Princeton University Top Questions

Princeton is the perfect size, big enough for a level of anonymity but small enough that you always see a friendly face around. The residential college system helps with that, since your home dining hall will be the same people much of the time. The town of Princeton is a nice place, though the shopping can get a bit expensive, but New York City and Philadelphia are easy train rides away - about an hour to either city. Princeton students are incredibly happy and have a lot of school pride, and the alumni network is one of the best things, since basically any alumni would love to help you get an internship or a job. The eating clubs get the most attention when people think of Princeton, and I came with a bad image of them. In reality, though, there are some bicker clubs (where members are selected) and sign-in clubs (all you have to do is join) and they are all popular and great places, and there are options for everyone and for what anyone might want to do. And of course, one of the best things about Princeton is that devoted alumni continue to give generously, so we get lots of funding for all sorts of activities (I recently saw an opera at the Met for $5).

The best thing about Princeton is that is is really an amazing place for academics. The amount of brain power on campus is pretty astonishing, and you often forget that almost everyone you meet has something that they are very very good at. The professors are great, because they're often at the top of their fields. It is really great to have the opportunity to live in this kind of atmosphere, and interact with such great minds. At the same time, there are aspects of the social life here that I would consider unideal. The eating clubs play a huge role in the social life. This can get a bit redundant, as the majority of partying on campus occurs in the same clubs with very little variation. The clubs also promote a somewhat exclusive atmosphere, as they are very selective not only in admitting new members, but also in allowing people in on any given night. The selectivity is also exacerbated by the small size of the campus, and it sometimes feels like everybody knows everything about everybody else. But in general, the people here are pretty nice and cool, especially if you look for friends in the right places, which may not be certain eating clubs. I know that I have found some great friends here, and the people I regularly hang out with It is largely the type of place where you can make of it whatever you choose to. There are so many opportunities to be taken advantage of that it would be very difficult to summarize the school. Politically, the campus is somewhat more stagnant than I may have expected. People are interested in politics, but the campus protest or demonstration is pretty rare. This may currently be due to the fact that Princeton is relatively conservative, compared with other schools.

Princeton is wonderful. The architecture is inspiring, class size and availability is generally great, the professors are brilliant, and your peers are at once subtly intelligent and openly fun. While the university's insistence on the residential college system is both misguided and short-sighted, the school as a whole is a perfect size. It's big enough that there are always new people to meet, but small enough that it's hard to find anyone that's not at least a friend of a friend. Though football attendance is woefully poor, there is still a notable undercurrent of school pride. Everyone at Princeton is very excited to be here and most could think of nowhere better. The worst thing about Princeton is having to leave. Princeton's administration is often foolish, as evinced in recent changes to the alcohol policy, RA policy and the introduction of the 4-year residential college system, but ultimately it is the students that make the school. Talk to any alumnus and the love that students here feel for Princeton is great and timeless.

The best thing at Princeton is the classes. I would change the administration at Princeton. It is just the right size. People are usually impressed when I tell them I go to Princeton.

Umm, Princeton. It's so hard to describe. I just love it that much and cannot imagine myself any other place. When I applied and accepted, I was so unsure of Princeton, but I have just loved every single minute here. If I had to change anything, it would be grade deflation. I think that it has affected some of my grades and is more trouble than it is worth, especially when other schools aren't implementing it. Princeton is just the right size. I definitely wouldn't want it to be twice the size, and absolutely no smaller. At first I was reluctant to tell people I went to Princeton because I was afraid they'd judge me. Even some of my friends from home who also went to good schools--they just weren't Ivies that were ranked #1 in the nation. But I've found there's a way to be proud of going to Princeton because it is your college and you love it and not make it seem like you're bragging or bashing other people's schools. I spend most of my time in Frist either working my job or studying or going to class. It's really conveniently located and has everything you might need pretty much. College town sort of, but not really. Nassau St., sure, but not the whole town. The administration is growing more invasive and interfering without good reason or student input. We're still fighting. The biggest recent controversy was the RCA alcohol policy. People didn't fully understand what it was meant to do from the University side, but the University also doesn't need to do this. THe RCA's shouldn't be local policemen for the University, but rather people to go to for help. P-Safety also busts parties that aren't even loud, which is ridiculous. There's a ton of school pride. #1 in the nation. Duh.

