Princeton University Top Questions

There's so much going on that it's hard to say what's most popular on campus. If they count in this then the eating clubs are most popular with a majority of upperclassmen joining them. Popular groups I can think of off the top of my head are Triangle (Comedy Musical Theater Group), The Prince (School Paper), a cappella groups, performance groups in general (so many dance groups!). Greek life is popular among certain groups once you're not a freshman.

There's so much going on that it's hard to say what's most popular on campus. If they count in this then the eating clubs are most popular with a majority of upperclassmen joining them. Popular groups I can think of off the top of my head are Triangle (Comedy Musical Theater Group), The Prince (School Paper), a cappella groups, performance groups in general (so many dance groups!).

I'm a little biased since I'm a dancer, but I'd say that the dance groups are pretty big on campus. A capella groups, theater groups, and athletics constitute a large of campus life as well.

People are involved in various different groups here on campus. I am an Orange Key Campus Tour Guide, the class of 2013 Vice President for student government, and a leader in the Universities outdoors program which runs a large pre-orientation program for incoming freshmen every year.

There are too many to mention here. One of my favorites, though, are the a-capella groups that you will find performing under one of the many arches at Princeton. There is something special about walking home at night in the winter and being able to stop and listen to the wonderful singing going on around campus. If that's not your thing, however, there are dance groups, theater shows, all kinds of sports (at all levels) and the nightlife is also amongst the best I have ever experienced.

There are too many to mention here. One of my favorites, though, are the a-capella groups that you will find performing under one of the many arches at Princeton. There is something special about walking home at night in the winter and being able to stop and listen to the wonderful singing going on around campus. If that's not your thing, however, there are dance groups, theater shows, all kinds of sports (at all levels) and the nightlife is also amongst the best I have ever experienced.

Eating clubs are big. So are athletics, performing arts groups, and even though they are currently in the process of being banned, fraternities and sororities continue to have some presence.

Probably most relevant to talk about the eating clubs here, since there is really nothing else to do in Princeton. And what is there to say about eating clubs? For four years of your live everything seems to revolve around them. Probably for good reason...they ARE the social life on campus. It wasn't until I loosened up a bit, realized joining an eating club wasn't necessarily selling your soul, and started drinking heavily on weekends that I really started having fun at Princeton. Wish I hadn't waited until halfway through my time there to do that. Then once you graduate and return to the real world it all seems like a strange, distant dream...

My social life is by no means representative of the vast majority of Princeton social lives, but this is how I spent Princeton Halloween last week: After working/running errands all day, I changed into my Halloween costume (pre-coeducation Ivy League student) and went to my residential college dining hall for dinner. They were hosting a costume contest, in which I participated (though, alas, I didn't win), and I ate dinner with a couple sophomore friends then joined some of the resident grad students for dessert/conversation. At night I went to a party in honor of the Nassau Weekly, for which I write/the birthday of one of the editors. It was held in Terrace, my favorite eating club and actually the only one I'll set foot in on a voluntary basis. I have a number of friends in Terrace, and it's the only club to go to if you want a laid-back scene (though I haven't been to all of them). I saw some of my colleagues from the Nass, in addition to meeting some of the editor's friends. I subsequently got rather drunk on birthday punch, and left Terrace before it really got going for the night, so I missed out on much of the Princeton Halloween partying. I went back to my room fairly early and subsequently slept through my Friday morning class. Let it not be said that I spend every weekend getting drunk, though--that's far from normal. If I'd like to underscore anything, it's the diverse groups I'm friends with: fellow freshman who I just happened to meet through my residential college; colleagues at the publications I write for; folks I met through the LGBT Center; grad students and faculty fellows in my college; and their friends and their friends and their friends.

The party scene is mostly at the eating clubs. The clubs are basically our version of frats/sororities. Instead of living there though, they serve meals to their junior and senior year members. But they open for everyone at night. The big party nights are Thursday and Saturday, but there's usually something going on every night of the week. I usually go out and drink maybe once every two weekends, and I would say that's pretty typical. Some people don't drink at all and never go out, and some people go out ~3 times a week. The dating scene is mostly about random hookups. A substantial number of people have really serious relationships. Not that much "dating" goes on - it's usually either single people who hook up or practically married people.