<p>I'm an international student, and I'll be starting my freshman year at Princeton in September. So, fellow international students, what clothes did you bring to Princeton, what did you buy in the US, and where did you buy them (Amazon, Princeton shops, Philadelphia, NYC, etc). Special question about warm winter coat... do you think it's worth it to drag it along from the other end of the world (that's what the welcome booklet advises...).</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>P.S. I come from a country with a warm climate...</p>
<p>My son is also an international student and just finished his freshman year. He brought a variety of types of clothing and in the end had far too much. Essentially here is what is needed - clothing for every type of weather (you will see everything from hot to snowy and very cold), a GOOD pair of rain boots (it rains quite often and the rain is frequently very cold), a light rain jacket, a winter coat, gloves and a scarf and hat if you will actually wear them. You can get away without winter boots if you have lined rain boots. The important thing is keeping your feet DRY. You will need an umbrella. </p>
<p>Should you bring a winter coat or buy one here? That is up to you but you will need one either way. NYC shopping is expensive - beware. </p>
<p>There is a mall on Route 1 [Store</a> Directory :: MarketFair :: Princeton, NJ](<a href=“http://www.marketfairmall.com/directory]Store”>MarketFair ::: Store Directory) but getting there requires taking a bus or hitching a ride with a friend who has a car. Nassau Street has some nice shops but not a lot for a winter coat or boots. </p>
<p>During freshman orientation you will get TONS of t-shirts and other paraphernalia. My son ended up buying more socks and underwear as he could do laundry less frequently if he had more of those. You will also want one dress up outfit for the black and orange ball if you care to go (it’s lots of fun). And for lawnparties the students tend to dress very preppy as a satirical poke at the Ivy stereotype (they mostly don’t dress that way at all). </p>
<p>As an aside, I’d recommend you really consider going to the International Orientation as it’s really a lot of fun! You will have a few extra days to get oriented to campus and to meet other internationals. Also, if you come to International Orientation you’ll also need to sign up for Outdoor Action (OA) or Community Action (CA). Both are a blast and you’ll meet great people who may end up being long-term friends. </p>
<p>If you have any other questions feel free to ask!!</p>
<p>Also, once you have a .edu email address you can register for a year of free Amazon Prime: free two-day shipping to campus is really nice. (It takes another day or two for the package center to process things though.)</p>
<p>Exactly… All of the winter coats here are either very thin (targeted at a minimum of 30 degrees Farenheit) or very ugly (for mountain hiking) :D</p>
<p>Hi fellow Princeton 2017er! I live in the area and have only bought one piece of clothing from NYC in my life. New York is expensive! Instead, I’ll give you the lowdown on where central Jerseyans shop.</p>
<p>The Marketfair mall that Cantiger mentioned is okay, but has a very random selection of [often pricey] clothing stores. People mostly go there for the Barnes & Noble bookstore or movie theater, not the clothing, which is not really the best. My friends and I often buy clothes from Quaker Bridge Mall, which is located in Lawrenceville and has a variety of popular, affordable options (Macy’s, Forever 21, New York & Company, Lord & Taylor, etc…I’m not sure if you’ve heard of these in your country, but they’re pretty standard here!). However, when I actually want to buy a lot of cute clothes, I usually go to Freehold Raceway Mall, which is farther away but much larger. Everything I’ve mentioned would require a car or a bus, as I think the town of Princeton offers only a few expensive stores rather than big shopping malls.</p>
<p>I think you’ll be fine waiting until you get here to buy a winter coat. You can always head over to one of the malls I mentioned or another store, and it’s also not uncommon to buy jackets online since they require an approximate rather than exact fit.</p>
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I live in the area and have only bought one piece of clothing from NYC in my life. New York is expensive! Instead, I’ll give you the lowdown on where central Jerseyans shop.</p>