Any Questions about Princeton?

Colleges & Universities A-Z Princeton University
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<p>Hey ec1234, thanks for giving more details. Perhaps I was taking too much of a Will Scharf-ish outlook toward all this stuff :)</p>

<p>It's hard to make an assumption about the student body. I've seen plenty of people wearing Brooks Brothers, etc. in certain classes (esp. Econ), but depending on what your subject is, you may or may not come across them. I've found that in my math classes, people either decide to dress down, or there aren't too many "preppy/elitist" types. </p>

<p>You can really hang out with whom you want to, and you'll never have a dearth of down-to-Earth friends. Most kids I've met, even from prep schools, are really nice people and act just like anyone else.</p>

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<p>I'm also a Freshman, and here's my take on some of these issues:</p>

<p>eating clubs: I don't plan to join one, but I think they get an unfair rap from outsiders. While from everything I've heard, Ivy and Cottage are still, to some extent, fairly elitist, most people go to, and join, clubs just because they are the most convenient places for partying and offer the best food on campus for members. I will say that, if you don't plan to make the Street a big part of your life, you should choose sub-free housing, as I did. That is the best place to meet people who are also less into the party scene.</p>

<p>going home: I live in NJ, so it isn't really an issue. However, even people who live far away (barring internationals, of course) seem to go home for fall break, winter break, and (I'm guessing) spring break. Some even go home again for intercession (the period between finals and second semester) and Thanksgiving.</p>

<p>surprises/intellectual atmosphere: I agree with Texan that people are way less competitive than I thought. I really don't discuss grades with my friends, even those in my classes, except in the most general sense. I may have a vague idea of who is doing well and who is struggling based on conversations, but I couldn't give you any kind of specific breakdown. </p>

<p>I also agree that not everyone is a genius - but I've also learned that I shouldn't dismiss anyone. The kid who gets drunk daily may also be one of the best in your class, the "dumb jock" may spend his free time writing a musical. You will meet remarkable and brilliant people here - but Texan is right, it won't be every person.</p>

<p>I think the impression that Princetonians aren't, as a whole, "intellectual" comes from the fact that we aren't intellectually pretentious. The well-rounded individual does not spend the better part of every day discussing Kant and Faulkner, and the vast majority of people seems to feel little pressure to do so. However, I have had quite a few geuniely academic discussions outside of my classes. Some of this is because I am taking a four-course Freshman humanities sequence, which tends to draw the most "intellectual" students, and also tends to promote friendships among the members of the class. My "hum" friends and I have had quite a few lunchtime chats about lectures, readings, and literature in general ( we once decided that we hadn't discussed the Aeneid enough in class and had an impromptue lunchtime precept). But, even outside of that class, I have had great discussions with my roommates and other friends about a variety of topics, ranging from the value of normative vs. practical ethics, to a religous debate (the key participants were a Jew, a newly devout Christian, a Muslim, and a theist who rejects organized religion), to the secret merits of Herbert Hoover. So, while it isn't all the time, there are, as others have mentioned, those great moments when you naturally fall into intense, and enjoyable, intellectual discourse.</p>

<p>Elitism: Its there, but only among a small portion of the student body. If you aren't desperate to get into the "upper echelons" of society, it won't affect you. For a primer on how not to deal with the social scene at an elite college, read "Privilige" by Ross Douthat, a Harvard grad who wihnes to no end about the sad experience being rejected from the most exclusive "finals club" at Harvard instead of fully appreciating the opportunities the school offered him.</p>

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<p>Everything ICarGirl says is correct...she's also probably completely insane for taking the HUM Sequence :)</p>

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<p>One of my roommates and another best friend of mine are in the HUM sequence, and several of my other good friends are as well. Having been in contact with them almost daily, I've come to find that any kind of intellectual pretension comes DIRECTLY from that class, haha. Honestly, HUMers get together in my room and the rooms oozes with intellectualism (of both the real and faux types).</p>

<p>And the whole elitist/preppy stereotype is so overblown it's laughable. My friends and I dress up and act like that when we're making fun of people who make fun of Princeton. True, polos and khakis are definitely visible around campus, but so are your sweats, tees, and converse. I can't tell you how many times I ran to make my soc lecture with nothing but sweats (sometimes pajama pants), a hoodie, and hair out of the wazoo. Good times, good times...:)</p>

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<p>hahaha....yes, I'm another HUMer and phil, I gotta say, thanks for letting us steal your room for those review sessions, I can't say I would've been that nice about a herd of 30 intellectually pretentious snobs taking over my common room at 10:30 in the morning during reading week (which is only the biggest party week of the year, right? I was tired, even if no one else was, lol). so let's see...want one more perspective on the above mentioned issues? well, even if you don't, you're gonna get it!</p>

