Princeton University Top Questions

Princeton is the perfect college town. The campus is beautiful and full of amazing architecture and the education is unbeatable. The town surrounding is full of great restaurants, shops, and many opportunities for town/gown interactions. I like to run, and I feel so safe running alone at all hours of the day through town or down by the lake. It's such a beautiful place and it really is idyllic for a college experience. The student body is also the perfect size, with around 1200 per class, you really get to know a lot of the people on campus and no matter where you are you see someone you know. Also, the proximity to NYC is amazing. I am from a fairly rural town in Oregon and to be an hour and a half away from one of the most incredible cities in the country is great. The train comes right onto campus and in just a few stops you're in Penn Station! There is also a ton of school pride here, especially when it comes to rivals Harvard and Yale. To be part of such a long-standing rivalry is really fun and It's great to cheer on the Tigers when the other teams come to town.

Princeton is just right. It is large enough to have the resources and facilities for whatever you want, but not large enough to really get lost (though you could if you tried hard enough and communicated solely by email long enough). It is far enough from large towns to have an isolated and wonderfully insular air about it (condusive to pipes, wine, truth, good friends, conversation, green space, and a generally contemplative outlook on life - if you know where to look) but near enough that a night in NYC is only an hour and 20$ by train. It is important to attach yourself to the proper group of friends. I say, choose a group that you aspire to like, rather than the group you fit in with already. Generally, people could be better than they are - if you pick a group that you feel comfortable with already, they will probably only perpetuate the relatively nice person you are currently, rather than challenging you to be the truly wonderful and saintly person you could easily become. A goal directed life can be transcendent, if only we set our goals high enough. I'll remember shooting stars on Princeton battlefield, daily mass at noon in the chapel, the friends who have made me the man I have become, and a life of education and the pursuit of Truth and Love I have only just begun.

Overall, Princeton is an incredible place to go to school. The campus is beautiful, the town is charming, the professors are some of the world's brightest and most inspiring thinkers and the educational opportunities are endless. That being said, it also some personality quirks: an unusual social scene, a constant and intense level of academic pressure and more rigorous requirements than most other schools in the country (i.e., senior thesis). I have tremendous appreciation for the education I received at Princeton, and know that for the rest of my life I will be considered part of a select group of people who are respected for their achievements.

As a college town, Princeton offers everything you might need. A mere hour commute from New York City, it's location satisfies the desires of students to get away from college, explore a big city, and experience the energy and excitement of an urban culture. But my favorite weekends tended to involve a walk around the suburban town of Princeton itself. Quiet, quaint, and filled with adorable boutiques, restaurants, and more ice cream spots than you could wish for. Some might say Princeton is boring, but it provided what I thought of as a perfect complement to all the activities offered on Princeton's campus itself. Both the town of Princeton and the campus of the University served as the social centers for students and townspeople alike ("townies" as we like to call them).

The size of the school is just right. By far the best thing about Princeton is the people here. They are some of the most incredible people ever, with the widest array of interests and passions. You can always learn something new from the people you meet. The one thing I'd change about Princeton would be the town. It's not much of a college town; it's more of a quaint, historic town. There isn't much of a night life around here, and most stores in the surrounding township close before 6 pm which is really inconvenient.

Best thing: The people--everyone is brilliant, kind, and, best of all, has a hidden talent that makes them intriguing. School size is just right. College town: enough good restaurants and shops to keep us entertained, but not so much that it's distracting. School pride: absolutely.

The best thing about Princeton is that you know when you leave you will have a huge network to work within. The alumni network is phenomenal, and their pride in this school is amazing. Alumni are incredibly willing to help people with jobs, advice, and are super friendly.

The best thing about Princeton by far is professors and courses. If I could change one thing, it would be giving students the option to live off campus after sophomore year. I think the size of Princeton is just right - small enough so that classes are relatively small and it feels like a tightly-knit community, but large enough so that there is diversity and a variety of groups and social scenes. People usually have an "impressed" reaction when I tell them I go to Princeton. I spend most of my time in my dorm room or around my residential college (dining halls, study spaces). Princeton is kind of a college town (the university is the center of town), but is also very wealthy and expensive (not very friendly to college-student budget). Princeton's administration is dedicated and make an effort to listen to student concerns. They are also fairly available and approachable for students. There is a lot of Princeton spirit/school pride. Princeton is unusual in its "eating club" system, where juniors and seniors take meals at private clubhouses rather than dining halls or being independent. I will always remember the experience of being initiated into my eating club. Frequent student complaints are: the university's alcohol policies (which I think is way less strict than most other schools) and the failure of the university to recognize the eating clubs in a positive light.

As with any college, the best thing is the people. I'd change... the grad school? so unnecessary and they're kindof creapy. We'd be better off as a college purely. I think Princeton is the perfect size, though my view is only of the social people - the anti-social people hide in their dorms and since I don't see then, i don't consider them part of my Princeton experience. I spend most of my time on campus with friends, in a theater of some sort, in rehearsal, at the gym, as do many people I know - we're a very active place. Princeton is a great town, though not in the sense of a traditional college town - no real bar or club scene, but that's why we have "The Street"

Love, love, love Princeton. School size is perfect.Its very hard to get into clubs, right now. How difficult, though, changes depending on how much the borough of Princeton is trying to crack down on under-age drinking. People always seem really impressed when I tell them I go to Princeton. I actually kind of love it. We spend most of our time in the Frist campus center- you could live there, it's really awesome and has everything anyone could possibly need. Plus, its a major hangout too. Cut little college town,but more for the local folks than college students. It's all pretty expensive actually, but its a beautiful, charming little town. Biggest controversy is the university's new RA and alcohol policies- so now we're more like other universities where RA can get you in trouble for having parties, serving alcohol to minors, etc. Unbelievable amount of school pride here- everyone is always wearing Princeton gear- sweatshirts, backpacks, t-shirts, sweatpants, hats, you name it- we got it. Princeton is unusually fantastic. For such a great school, there's a pretty intense party scene. "Work hard, play hard" is big around here. Always remember my Princeton tour, it was informative and made me so excited to apply and hopefully come here.