And yet another "I can't make up my mind" thread..

Colleges and Universities A-Z Princeton University
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<p>Hello everyone. This is my first post on CC, which is an awesome site by the way. I have made an effort to read through as many threads as possible both in this sub-forum and in the "Princeton University" forum. I have also checked out several other fora, but I still need help from you informed and experienced people regarding my college decisions.</p>

<p>First of all, I'm an international student, and I want to study Engineering.</p>

<p>Secondly, I have received acceptances from the following American universities:</p>

<p>1) Purdue University, West Laffayette
2) University of Michigan Ann-Arbor
3) Cornell University
4) Stanford University
5) Princeton University</p>

<p>[You can see where this is going, yeah? Hehehe.. Please, please bear with me :( ]</p>

<p>I understand that I can enroll in only of these fine institutions. Obviously, the first three are out.</p>

<p>Now an epic battle rages on in my mind between the half leaning towards SU and the second half leaning towards PU.</p>

<p>Princeton is... Princeton. I admit that my knowledge about Princeton was very limited, so the forum was a real help. But I am concerned about several things, primarily the quality of the school of applied sciences and engineering. I understand that Stanford ranks way higher than Princeton when it comes to engineering, and that might affect my future career opportunities. I can't find information on Princeton's engineering cirriculum (I plan to major in M&A Engineering). Is the department flexible? Can I switch majors at some point in time? How many years do I have (in Stanford it's 2, I think) to declare a major and commit myself to it? Does Princeton have an edge over Stanford when it comes to employability?</p>

<p>Stanford is... Stanford (heh, I'm not being very helpful here, am I? :) ). Stanford is located in an awesome setting. The engineering department is fabulous. California seems exotic. I can graduate in 3 years with my IB credits and a bit of hard work. Research opportunities in aerospace are endless (I'm leaning towards aerospace engineering). </p>

<p>==</p>

<p>I have a few general (non-universitiy-specific) questions that I need answered about the American system. Forgive me for my ignorance. I am foreign to this system:</p>

<p>1) Housing. That's a first-priority for me. Stanford's housing-related website sucks. Princeton's website rocks. Although I'm a freshmen, and I understand that the chances of me getting a single room are slim, I would VERY MUCH prefer to be in a single room. I don't know why. I almost crave for a single room, and might think of rejecting offers if that's not available. That's how bad I want to live in a single room. </p>

<p>2) What are draws? I know about them in the general sense from reading through the websites, but really, how do I apply for housing? When do I apply for housing? What are draws, and can I ignore them and go searching for off-campus apartments? What's the universities' policy when it comes to undergraduate housing?</p>

<p>3) Meal plans - some elaboration would be nice. Do I apply for them along with housing? What should I aim for? This concept is totally foreign, is there something I need to know about meal plans before I sign up for one?</p>

<p>4) "Bicker"? I have come across this term quite a lot on this forum? What is that? </p>

<p>5) Results. I take the International Baccalaureate program. Stanford wants my results no later than July 1. That's a quotation, by the way. The IB posts the results on their website on July 6, 14:30 GMT. Does this mean I won't be able to get into Stanford? Or will I be penalized?</p>

<p>Thank you very much for your time and effort. I really appreciate it. I'm lost. No one in my family had pursued higher education in America. Both my father and my elder brother are UK graduates.</p>

<p>And of course, please remember the first question, Stanford or Princeton? :)</p>

<ul>
<li>aya - Class of 2009</li>
</ul>

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<p>1) You can request for singles at both universities, however there is no guarantee (again, at either) that you will get one, unless you have some documented condition. You could try being as anti-social as possible on your housing forms.</p>

<p>2) Because of the different housing areas (or, in the case of Princeton, residential colleges), you get drawn - usually randomly - into a college or hall, and then a room within that hall is randomly assigned to you (and your roommate(s), if any). This occurs after they recieve your housing preference form (which they will send to you after you have decided to matriculate). As you only get housing assigned AFTER you decided to enrol, I'm afraid you can't wait to see what housing you get before you choose where to go (at least, not without breaking some rules that could get you kicked out). </p>

<p>Both universities require you to live on campus as an undergraduate for at least the first two years. Off campus housing in Palo Alto and Princeton are expensive, and relatively far from campus.</p>

