. Like on most college campuses, the political lean is to the left, but there is still definitely a significant and active conservative portion of the student body. There are numerous political or politically related groups, like the College Democrats, College Republicans, Pro-Choice Vox, and Anscombe Society. While a majority of students aren't in one of these political organizations on campus, the student body is still generally informed and opinionated and current events make common conversation topics both in academics and among friends. One great way that Princeton encourages students from all backgrounds to apply is through their amazing financial aid packages, which guarantee to meet all calculated family need, eliminating the need to take out loans to cover the otherwise pricey tuition. A little over half of the student body receives aid from the school which greatly enhances the campus diversity, however wealthier financial backgrounds are also prevalent, and the other half of campus can afford to pay the over 40,000 a year for school. Sometimes this portion of campus seems like more than half because of the higher visibility of students with expensive clothing who are able to take pricier vacations over break, but they are actually not the majority. This can lead to some stress to students from different backgrounds, who may feel like they cannot necessarily afford to keep up with their peers. Regardless of their financial background, however, all students seem to be equally ambitious, with the knowledge that a Princeton education can take them far in life if they make the most of the opportunities it offers. While there are students from almost every state and hundreds of countries, the largest groups are probably from California, New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey, with one of the larger international contingencies from London. In addition, many students come from private, boarding, prep, or magnet schools. As a graduate of a public high school in Virginia, I entered Princeton knowing only one other person in the school, with no peers from my graduating class, unlike many of my classmates who had up to 20 people from their year alone coming to school with them. Though at first it seemed daunting at times when so many other people all seemed to already know each other, I found it refreshing to be able to start college with a completely clean slate and meet new people without basing my social life around people I knew previously. Princeton students usually tend to look well put together. While some, especially a lot of athletes, will go to class in sweats, most tend to dress a little nicer, but not over the top fancy. Jeans with sandals, heels or boots is pretty typical for girls, though sneakers like Converse are also common. On the weekends, if going out to a party, dress becomes a little fancier and more club-like. Short but casual dresses or nice tops with jeans or leggings is common for girls and guys will often wear a polo or more fitted T-shirt. While classes and extracurricular activities bring many diverse students together, there is still a definite divide, especially among those who are involved in life on the Street (eating club members or those who frequently attend parties there) and those who are not. While there is no particular animosity among these two groups, there is more of a lack of mixing, and it is not based on racial, ethnic, religious, or LGBT status, but more on a combination of personal choice and at times socioeconomic factors (eating club membership often is more expensive, though the university is slowly working on using financial aid to reduce this cost). Though there are always exceptions to this divide in friend groups and in teams and clubs that bring people together, it still remains a recognized issue on campus.

When you first arrive at Princeton, it's easy to feel out of place if you don't fit in with the dominant culture oriented toward Thursday/Saturday parties and nights out at the eating clubs. However, as you develop academic and extracurricular interests, then you find a group of people you can identify with. I think there is something for everyone at Princeton, you just have to look for it. At the same time, the school is small enough that you're forced to interact with people from a wide variety of backgrounds. Overall, I think the dining halls are an excellent place to meet new people, because there is always at least one person at your table who you probably didn't know before sitting down. The biggest form of segregation is between underclassmen (in the dining halls) and upperclassmen (in the eating clubs).

i think there are strong networks at princeton among ethnic and racial minorities. while these networks strengthen people's sense of belonging at princeton, they are most necessary because of the unfortunate sense that a certain group (those referenced by the stereotypes) control princeton, especially with regard to eating clubs and job searches. i think that low-income students feel most out of place at princeton just because life here seems generally expensive. students are absolutely politically active, and i cannot complain about the balance. i think there is a great division of left and right side politics and both are equally vocal.