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.