Princeton University Top Questions

sports teams are highly respected - but then again so is the orchestra and all of the a capella groups.

People who go out to the Street to visit the eating clubs tend to do it regularly. a typical schedule would include 3 nights out a week with heavy drinking. However, there is also a large portion of the student population that never goes out. People love to go to sporting events, especially if their friends are playing. Tailgates are also popular and in fact people sometimes miss the game entirely. There isn't too much to do around the town but no one is ever at a loss for something to fill their time.

Frats and sororities are underground, banned by the university, and do not have any houses of their own. They're mainly feeders for certain eating clubs. Party nights are Thursday and Saturday nights, because Princeton is like 35{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} athletes and they all have practice Saturday morning. Traditions are: huge bonfire if we beat Harvard and Yale in football, Reunions, Pre-Rade and P-rade.

if you like to have fun you will have fun and find others who like to have the same type of fun. there's tons of different kinds of kids here and you will find your niche. be especially outgoing your first few weeks here if you decide to come, so the transition from highschool will be quick easy and comfortable.

My activities and social life mainly center around basketball and the eating clubs at "the street," but I know plenty of people who really take thorough advantage of all the opportunities here on campus. Frats and sororities are not terribly big here, but they definitely have a presence (even though not sponsored by the school). Partying is surprisingly big here, but there are still a ton of alcohol free things that the school does sponsor that really try to and in some ways effectively keeps kids from drinking.

Social life can be very fun and involved (with the eating clubs and their activities) but can be a little limited and insular

Alot to do on campus. The school does a good job of planning alcohol free events that everyone can enjoy. I think the social life is a good one with something to offer for everyone. If not, NYC and Philadelphia are nearby.

There are some great groups on campus. Drawing, acting, eating, sports, and so on and so forth. If you know where to look, you can also find some great concerts on the weekends- student bands and small bands that have been brought in.

The eating clubs tend to be the center of social life at Princeton. Fraternities and Sororities don't have houses nor are they recognized by the university, but they exist and have a noticeable impact on the social scene. Some partying takes place in dorms, but for the most part kids have their fun on the street. Most of the restaurants in town are BYOB and are popular spots to start off a night on the weekend.

Greek life involves a small fraction of students at Princeton - perhaps 15 percent - and is relevant principally as a feeder mechanism for the bicker (selective) eating clubs. Overall, social life is open and dynamic, with the Street (eating clubs) functioning as a unifying force which brings students together to one location on Thursday and Saturday nights. New York and Philadelphia are always great and available options, especially if you have a fake ID or are 21. Not partying is definitely an option, although you'd be missing out on a lot of fun; Princeton is a surprisingly good time for an Ivy League school. The University constantly brings in guest speakers ranging from the King of Jordan to business executives, and there are frequent events within the residential colleges.

students in dorms leave their doors open depending where they live. however, sometimes things get stolen.if you are awake at 2am on a tuesday you could be out or working or hanging out watching a movie. fraternities and sororities are only important to a select number of people and only influence certain scenes.

Eating clubs are amazing. There needs to be more of them so that more people can be part of the system. Social life is very fun and safe. I have never once felt uncomfortable and usually have a lot of fun.

The eating clubs and dorm parties are the scene. The occasional trip to New York.

Social life is really fun here. The mentality is very work hard play hard. If you get your work done you can certainly count on having a good time.

eating clubs are very popular. dance groups are popular. im sports are popular. i play on the soccer team. students do keep their doors open. athletic events vary in popularity. big games are definitely popular. for instance, the squash courst were packed when they made it to the national championship. theater is popular. guest speakers are popular. quite a few people have girlfriends/boyfriends but most people are single and hook up at the street. i was really lucky in that the kids living around me were great. i met some of my other closest friends through them. on a tuesday at 2 i might be out at the street, studying, but most likely chilling with friends, or getting ready to sleep. there is a party scene here. i know that my friends and i go out 3-5 times a week usually. frats and sororities arent that important. last weekend i played a game on saturday and went out to eating clubs at night. on sunday i studied. on a sat night i could easily go into the city, chill with friends, participate in numerous activities on campus such as films being shown, performances, etc. o

No discussion of Princeton social life is complete without touching on the eating clubs. Brief overview: the eating clubs are based out of 10 mansions on Prospect Avenue and Washington Road, directly adjacent to campus. Not technically part of the University, they maintain close ties and work to promote a sense of community and responsibility. Juniors and seniors that are members take their meals at the clubs and at night, they're often open to members and other Princeton students when they're "on tap" (ie, serving beer). There are a lot of myths about the clubs and the traditions that surround them. Suffice it to say that most of the social events on campus are connected to the clubs with theme nights, bands, non-alcoholic events, and annual festivities all taking place at them on a regular basis. While a typical Princeton student will spend most weekends at "the Street" (as the eating clubs are collectively known), there are almost always other events happening on campus: a cappella concerts under Gothic arches, dance performances, groups of friends heading to dinner on Nassau Street, trips to New York and Philadelphia (both short train rides away, easily accessible from campus), and lecture series and symposia. There's never a shortage of things to do. Princeton students drink anywhere from 0 to 7 nights a week. Some students who don't drink still come out to the Street but most of the people that are out are drinking. Thursday and Saturday nights are the main nights when most students go out. Wednesday and Friday nights have a strong following depending on which clubs you like to frequent. Sunday nights are usually the only day that it might be trickier to find a place to get a drink, but it certainly isn't impossible. In the end, it's about finding a balance between having fun and meeting your obligations. Very few people are capable of going out 6 nights a week and still doing well in their classes -- I know a few people can do it but they're the rare exceptions. Most people are content to go out 1 to 3 nights per week, and at that, most students prefer moderation to blacking out.

They say there are no frats or sororities on campus. Not true. Correction: there are no frats or soroity sanctioned houses. SAE, KAO, DKE, PKE, Zetes, Chi Phi, Kappa,....the list goes on. The social structure that the University chooses to adknowledge is the Street, or eating clubs. But frats and sororities feed into eating clubs. Curious.

We all leave our dorms open. So many guest speakers, you could never see everyone you wanted to. We're just so busy, that sometimes you really need some down time.

Singing groups are huge... there are over 15 different groups or something like that. Because of the eating clubs, frats are not as important here. Plus the University refuses to recognize them so they are "underground" and have no houses. But many do exist. The important thing to note about both frats and sororities at Princeton is that it's not like other schools where you need to join one of you want to have a social outlet/nightlife. You can still party and never join a frat. I would say most people have a love "interest", but most people don't actually date. People usually party 2-3 nights per week. We get a lot of guest speakers... leaders in politics, art, industry and research from all over the world.

The social life is pretty cool--the eating clubs are a great way to hang out with friends, but they can be a bit exclusive. Also, the way the underclassmen housing is set up is important in determining the friends students make. I, for example, made most of my friends in my undergraduate housing and then moved to an eating club with them my sophomore year. People party a lot on campus, definitely in tune with the common adage: "work hard party hard." One really nice thing is that if you don't want to go to "the street" one weekend, New York is only an hour or so away. So that definitely gives students alternatives for a fun weekend.