<p>I recently got the Fiske guide to colleges and it describes the Princeton social scene as "elite" and "clique-y" and emphasizes how some people disliked the whole fit-in culture with the eating clubs and such. Can any past/current students attest to how much of this is true/not true? For someone from a low income background, can it become a problem?</p>
<p>My son is a current Princeton sophomore. Have you visited the campus? The student body is quite diverse - yes I am sure there are some students who would fit into the paradigm you described but I think that is true of every school. My son has decided not to join an eating club for his junior year and feels quite connected and involved in campus and social life. The Street is only one part of the Princeton social scene - if it’s not for you, there are lots of other options and clubs/interest groups to join. </p>
<p>In terms of coming from a low income background, approximately 60% of all Princeton undergraduates receive some form of need-based financial aid. You would by no means be an anomaly coming from a lower income bracket. </p>
<p>I see. I indeed have visited the campus, and although it was beautiful, it did have a sort of country-club atmosphere.</p>
<p>Really? It didn’t feel like that at all when I visited. I did sort of know someone coming in, though. A junior who used to compete in the same homeschool debate league as me. We’d never met in person before, but we’d talked online because I picked his brain about Princeton. He and his friend (a girl psych major, like me) took time out of their weekday to meet with me, answer my questions about Princeton (in a very humble way), and eat lunch with me. The guy’s five roommates came, too, and they all just seemed like a bunch of friendly goofballs.</p>
<p>Of course, I did accidentally visit during the height of Princeton’s admitted students day. Whether or not this put students on their best game, they were all very friendly, had personalities, and were helpful and sweet to me. They called me a “pre-pre-frosh.” :)</p>
<p>So would you say the whole “elitist” vibe is largely a stereotype/myth? A low-income background student will fit in?</p>
<p>I think your income background is what you make of it in all cases. It’s not like people are going to shun you because your family might not make as much money as them. And they wouldn’t even know unless you are publicizing it, which I don’t recommend because income is hardly an indicator of who you are.</p>
<p>Do you have any insight into the eating clubs? About what percentage of upperclassmen join them & are they really as “exclusive” as people claim?</p>
<p>I don’t really know much about them. Our tour guide basically just said you can join them if you want, but you don’t have to, and it’s just a weigh for upperclassmen to have the same sort of closer knit, smaller communities that underclassmen do (with freshman dorms and cafs, freshman programs, etc.).</p>
<p>@kei04086, a quick google search indicates that approximately 75% of upperclassmen are members of eating clubs. That leaves a sizable percentage who are not.</p>
<p>I see… that’s still a very high percentage. I suppose the small social points can be overlooked considering the school’s overall massive excellence in almost every aspect.</p>
<p>Ask yourself this: if your friends at your high school were offered the opportunity to have better placed lockers, access to interesting speakers and events and eat at a better location in the cafeteria in exchange for money, and they took the oppty but you couldn’t afford it how would you feel? If you can answer that you know your answer to Princeton.</p>
<p>I am posting here only because there seems to be a dearth of information from current/ recent Princeton students, and I think the information is a little unbalanced.</p>
<p>Princeton is unbelievably beautiful, but it is manicured and landscaped perhaps to a fault. That, and its super-affluent college town, means that it exudes a vibe of wealth and privilege even more than its equally-wealthy-and-privileged Ivy confreres. I understand being suspicious of that --40 years ago I refused to apply to Princeton because its suburban, preppy, clubby atmosphere turned me off. My kids both visited (8-10 years ago), and refused to apply because its suburban, preppy, clubby atmosphere turned them off.</p>
<p>However. . . I know dozens of people who went to Princeton, some from wealthy families and some from working class or downright poor families, and not one of them disliked his or her experience at Princeton. Some were in eating clubs, some weren’t. Some were Republicans, some anarchists. (And those two sets of oppositions create four groups of people, not just two.) Some of the poor kids felt they had to struggle to find their place, but they feel that they found it. Princeton has the strongest support level from alumni over the years, and the reason for that is that close to 100% of alumni simply adore the place.</p>