<p>3) You apply for meal plans along with housing, you will eat at the dining hall associated with your residence hall/residential college, unless you have a specific dietary requirement (e.g. Kosher, Halal, vegetarian, vegan). Princeton, I believe, requires you to take at least a 14 meals/week plan for your underclass (first two) years. </p>

<p>4) Bicker applies only to Princeton. After the first two years at Princeton, most students move into upperclass residence halls. They then choose between joining an Eating Club (which is, yes, a club where you eat and party), going independent and arranging their own meals, or buying another meal plan. (In 2007, Princeton will open three four-year residential colleges, giving you another option then. Currrently all residential colleges are two-year only). </p>

<p>The more selective of the eleven eating clubs require you to 'bicker' to get in. The term refers to the process of selection, which usually involves doing some stunt to prove your worthiness to join the eating club. The other clubs do it by random draw. </p>

<p>5) Don't worry about results. July 6 is when they are reported to you, not when they are sent to colleges. Stanford is used to the IB and knows when to expect things. Even if they don't get it by August, they'll just ask you to send it then. </p>

<p>Congratulations on receiving acceptances from two exceptional schools. Regardless of which you choose, you will have a fantastic four years. Don't worry about the reputation of the schools. Though it is true that Stanford is probably better regarded when it comes to Engineering, you will recieve a comparable education from both and employers know as much. </p>

<p>You can use advanced standing at Princeton to graduate in 3 years as well (assuming you have the right credits), but that means you have to declare a major very early (after your first year instead of your second) and you'll be missing out a lot by committing to so much work. Still, you've got that option. You may switch majors at any time, I believe, as long as you have the necessary requirements.</p>

<p>As a member of Princeton's class of 2009, I am obliged to recommend that you choose Princeton (of course) but really, you need to see what suits you best. If you are considering a major that Stanford offers but Princeton doesn't, then you should probably go to Stanford. How are you with cold weather? It can get freezing in Princeton, while Stanford tends to be no worse than cool during winter. </p>

<p>I hope I've been able to clear up a few things. Good luck to you, and congratulations again.</p>

3

<p>Hi there,</p>

<p>Allow me to add my congratulations to the mix.</p>

<p>Check out my "I can't make up my mind" thread (also Princeton versus Stanford) at <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=48888%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=48888&lt;/a> .</p>

<p>The only other thing I can add to cevonia's fabulous post is a website about stanford housing (one you may have missed):
<a href="http://www.stanford.edu/group/resed/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.stanford.edu/group/resed/&lt;/a>
and
<a href="http://www.stanford.edu/home/welcome/students/residences.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.stanford.edu/home/welcome/students/residences.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>good luck in making your decision! post back and tell us your thought processes</p>

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<p>To counterweight someone's links...</p>

<p>The ultimate guide to the Princeton Experience:
<a href="http://www.princeton.edu/pr/pub/sg/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.princeton.edu/pr/pub/sg/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>It's for the class of 2008 right now, but all the information there is relevant. Make sure to read the first two links at least: (<a href="http://www.princeton.edu/pr/pub/sg/chap1.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.princeton.edu/pr/pub/sg/chap1.html&lt;/a&gt;) and (<a href="http://www.princeton.edu/pr/pub/sg/chap2.html%5B/url%5D)-they"&gt;http://www.princeton.edu/pr/pub/sg/chap2.html)-they&lt;/a> offer great insight on how life at Princeton will be.</p>

<p>One piece of info that I didn't find was when you could apply for the housing. After a call to the admissions office, I found out that you will get your housing application after you turn in your desire to matriculate. In there, you can state how many people you want as a roommate (0-13). I'm not sure whether it's harder for freshmen to get a single, but I already know at least 3 who do. I'm sure there's a lot more.</p>

<p>The ultimate guide to eating clubs:
<a href="http://www.princeton.edu/%7Eppf/guide.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.princeton.edu/~ppf/guide.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Everything you need to know about eating clubs.</p>

<p>Some more info I found out after a chat with the admissions officers:
about 50-80% of upperclassmen participate in these eating clubs. The remainder participates in co-opts (people cooking and eating together), makes their own meals, or continues with the university meal.
Note that it costs about $4000 a year for the university meal plan while co-opts cost $1000 a year.</p>