Princeton is maybe one of the most idyllic places for that old-school Ivy League experience. I lived in gorgeous buildings, met super-interesting people from a really diverse array of backgrounds, and had a lot of fun with the classes. It’s a very self-contained environment: The town of Princeton doesn’t offer much by way of shopping or nightlife unless you’re a wealthy middle-aged white person, and students rarely ever live off-campus, so you really do spend all four years immersed in the Princeton campus. Like all things Ivy League these days, Princeton is definitely in a transition phase, as more students demand access to the awesome education without the perceived social and economic elitism associated with top-tier private schools. The fairly new-ish president, Shirley Tilghman, is fighting the eating club system by building and promoting the new four-year residential colleges and admitting more “artistic” students (and fewer future i-bankers). It’s a tight-knit community with a lot of wonderful academic and extracurricular options, but if it weren’t for the eating clubs, I don’t know whether I would have enjoyed my time here nearly half as much. So, you know—there are things to be said for the new, and things to be said for the old. The very-active alumni community has a large say in keeping the history and traditions alive, for better or for worse. All I know is that if I ever become one of those people who give money to Princeton, I’ll bypass the school altogether and make a donation to my old eating club, Terrace, and fix the person-shaped hole in the upstairs hallway, or possibly put in a cross-walk so fewer students have to take their lives into their hands crossing Washington Road every day.

My favorite moments at Princeton were spent sitting in my dorm room talking to my roommates. As much as I learned in my classes, I learned at least as much from my friends. We talked a lot about what we were studying, so I got to hear different viewpoints than those I’d heard in class and spend more time carefully examining my own. We also spoke a lot about our backgrounds, and since my college friends were more diverse than my Long Island high school friends in a lot of ways—geographically, racially, experientially, religiously, and (perhaps less so) economically—I was exposed to varied worldviews on a constant basis. The size of the school is perfect—small enough that I ran into people I knew all over campus, and large enough that I met new people through the end of senior year. The college town wasn’t a big part of my life; I rarely left campus, except to go to a movie or out to dinner every few weeks, and there wasn’t much communication between students and Princeton residents. The area is also expensive, with stores like J. Crew and Ann Taylor, which aren’t friendly to college students’ budgets. On campus, I spent a lot of time at my eating club, Tower, after I joined at the beginning of my junior year. (For the second half of college at Princeton, eating clubs are where most students take their meals and go out at night, so the eating club you belong to determines a lot of your social scene.) Other than my eating club, I spent a considerable amount of time in my dorm with my roommates, and in Frist, the campus center. There is a ton of school spirit at Princeton. On a walk from any building to any other, I saw an average of five students wearing Princeton clothing. (This is also an effect of the school’s affinity for giving away free T-shirts at almost every event.) I was always embarrassed to admit I went to Princeton, though, because I’d invariably receive a response of “Oh, Princeton,” denoting my obvious snobbery-by-association. In general, I was fairly obsessed with the school and my friends there, and was very upset when I had to leave at the end of every school year. Fortunately, the education prepared me for this grueling existence as a real live employee, and I still live with two friends from college—one of whom was my roommate for three years (beginning freshman year, so Housing did something right).

Princeton is a very strange town to have a college in, in that it's not really a "college town." Princeton, New Jersey is an upper-middle class suburb with a good public school system. It's a good place to raise a family, and it shows - lots of families live here. Because of that, there aren't really many good places for students to hang out off campus - there aren't really any college bars (well, maybe 1), and most of the restaurants are upscale and expensive. As a result - or perhaps the causality goes the other way - most of the socializing occurs at the eating clubs on Prospect Ave.