<p>eating clubs: I probably will join a club, and probably will bicker, most likely ivy, though maybe cottage (no bets that I'll get in though). And no, this isn't because I'm a pretentious snob (phil and cara are free to disagree with me....though I certainly hope they won't!), but rather because thanks to a certain dance group that I'm in, I tend to spend the majority of my nights out at one of these two places. Honestly, entering pton, I didn't party at all, and I'm hardly a heavy partier now, I don't binge drink, I don't get wasted, and the first month or so at school, I didn't drink at all, and it was never a problem. You can enjoy going out to the street completely sober, I do it all the time. I think the club scene is fun, but that's just my opinion.</p>

<p>going home: I'm from CA, and have gone home every break except thanksgiving (in fact, I'm writing this from home). It's possible, assuming you can afford it, but next year I'll probably not come home intersession and either visit friends or stay at school/visit NY.</p>

<p>surprises/intellectual atmosphere: I agree full-heartedly w/ cara, let yourself be surprised. the girl who seems like she's gonna be the total genius may not be, and the boy who's the biggest partier may also be the smartest. One of the things I really love about pton is the "work hard, play hard" mentality. I've certainly played hard this semester, as have most of my friends, but we've also worked our butts off and come finals (at least for me), it did pay off (thank you 12 hour cram-fest for the HUM exam......). Out of class intellectual discussions have been mostly limited to HUMers, but again, that's 2 of my 4 classes (the other two being dance and a writing seminar), so I can't totally judge. Honestly, I've found that just talking to people about their lives is the most interesting thing...suddenly you find out that the kid who sits across from you in precept has written a novel, or starred in a broadway play...or that your best friend's bf is a track star or a world champion squash player. it's really cool, though it has a tendency to make me feel totally inadequate. </p>

<p>Elitism: eh, it's there, but it'll also be at harvard, yale, penn, dartmouth, columbia, stanford, uchicago, berkeley, UVA, UCLA, NYU, amherst, swarthmore, and the list goes on. if it bugs you, avoid it. if it doesn't...well...good for you, I guess. I'm mildly preppy, but am I wearing lacoste polos every day? NO! I show up to lecture in ballet clothes, a sweatshirt, and jeans most days...hardly fashionable! Elitism/preppy-ism, is totally avoidable if that's what you want to do. But a warning, lawnparties, the first weekend of school, is like the bastion of preppiness...don't let it scare you! lol. I'm happy to answer any other questions!</p>

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<p>Yeah, thanks Phil... it was actually kind of strange. I knew that you were one of the inhabitants of our study room, and considered introducing myself to the famous philintex, but then thought it would be kind of weird. So I just admired you from afar.</p>

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<p>Hahaha, you should have! I haven't met you yet, plus it would've made things a little less awkward when I woke up, hair sprawled everywhere, crusty-eyed, and completely confused as to why 20 people were in the common room talking about Plato, Homer, et al at ten in the morning. Cuh-razy, haha.</p>

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<p>Someone is wasting time at the Language Resource Centre....:p</p>

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<p>Leave it to sucha to call me out. No really, I AM SO BORRRREEED!!!</p>

<p>Why did everyone have to go to NYC on the day I'm working? :(</p>

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<p>what other colleges were you accepted to?</p>

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<p>Ha ha, that was another question I was kind of thinking about... what if you think you recognize someone at Princeton from one of these online communities that you haven't actually met before ... do you just introduce yourself as being from CC/xanga/the yahoo group/wherever or is that just kind of weird? Lol. Oh, I'm also wondering what the intramural sports are like as well as the Freshman Seminars... any advice on selecting one, scheduling, writing those first and second choice essays, etc.? What are the best student jobs on campus? Doing the tours looks like a lot of fun, but I'm sure that it's hard work, too. :-P</p>

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<p>How much money do you spend per week? What do you spend it on?</p>

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<p>Euphrasie, that would be weird...haha I'd probably act like I never met the other person, but that's just me.</p>

<p>HankBlalock9, I usually spend around $25-30 a week on food, clothes, haircut, candy, and stocks at times. If you are coming to Princeton, you probably don't need more than $10 a week.</p>

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<p>
[quote]
do you just introduce yourself as being from CC/xanga/the yahoo group/wherever or is that just kind of weird?

[/quote]

The chances that you will want to confess your CC-ness by the time you get to college are ridiculously low. And you will gnash your teeth every time someone recognizes you and brings up the subject. </p>

<p>So yeah I guess it's weird :p</p>

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<p>what's been your favorite part of Princeton so far?</p>

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<p>Ha ha, thought so. I find it weird enough when the kids at school talk to each other's faces about the comments they leave each other on myspace. :P</p>