<p>Hi guys,
You might have seen my posts in the Columbia Forum; I'm asking the Princeton Forum for some info for a friend of mine who is a junior. </p>
<p>She would like to know if the supposed preppiness of Princeton is true. Also, what is the social scene like? Is it only on weekends or more a once a month thing? </p>
<p>Thanks guys.</p>
<p>hey. i'm a princeton freshman. princeton is known for being preppy. All stereotypes have a little bit of truth to them. yes, there are people wearing polo shirts every day and people generally believe princeton is the best school in the country (school spirit). call it arrogance, but i don't see it that way. It's more princeton pride (there's a reason princeton is number 1 by far in alumni endowment per capita - people love this school). But while there are people wearing collared shirts, i would say most of the people wear jeans and t-shirts or even pajama pants to class or even walking through frist in the morning or at the dining halls. There is absolutely nothing abnormal about that. In fact, that is probably the norm. I'm not very preppy at all and I fit in perfectly. 99.9% of all students are down to earth, nice people. </p>
<p>I could not imagine being anywhere else right now. My freshman year is just about over and I'm already sad I only have 3 more years here. I've had the best time of my life and met some lifelong friends in 8 months.</p>
<p>Thanks for the reply. Anyone else?</p>
<p>Yeah, I'm a freshman here too. Everything dvd said is true, but I'd like to add a bit. </p>
<p>I believe that Princeton's social life is actually even <em>more</em> unifying than at other schools. At Penn or Yale, for example (where I have the most friends, I can't speak for Harvard), students spend a lot of time at bars, where they must have fake IDs and spend money to drink. Furthermore, there is a division within the student body based on who knows where all the cool bars to be at on any given night are, or where the cool room parties are, etc.<br>
Princeton doesn't have any of these problems. Very few people here have a fake ID, because of the eating clubs, which are ran mostly by college students! People here VERY RARELY have to pay for alcohol, because the eating clubs provide it for free. Also, on any given saturday, every student on campus knows where the party is. There is no social hierarchy of who knows where to go for a party, because the entire school parties on the same little street! I think it is a very unifying force and is a great feeling when you don't have to worry about going to creepy bars and paying lots of money and risking getting in trouble for having a fake ID. </p>
<p>Also, about the preppy thing. You'll see a lot of it at other schools as well, and I've been shocked at how little of it there is here. The only time I really see kids dressed up in cable sweaters and popped collars are when there is a joke-preppy themed night at one of the eating clubs. Purely a joke. And one more thing, both of the Class of 2010 students I hosted last month were astonished at how friendly all the students were to them. Princeton really thinks of itself as a family, and it really has an effect on the social life. Good luck, and hope you end up here!</p>