<p>I'm a sophomore, and will be in the Princeton area soon, and wanted to visit. I don't know how much time I will have, but are there any specific things I should do? Should I take a tour? Certain places I should go? Is there a form/mailing list I should put my name on? I really don't know.</p>
<p>Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>Sure, take a tour/info session aimed at high schoolers and their families. Take a brochure. There’s nothing else you need to do.</p>
<p>Waiting - go to the Princeton website and see when toirs are given. Also, check out the site for the Admissions Office phone number - I’m sure they’ll answer your questions.</p>
<p>Besides the traditional tour, please stop in the library. It’s one of the best research libraries in the country. When D & I stopped in last year, the Special Collections department had a fantastic exhibit of primary documents related to the founding of this country. What can I say? We’re history dorks! Not sure what’s on exhibit now. </p>
<p>If you’re up for a little taste of Princeton, take a walk a block down from Nassau Street (the main business street in Princeton) and visit Halo Pub. It’s a homemade ice cream and coffee shop just off of Palmer Square. Our pediatricians & my midwives were in Princeton so that was a frequent stop for us and it was so yummy!</p>
<p>Take a tour, go to the info session, talk to undergraduates, tour the town. Some love the setting (and the campus is very pretty); others feel it’s too suburban for their taste.</p>
<p>Thanks for all your advice! I just finished my visit, and while the campus was beautiful, I have to agree with marite that the surrounding New Jersey is very isolated. Our tour guide was very friendly and informative, and I like the campus, undergraduate focus, degree programs. When I went there were basically NO students, but that might be because it was on a weekend. I’m not sure if I could get over the isolated location though. I live in a small town suburb, but it seemed even more lonely to me.</p>
<p>We visited last spring and felt it was similarly empty although beautiful. I agree though that while the town itself is lovely and has great shops. etc, beyond that there isn’t much.</p>
<p>Growing up 10 minutes away from Witherspoon and Nassau St. I would say people need to view Princeton like a very small touristy town. If you don’t have a car you will go insane very quickly, or gain a lot of weight because all you will do at night is walk down to Thomas’s Sweets for ice cream.</p>
<p>Princeton is truly a suburban campus, on Saturdays it is jammed pack with people going to the A&B or Nassau Inn, all yr long. The campus is lovely, but that is all there really is. If you want more action and are Princeton quality (academically), I would suggest to go to UPenn. I don’t particulary care for their campus as much because it is in downtown Philly, but even at Ivies there is more to college than just academia.</p>
<p>FYI if you are unfamiliar with Princeton the streets I named are basically the only 2 streets in Princeton. The shops/restaurants are 2 blocks by 2 blocks…maybe 100 if that on a good day! Rte 1 which is about a 5 minute drive is filled with businesses (major corps J & J, BASF, Firmeniche) and thus, they aren’t even college student diversions. The beach is at least 45 minutes without traffic, NYC is @90 mins and Philly is 45 mins.</p>
<p>I spent four happy years at Princeton without going insane (or gaining too much weight 
- in my day it was Buxton’s for ice cream and Hoagie Haven). There was always something to do on campus, and we would go to NYC occasionally if we really wanted to get out of town. But if you’re someone who wants vibrant off-campus surroundings, then no, it’s not a place for you.</p>