Hi-my daughter is considering EA to Princeton. Interested in math/science. Also, considering a smaller LAC ED. How accessible are the professors in math/science in terms of office hours etc. Also, are all science courses taught by professors rather than grad students? Are professors focused more on teaching or research? what is the process for undergrads who are interested in research? Finally, how is the atmosphere in math/science course–is it collaborative? I realize lots of questions so even answers to a few would be great. thx.
Princeton is considered one of the most undergrad teaching focused of the T20 schools. USNWR always places it highly on undergrad teaching. Courses are taught by professors, but some precepts (small group sessions in addition to the lectures) may be led by grad students. Professors are available in office hours. You didn’t say what science your student is considering. Math has a reputation for very advanced students. Physics and Astrophysics are very well regarded and have more professors than students. Computer science is now the most popular major there, and is offered in both BA and BSE options.
I find students at the T20 schools and T5 LACs largely the same.
Thank you for the information. Can you clarify what you mean by largely the same? I’m not sure what you are referring to. She is undecided about what science/math. . Interested in premed.
Many students have overlapping applications to T5 LACS and Ivies. Many are cross-admits to several. The student population at these schools is more similar than dissimilar, so I don’t think there is much difference in level of collaboration and competition at them.
Premeds are more often bio, chemistry or psychology majors rather than math or physics
I see what you’re saying. I do think there’s some self selection in terms of the remote LACs. Doesn’t appeal to all students or some want prestige of the ivies
I’ve had kids at both Princeton and a top 5 LAC, so I can weigh in.
The profs at Princeton are pretty accessible – the university requires students to do a senior thesis, so basically every students does research (or a thesis-like project) and the faculty generally work closely with students on this work. As has been noted above, courses are taught by professors, but grad students may run the smaller sessions that are part of many courses. (That’s simply a matter of logistics – for a course with 150 students, it’s simply impossible for professors to do all of the 12-person precepts or small group meetings themselves – but the professors do some of the small-group sessions; when I was there, I had a weekly economics precept run by the Princeton’s president, who was teaching the course that semester). Overall, I think that Princeton’s reputation as being one of the most undergrad-focused top universities is well deserved.
All of that said, I’m not sure I would say that student-faculty interactions are identical to that in a top LAC. But maybe that’s just my perception. I can say that my LAC kid, who was relatively shy (and was a physics major), had lots of faculty interactions (including dinners at professors’ homes) and was able to develop some good personal relationships with them. Maybe part of that was being in a small department – it’s hard to be invisible when there are only 8 other physics majors in your class. (I think my LAC kid would have gotten a little lost in the crowd at a school with 40 other physics majors.)
Overall, I think that Princeton and a top LAC are both excellent choices with regards to teaching, and I would suggest basing the EA/ED decision on other factors (size, location, campus culture, cost, etc.).
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My son, a junior at the school says that Princeton is a very humbling experience for the students, as most sink to mere average or even lower from their top standings in HS, and “you find out how little you know”. Most of his professors are accessible; all of his discussion/precept classes have been led by well-qualified PhDs in the field. The workload is very heavy. There are help/tutor centers, staffed (mostly?) by students who had taken and done well in the courses that they are assigned to tutor. Students are to declare a major by the end of sophomore year; switching majors, even into popular ones (CS, engineering), is straight forward. Some students do study together, which my son tried and then decided that it is more efficient for him to work alone. Group projects are assigned in some classes and he has had good experiences with those.
He is grateful for and has enjoyed the opportunities to learn, from the teachers and his fellow students, who are “just brilliant”. He is also of the opinion that students there “don’t feel the need to prove themselves to others”.
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Thank you for that. Is your son a science major? Has he had the opportunity to conduct research? what has that been like? really appreciate.
He is in the school of engineering (operations research and financial engineering) and has not have any research experience in the labs. For students interested in pre-med, contact the Health Profession Advising office and plan early, https://hpa.princeton.edu/