Princeton students are fascinating...no one seems to be totally one-sided. From foreign languages, to sports, to musical instruments, to the ability to dance salsa or program a computer, it seems like everyone you meet here has some sort of hidden passion or talent beyond simply what they are studying in their classes. In some ways, one of the downfalls of a place like Princeton is that there is often so much academic pressure, and such a competitive atmosphere, that it feels like there's never enough time to keep up with all of your interests or take advantage of all of the incredible opportunities Princeton has to offer. The school feels large at first during freshman year, but quickly seems to shrink sophomore year as you get into a "niche." It soon seems like you see the same small community of people everywhere, centered around the types of classes you take or the types of places you hang out or party. When this atmosphere feels too stifling its easy to forget that there are thousands more students on campus, but when you realize this its easy to reach out and meet completely new groups of people. The size is nice in this way, but it's still a relatively small school, which makes it much easier to have an identity, especially in classes and departments, than at larger schools. Another huge plus about the size is that the grad school at Princeton is tiny compared to the undergrad program, which means that the focus is truly on the undergrad students and the amazing professors here actually interact with you as early as freshman year (this isn't true at all the Ivy Leagues even and really makes Princeton stand out). The town of Princeton is smaller than a lot of college towns. As far as the part in walking distance from campus, there's not much. Some awesome ice cream stores (Bent Spoon and Thomas Sweet's are student favorites), some pricey restaurants (great for dates or when parents visit but not as much for day to day eating), and a few clothing stores (J.Crew, Ralph Lauren, and the like). That said, it is a gorgeous town, peaceful (always feels safe), and there are still fun places to discover. Since its so small, you always see other students, even off campus. To find the usual main stream chain stores, you have to take a car (you can have one in the student lot starting sophomore year) or a bus (runs every few hours from campus) to Route 1, about a 10 minute drive. There, you can find almost anything, and Target and such are good for dorm supplies (way cheaper than what you'll find in Princeton proper). Students spend the vast majority of their time on campus, however. Frist Campus Center is a popular hang out, with study space, a cafe, dining area, mail room, classrooms, and more. Students are very opinionated about the administration and have many criticisms, especially about certain recurring issues. Starting just a few years ago, the administration installed a policy of "grade deflation" which limits the number of A's that professors can give to their students. For obvious reasons, this is hugely controversial, and I don't think I've ever met a student who thinks it is reasonable. Students begrudge this policy and how getting A's at Harvard is "a breeze" in comparison, with no similar policy. This fall, the administration also revised the school's alcohol policy, making it much stricter than previously. Now RCAs (upperclassmen who live in freshman and sophomore dorms in mainly advisory roles) are required to break up parties in their dormitories, which many fear will drastically change the previously friendly relationship between students their advisers. Discussions about the future this policy are currently taking place. Students seem to love Princeton, and are very proud of their school and its traditions, but that said, school spirit surrounding sporting events is not particularly high. One awesome thing about the school in general is its tradition. The school is very proud of its many illustrious alumni over the years, and a sense of history is definitely present. Along with the seriousness, this is accompanied by some seriously fun traditions. For example, if Princeton beats both Harvard and Yale in its football season there is a massive bonfire in the middle of Cannon Green on campus. This happened for the first time in almost 13 years when I was a freshman and the celebration and excitement around the final Yale game and the victorious bonfire were unforgettable. The most common complaint students have is stress. Everyone always has a million things going at once, from academics, to applications for summer internships, to extracurriculars, and the stress levels seem to be at a constant high. That said, students still find time to have fun. There's a definite "work hard, play hard" mentality on campus.

The academics. All of the professors are leaders in their respective fields, but also very willing to share their time with students. There are plentiful opportunities and resources to do independent work, and the guidance to be very successful and thrive.