Princeton University Top Questions

Princeton is undeniably preppy. However, it's more of an adopted identity than a universal precondition; that is, people tend to dress preppier after being here a year or two, regardless of their origins. The full racial, religious, sexual, and socioeconomic spectrum is represented at Princeton, although there is a large majority of middle-to-upper class white students. Because of the University's progressive and generous financial aid (which extends to break trips and summer programs), financial concerns are rarely if ever a barrier to doing something you might want to do.

most princeton students are from either the east or the west coast. students on campus are not very politically active and the campus is very conservative.

Certain groups tend to self-segregate which is sad, but there is definitely the opportunity to be part of a mixed group.

Diverse.

The student body is very diverse and I met a ton of people from a ton of different religious, economic, geographic, and political background. I am a politics major so I run into a lot of people that politically aware and active. I find that most people are pretty right politically, but there are a lot of people left and center as well.

i dont think any student should feel out of place. i have friends from every ethnic, socio-economic, religious, racial, sexual background you can imagine. most students wear jeans and sweatshirts. some dress up more, some less. pretty casual dress. different types of students interact but as in any situation those that are similar do interact more often. i dont think you could easily describe four tables in the dining hall. students are from everywhere. all different types of financial backgrounds but many students are well off. students are politically aware but not that active. i think there are a lot of political affiliations on campus. we talk about our futures and so talk about our options.

I think that there is very little that is "typical" of the typical Princeton student. I like to think of my entryway freshman year as a microcosm of life at Princeton. There was my room: a gay engineer who was involved in the Hispanic engineering student group on campus, a conservative white fraternity boy, a Jewish physics major from the South who joined a campus dance group, and me. We might've seemed a pretty diverse bunch as it was but then you just went up or down the stairs and you could run into: a girl who grew up not far from Princeton who was engaged to her high school sweetheart, a girl on the varsity soccer team, a Southern good ol' boy who went to prep school in Europe and ended up being one of my best friends, a bio major who volunteered with Big Brothers/Big Sisters and regularly bombed tour groups walking under our entry with army men on parachutes, a guy from LA who partied almost every night but excelled in reading the classics every day, and there were many others. Despite being so different, we all started on our journey through college together. There's something that bonds people in that way. As a result, even as the year go under way and we branch out to other groups, we would always have a safety net if we needed it or just a group of friends to grab dinner in the dining hall with. It's easy to stereotype and make generalizations about types of students, but when it comes down to it, being open is the only thing required to fit in at Princeton. There are people who have had the same experience as you and people who have wildly different ones, but if you're open to making those connections, you'll absolutely find your niche... maybe not where you expect it but it's there.

White. If not white, upperclass minorities. There is no socioeconomic diversity, save the two or three full aid cases. Although aid is generous, most minorities are made somewhat uneasy about Princeton's veritable reputaiton for churning out conservative investment bankers and adulterous Govs. (Elliot Spitzer). Yes it is a meritocracy...for a reserved 100 undergraduate spots. All you really have to do is donate $120 million to create a new residental college (Meg Whitman CEO of EBay) to get your alcoholic, beligerantly drunk son into Princeton. Future leaders.

You can find whatever you really want. Sometimes its a bit thin on racial diversity, and/or international students.

Students are very politically aware, but not as active as I expected... probably because of the intense academics demands. Students wear everything from pajamas to button up shirts, blazers, and casual dresses to class. I can't really imagine a student who would feel out of place at Princeton. There is a life for everyone: partiers, studiers, sports, music, art, the religious, rich, poor, international. There are all types of people here.

There is a wide array of styles at Princeton--you can show up to class in anything ranging from sweatpants to sun dresses. And, for the most part, it's pretty diverse. If you don't feel like you fit in, chances are there are enough people like you that you can form your own group.

not enough diversity. i wish there were more international kids here. also there are too many people who want to confirm and this means that the amount of truly interesting people on campus is lacking

The student body is very diverse but heavily segregated. Students are not generally very politically aware and the school is on the whole fairly conservative.

There are definitely many different faces of Princeton. Diversity is one of our main goals. However, there is unfortunately, a degree of segregation among the students. There are the preppy kids who will go out and party on any given night. Racially, students seem to self-sort. Also, it is fairly obvious that those with more money tend to have more vibrant social lives.

I think Princeton's Student body is very diverse. Many different types of students interact with each other. Most students are involved in 2 or more activities. So you may see a student interacting with her fellow environmental group peers one morning, and then see her interacting with members of her dance group that evening. People are from very diverse backgrounds as well. I've met several people who grew up on farms, while others grew up in New York City. So the personalities are very unique, but that doesn't keep them from interacting with each other.

I don't really think any type of student would feel out of place at Princeton - I truly think that most types of students can be found, though they may not represent the majority. The dress code varies from those who get dolled up for class to those who will show up in PJs. Different types of students do interact, but of course students prefer to be with those who are more like them. I don't think this is any different at Princeton than any other school. Different financial backgrounds are prevalent, but the majority would seem to be those who are more wealthy. Many students are very politically aware and consequently very active. They are predominantly left-winged. I haven't really heard any students talk about how much they'll earn one day.

the kind of student that would feel out of place here would be a very religious student or one who is more conservative and who didnt want to live the hook-up culture-- although that is changing and there is a group starting that is non-religious and tries to fight the hook-up culture. THere is a lot of support for all different kinds of students.

-Perhaps the least liberal of the Ivys? -Wouldn't say it's super diverse. Though you certainly do meet a lot of people from all different parts of the country and world. -Most students play a sport (whether varsity or club level) or just exercise regularly.

Low-income students would be most likely to feel out of place at Princeton, not completely because all students are from wealthy families (although many visibly are) but because the University itself is brimming with resources. The generous endowment enables a plethora of opportunities that verges on an embarrassment of riches. At the risk of citing causation in place of correlation, a notably high percentage of Princeton students flock to the finance sector after graduating. Does Princeton breed this culture? Perhaps. More likely, the trend is a result of targeted recruiting by aggressive firms, a pack mentality, and the prospect of financial security at an early age. I don't think the pipeline will be this crowded indefinitely, but it has become a widely-acknowledged Tiger track. It's tough to decipher Princeton's political persuasion as a collective body. I would say most students are moderate, with a politically correct/non-confrontational slant. There are exceptions to that generalization, and most lie at the extremes of the political spectrum.

I love nerds. This may explain why I like the Princeton student body. In general, there are some really nice people at Princeton, and no matter who you are you'll have no trouble making life-long friends. There are also some jerks. Avoiding them is not difficult. My favorite thing about the Princeton student body is that everyone seems to have some kind of excitement factor to them, something really interesting that they've done that made them stand out to the admissions department. Sometimes this thing provides excellent teasing material. After six months at Princeton I discovered that one of my best friends was a national bagpiping champion. Bonus points if you can track down this person and tease him via Facebook.