Princeton University Top Questions

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.