Princeton University Top Questions

No one dates. That is a problem. If people are "dating," it's usually because they met out at a party and hooked up multiple times. And now all of a sudden they are "dating." Rarely do people go out to dinner or to a movie as a twosome. If I'm awake at 2am on a Tuesday I'm probably at Ivy Club, one of the eating clubs, getting ready to come home pretty soon. People party pretty often if you do party. I'd say the kids who don't party never do. And the people who do probaby go out around 2 nights a week. Frats and sororities are lame - they don't have houses and they try to act like they are a bigger deal than they are. If you are not in one, it does not inhibit your social life. A lot of freshmen think this when they come to campus. Last weekend I went to the movies with friends on Friday and then took an introductory swing dancing class at night. That was fun. Then on Saturday I went to the mens lacrosse game, studied most of the afternoon, then went out to The Street to party. Sunday I went to church then had brunch with friends and went to the library to study. I worked my campus job in the afternoon and went to a student council meeting at night. If you don't want to drink on a Saturday night, there are always "Alcohol Initiative" events like free movies or theme parties or something. A lot of people just hang out in rooms relaxing or go into NYC for the night. You can also still go out to the parties at The Street without drinking. I have friends who do that.

Social life is a strange beast. However much the university, or some students, deny it, Social life revolves around the street. Room parties are pretty heavily cracked down on and the campus wide activities are few and far between, and when they do occur, they are usually awful ideas (Joan Jett concert). Houseparties and Lawnparties are nice. Whether you drink or don't the street is usually a good time if you go out with friends with the sole intention of having fun.

Many of the dance groups are really popular among the students, both in terms of a desire to join as well as a high show attendance. Some of the more popular dance groups are xpressions, body hype, disiac, and naacho. I was involved with a variety of groups in college, however, my favorite two activities were Princeton South Asian Theatrics (PSAT) and Best Buddies. PSAT is a small theater group, which writes, directs, and acts in its own productions that deal with south asian immigrant issues. It was very laid back and a lot of fun. Best Buddies is a volunteer group that matches up college students with community members who have intellectual disabilities. Everyone in the group met about once per month for a group activity, such as baking cookies, going to see a movie, or bowling. In addition, each pair contacted each other at least once a week through phone calls, emails, and personal meetings. It was really fun and a great way to meet members of the community who were not affiliated with the university. Princeton also has an amazing assortment of lectures and speakers throughout the school year. However, they are not always well advertised so it is hard to learn about all of the events well in advance. In addition, people who were a part of sports teams often ran into conflicts since most lectures take place at around 4:30, which is also when most teams practice. However, if you keep you eye out for posters and join email lists advertising various events, it is not hard to take advantage of these opportunities. I met most of my closest friends through extracurricular activities. During my freshman year, I did meet a lot of people through my residential college, however, I did not end up staying close with many of the people in my dorm throughout college. The friends I made in college are definitely some of the best friends I've made throughout my entire life and I foresee us staying very close in the future.

The dating scene isn't dominant in any sense. Princeton very much promotes a hook-up culture, where students engage in chance encounters with the opposite sex while drinking out at the Street one night and then awkwardly acknowledge one another for the rest of their time here as students. Your closest friends will undoubtedly come from your dorm and residential college. They'll be the ones who are regularly in your dining hall and who you'll go to meals with. If you're awake at 2 AM on a Tuesday, there's an 90{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} chance you're studying or writing a paper. If it's a light-work week and you know the right people to get to passes, then you'll find yourself drinking at the Street at Ivy Tuesday. Don't expect to have a life off-campus unless you're over 21. Then your options extend to Triumph Bar, but even that's only across the street.

All the student groups have their own fans. I was on the golf team. It was an incredible experience with wonderful teammates, cool trips to tournaments, and something to refresh my mind after a long day of class and studying. Public Safety does not allow you to leave your door open, but students tend to have an open-door policy in terms of visits. Athletic events are fairly popular when teams are doing well. Guest speakers are the best in the world. There's a broad range of highly-acclaimed theater performances. What dating scene?? I met my closest friends on my hallway freshman year, through a sports team, and through groups that I was passionate about getting involved with. Tuesday 2am, making a Wa run! Then back to work on that problem set. Every year- houseparties, lawnparties, pre-rade, p-rade, This Is Princeton. The average student parties 2x a week. Frats/sororities are only a small part of campus life (although the frat guys would probably say differently). Saturday, no drinking- there are always student groups putting on amazing comedy/dance/theatrical performances. And then there's T Sweets, Halo Pub, Bent Spoon. Off campus?? Okay, maybe CVS, Wegman's, Quakerbridge Mall, and trips to NYC.

I did intramural fantasy football with a bunch of my friends and it was one of the best experiences of my life. Not only did we get an opportunity to regularly play football, but every single member of the team is truly a good person in all aspects. A good number of people leave their doors open in the dorms. Athletic events are not as popular as they are at large state schools probably. Guest speakers and theater events are pretty enthusiastically attended. The dating scene holds a lot of promise but has the usual drawbacks of being a smaller school. I met my closest friends through random assignment to my dorm freshman year. If I'm awake at 2am on a Tuesday, I'm probably studying. Certain formal events the eating clubs throw are the usual traditions and events that happen annually. People usually party on Thursday and Saturday nights. Frats and sororities certainly exist on campus but do not play any major role in student life if you're not involved in them. You can watch steeply discounted movies on Saturday if you don't want to drink, or you can throw a casual hang-out in your room. I like to go to Dunkin Donuts and the movies and various restaurants off campus.

Eating clubs are a big part of social life, especially on the weekends--even if you don't drink, they can still be fun. Other things go on on campus on the weekends, but are not usually as popular. Student performances can get a good turnout. Cheap movies ($2 for movies that have just stopped showing in theatres, or interesting independent movies) are screened every weekend.

Social life revolves around the "eating club" system, a group of 10 private dining establishments for juniors and seniors located on one road simply called "The Street." Half are bicker (selective, through a process a little like rush but co-ed, and more low-key in many places); half are sign-in/non-selective. Regardless of club membership junior and senior year, students generally go to the Street for parties. There's generally something for everyone, as each club has its own personality, from alternative Terrace to Animal House Tiger Inn. And, for when this system gets boring (as it can), New York is only an hour away. There are a few frats and sororities, but they aren't recognized by the University and thus don't have houses. They play a role, particularly in funneling students into some of the selective clubs, but not being part of Greek life doesn't marginalize anyone. Plenty of people don't feel the need to drink all night on a Saturday, so there's no problem finding friends to watch a movie or hang out in someone's room. Some hold room parties, too, although because the Eating Clubs are accessible for parties this is a less important part of social life. Dorm life, particularly freshman and sophomore year, tends to be tight-knit, but friends can crop up anywhere, from classes to sports teams to extracurriculars. Freshmen and sophomores take their meals in the dining halls, which are a low-key setting for getting to know people and offer fairly good food. Three dining halls were recently renovated and offer good grills and salad bars, and one eats well the cafeteria-style Frist Campus Center too. During the week, people's schedules revolve around their classes and extracurriculars, but there are many opportunities to attend excellent lectures, student performances, etc.

Princeton is all about community and bringing the student body together, their residential college system, eating clubs, and other organizations really create tight bonds between students. I am in an eight girl suite on campus and my roommates are my best friends. Four of us are in the same sorority, one is in a different one, and three are unaffiliated and we still get along great. We all go out together, go to meals together, and hang out with the other suites in our building.

Go to bed early, get up early, and if you're Catholic, become friends with all the members of Aquinas Catholic. Its the best thing around.