<p>As for eating clubs, only a few of them are selective anymore; most take anyone who wants to join. There are some that remain somewhat snobby, but most are not like that at all. Again, the whole eating-club thing really turned me off a generation ago, but I have to report, again, that overwhelmingly Princeton alumni like the eating-club system and think it was a valuable part of their college experience (including some people who decided not to join an eating club). </p>
<p>I think Princeton is a place where an admitted student can feel confident he or she will be happy, even if the idea of “the Street” does not seem attractive.</p>
<p>I should add that my wife – who was far more prejudiced against Princeton than I – taught a three-hour seminar session there a few years ago, and was just bowled over by how smart and engaged the students were, and how un-suburban/preppy/snobby they were. She completely revised her ideas about Princeton.</p>
<p>I’m kind of wondering what you mean by “suburban.” Because I grew up in Orange County, which is pretty much the definition of suburbia, and I wouldn’t equate the general atmosphere with “preppy” or “snobby” (except maybe in the beach communities).</p>
<p>Princeton has afforded my child many wonderful opportunities. She is attending the school with the assistance of considerable financial aid. At no time yet has she felt that it is an institution in which she did not “fit in.” Yes, there are students with considerable resources, but never has she experienced an “elitist” atmosphere. </p>
<p>While some may describe the surroundings as “country club” and/or manicured, she would reply that it is open and “green.” She loves strolling through the campus and enjoying the scenery, even stopping on her favorite bench to take in the sights. Of course, she has always been a bit of a “walk in the forest” type of child. It is the suburban nature (quiet, green) that appealed to her. </p>
<p>Although she is only a freshman, she has friends that are in the eating clubs and some that are not. I can’t say that she has been treated differently by either group. She has been to the street, and even been “signed-in” to a few club events by friends. Never felt uncomfortable at these events either. </p>
<p>I think the thing that impresses me the most with Princeton, and I can compare this to my three other children’s schools, is the camaraderie of the students she has met thus far. She has been in study groups, done extra-curriculars, and participated in dorm activities with an exciting group of students who have supported and encouraged each other. Imagine how impressed I was during the winter holidays when she reached out to some upperclassmen that she knew from her extra-curriculars for advice on scheduling and they responded within the day to help her…some from their vacation spots. Add to this, the time she has spent with professors in office hours for advice and clarification of classwork and I would be hard pressed to call the school clubby or cliquish. </p>
<p>I</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Is it that high? This suggests it is more like 60%:
<a href=“http://www.princeton.edu/reports/2011/campuslife/data/”>http://www.princeton.edu/reports/2011/campuslife/data/</a></p>
<p>One additional quick comment regarding the eating clubs…financial aid is increased for juniors and seniors to cover much of the additional costs of joining. </p>
<p>brokenandhealed: I am not certain what the equivalent in Orange County of a Princeton-type suburb is, but think very wealthy, old money, very tasteful. Palo Alto isn’t that different, except there’s a lot more new construction and newer wealth. Pasadena, maybe. </p>
<p>How about Yorba Linda? Median income is the highest in Orange County (roughly $121,000) and it is inland with more space than the wealthy beach cities. </p>
<p>FWIW, Pasadena isn’t in Orange County.</p>
<p>Well if Princeton is anything like Yorba Linda, Princeton sounds like an awesome place to be (not that I didn’t already think that, of course).</p>
<p>@SoCalDad2, I would say that you have old data. The University has also been going through a bit of transition as they have instituted the residential college system for all undergrads, and are making nice with the eating clubs. (It hasn’t always been so). Although exact numbers are hard to come by, I believe the number is more like 70% based on more recent information that I have seen. Also, to others wondering about the cost, the University takes a hands-off approach with the eating clubs, but has recently started to offer financial assistance to those on university financial aid who want to join the clubs – trying to make that option less of an obstacle.</p>