<p>Honestly, I've never thought of myself as a Princeton student (I really want to go to Yale), but my dad is passionate about it. When I think princeton, I think a snooty, stressful atmosphere?
Am I totally mistaken?</p>
<p>Don't make your decision based on stereotypes. Props for asking others their opinion, but you will never no if Princeton is right for you until you visit.</p>
<p>The student bodies at Princeton and Yale are not much different one from another. I don't think Princeton is more snooty or stressful than any other ivy - don't go for out-of-date stereotypes. Visiting both is the only way for you to know which you truly prefer, but honestly you can't go wrong with eather school. Good luck:)</p>
<p>*either.....:P</p>
<p>Make sure you visit each for 2-3 days, including a weekend evening, and socialize, sit in on a bunch of classes and talk with tons of students. That's the only way to really tell. </p>
<p>A shorter visit can either give you an unrealistic positive view or an unrealistic negative view: a longer one will give you an accurate view. I will say that these schools are very different, particularly in terms of how the social life is structured. There are stereotypes (e.g., about eating clubs) that of course are not 100% accurate, but they do have some basis in reality. In terms of snootiness you will find snooty people no matter where you go, whether it is a state school or an elite private school, but you will also find friendly people. What does differ from one place to another is how the snootiness affects your own social life, i.e., how prevalent and influential those attitudes are campus-wide.</p>
<p>This is, of course, a generalization, but there seems to be a consensus that Princeton students are generally thought of as the pinnacle of human civilization, while Yale students are known as vile trolls. In any case, choose Princeton. We have a nice pool.</p>
<p>Really? I always thought of Yale as snooty, Princeton just rich but never snooty.</p>
<p>Columbia , Yale and Cornell are the least snooty Ivies.</p>
<p>Where'd you get the scoop on Columbia and Cornell?</p>
<p>Maybe it was just my experience, but I found the princeton people to be very outgoing, fun, and accepting. The Yale kids didn't seem very happy to be on campus and in general had a hint of arrogance about them. I haven't been to Harvard, didn't meet any students at Columbia, and know a few Cornellians which lead me to agree with posterX in regard to cornell.</p>
<p>Princeton kids are very earnest. Earnest and enthusiastic. Friendly. If one can generalize, the kids who like Princeton are either extremely social so they love the Street or find an activity like theater or journalism where they "hang out" or else they are the geniuses who focus more on their area of genius. People who aren't happy at Princeton but could be happy elsewhere tend to be those who like more, um, edgy style. Dress in black, discuss angst, etc., to dive right into the cliches.</p>
<p>Brown kids are probably the least snooty.</p>
<p>Princeton is much like any other university in this country in terms of what students are like and what they do. </p>
<p>If old money/snobbery is your thing though, come visit Princeton when the eating clubs have their formals. I don't think you can get a much better representation of the Princeton stereotype than from that.</p>