<p>Does anyone know, because if they are, I will steer clear. Not that I will get in, i just dont want to start liking it if it is preppy. Please tell me if it is preppy, cliquey, exclusive in comparison to other top schools. Please list some that are less preppy and some that are more preppy. Thanks!</p>
<p>The student body is exactly the same as it is at other comparable schools.</p>
<p>They have that reputation, and so yes I would say it is preppy. I visited, went to a couple classes, but mostly I go by figures. They are about 45% private school kids I think, and certainly are known for students who come from billion $ families (google ceo's daughter, grandkid of Heneikken owner).</p>
<p>Actually Yale has more private school kids than Princeton and Princeton has better financial aid than Yale. So. Next attempt?</p>
<p>Look guys, you are all smart kids. Parse the term preppy.</p>
<p>Do you mean rich? See above on FA.
Do you mean politically conservative? Yes, Princeton is somewhat more politically conservative than Yale and Harvard.
Do you mean clean cut? Princeton is more clean cut than Harvard, a little more so than Yale.
Do you mean exclusionary and non-friendly? Princeton kids are extraordinarily friendly and the combination of eating clubs, residential colleges, ECs that are not brutally competitive to participate in, small classes, a nurturing community, and a beautiful suburban campus that has very little through traffic makes Princeton incredibly social and warm in culture.</p>
<p>Next? Or another definition of "preppy"?</p>
<p>I mean which do you want if you have to choose, which of course, you don't, the world not being a binary environment. Smart kids who act friendly but wear pink sweaters, or smart kids who act a little cold and wear black jackets?</p>
<p>BTW, I am an old hippie myself, so am generally averse to political conservatives and being from California had never even SEEN a belt with tennis rackets on it before I got to Princeton in 1974 and EVEN SO my experience there was characterized by great friendships and absolutely brilliant classroom and independent study experiences.</p>
<p>You get famous families at Harvard and Yale as well. Some Princeton students are preppy, but not all or even a majority. Don't confuse preppy with going to private school. Around 45% of the students here went to private school. The percent of preppy kids is definitely lower.</p>
<p>Weasel, yes, another parsing of preppy, i.e. went to private school. However, in my experience, many kids who went to private school these days are the edgiest, dressing-in-black, smoking clove cigarettes and channeling Sartre people you can find. </p>
<p>Just agree on terms everyone:).</p>
<p>If you mean by style of clothes, then yes. I was actually amazed at how much that New England yacht club type of preppy clothing style was played out on Princeton's campus. But that is a superficial way of looking at things, because Princeton also hosts some of the nation's most brilliant, social, and talented students as well...who just might happen to wear Sperry Top Siders and Madras pants.</p>
<p>To be precise, the mainstream style of dress on the Princeton campus is wholesome suburban verging on Southern prep. New England prep would be more Top Siders. They'd wear blue jean jackets. </p>
<p>I, however, arrived in patched blue jeans, one of the patches saying Outward Bound, and a bandanna. On my head. Like a pirate. </p>
<p>And there was then and is now a substantial current of arty types, as well as international kids ignoring the whole issue of how to dress for which American social type.</p>
<p>And the brilliant mathematicians and physicists who may not remember to wear shoes.</p>
<p>And the athletes in their sweats. And the kids who stayed up too late and come to class in their PJs.</p>
<p>I do get tired of intelligent people neglecting to examine old stereotypes, to pick out what is valid in the stereotype, and what is not.</p>
<p>I confess I did wind up at one point wearing a striped crew neck sweater. And Navy surplus pants. But I recovered;).</p>
<p>Alumother, you are so funny. I laughed for about five minutes after reading your responses to this thread. Humor aside, I think all your statements are very true. It all comes down to the fact that how people dress has nothing to do with how nice they are.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Do you mean clean cut? Princeton is more clean cut than Harvard, a little more so than Yale.
[/quote]
Pologyze for my ignorance. What is this mean?</p>
<p>Alumother
"Actually Yale has more private school kids than Princeton and Princeton has better financial aid than Yale. So. Next attempt?"</p>
<p>How about, before you get all cocky with your "so. next attempt," why don't you realize that I never said Princeton was more preppy than Yale, but still preppy indeed. Does Yale having more private school kids mean that Princeton is NOT preppy? I, and most people with common sense, would say these two have no correlation. So, next attempt?</p>
<p>chicagoboy12 - the OP requested analysis compared to other top schools. I assumed you had read his post and were responding. So, if I believed in grownups trying to whup kids I would say, "Next attempt?" But instead I will apologize for my snide comment. If you had been here on this board as long as I have, and you had gone to Princeton, and you had a child in her 3rd year at Princeton, you too might occasionally get snide when for the umpteenth time someone says that since Princeton has the reputation for being preppy it must be so.</p>
<p>anotherNJmom, clean cut means, well, my hypothesis is that the term referred in its origin to haircuts. When kids in the US began to grow their hair long in rebellion against the 1950's short hair (which if I think about it was probably due in part to WWII), the kids who rebelled less were, in comparison, "clean cut".</p>
<p>And Kellie if you think I am funny I hope you get in everywhere you apply:).</p>
<p>Oh, I thought you were talking about the quality of undergraduate education. :)</p>
<p>Alumother: "Do you mean exclusionary and non-friendly? Princeton kids are extraordinarily friendly and the combination of eating clubs... makes Princeton incredibly social and warm in culture."</p>
<p>Maybe I'm wrong, but I get the impression that the eating clubs are a major part of why people think of Princeton as exclusionar and non-friendly.</p>
<p>See this: Undercover</a> at Princeton’s Eating Clubs | The New York Observer</p>
<p>I do not mean clothes at all, i dont care what clothes people wear. I mean in their general attitude towards others, exclusivity, etc. Like this girl who was my roomate last summer was a prep, not necessarily in clothing, but she was cold, rude, unfriendly, and only somewhat nice to those she perceived to be at her class level. So I guess I mean socially preppy, if that is a term. Not nice, exclusive, walk in that way that suggests they are better than everyone else, pompous, disingenuous. These are the characteristics of the preps I am referring to. I have heard that Princeton has a lot of these, but I dont know, and dont want to generalize, and wanted to hear opinions about the matter. Thanks!</p>
<p>just remember, I am not talking about outward appearance like hair or clothes, I am asking about personalities, attitudes. And can someone compare to other schools as well. Thanks for all the replies.</p>
<p>Alumother-
[quote]
Princeton kids are extraordinarily friendly
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Is Aludaughter friendly? Cuz Cookieson would sure like to meet her! He's the brilliant mathematician walking around with shoes on.:)</p>
<p>In terms of dress, the kids at Princeton are extremely preppy like khakis, sweater vests, and collars. Not to say that you'll look weird if you're just in a simple t-shirt, but you'll generally see well dressed people.</p>
<p>Personality wise, it's pretty friendly. There are quite a few cocky people walking around from my experience, but that's to be expected. You always have a few where ever you go.</p>
<p>who wants to go to princeton anyways ? :P</p>
<p>My S went to a large urban public school system with low SAT scores and lots of kids that qualify for free school lunch. He's having a ball at Princeton and when we walk across campus, everyone says hello to him. I bought him his first pair of khakis for Christmas, but he only wears them to parties. What Princeton is full of is a lot of really smart kids from all over the world.</p>