<p>Hello, I am a high school junior. After doing tons of research on many colleges and universities, Princeton is my first choice.</p>
<p>Still, I would like some clarification about eating clubs. </p>
<ol>
<li><p>Are eating clubs basically a Greek system under another name? I have heard that eating clubs are not as exclusive as the Greek system, but are there still many similarities.</p></li>
<li><p>Can a person who plans on not drinking or barely drinking fit in at an eating club? Is it possible to just avoid the parties?</p></li>
<li><p>If you make the choice to not join an eating club, is it still easy to find your niche on campus?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Thank you so much! Eating clubs are by no means a deal breaker, but I would like to be well informed.</p>
<p>KeDIX,
I am about to leave for Princeton as a '16er, so I can’t say from experience, but from what I’ve heard/observed at Preview:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Eating clubs are the main social structure at Princeton, so in this way, one could say that they substitute the Greek system at other institutions. Yes, eating clubs have rich histories and lots of loyalty associated with them, but there is really a huge mix. From what I’ve seen, anybody who wants to be in an eating club can. Some eating clubs are competitive to get into (bicker clubs: Ivy, Tower, Cap, Cannon, TI, and Cottage), while others are pretty much open to whoever wants to join (sign-in clubs: Terrace, Quad, Colonial, Cloister, and Charter). Unlike a Greek house, eating clubs do not serve as residences for students, with the exception of a handful of club officers. </p></li>
<li><p>From what I’ve heard from students/read on the Prince, underclassmen tend to frequent eating clubs mainly at night - when the parties are taking place. For upperclassmen who are actually a part of a club, they eat their meals and study there. I believe it is possible to be a member of an eating club and avoid partying, yet still reap many of the benefits of the club. I think you just have to be ok with your club dues paying for other people’s beer.</p></li>
<li><p>I believe the recent trend has made it more and more popular to join a co-op or to go independent. It is definitely easy to find your niche without the clubs, and since you wouldn’t be joining a club until sophomore spring, you probably will have already found your niche. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>Hope this helps, and sorry if I am mistaken … PM me in a few months and I’ll tell you how it is. Fellow Tigers, please correct anything I may have gotten wrong.</p>
<p>I’d just like to add that, unlike Greek societies, eating club membership is not based on gender. This instantly sets them very much apart from fraternities and sororities at other institutions. So even if one considers them a “Greek system replacement” (which so far I’m getting the vibe they are not), they nevertheless are a replacement based much less on exclusivity. The fact that 5 of the clubs are sign-in clubs only adds to this of course.</p>
<p>(Hey alex! I’ve seen you around in the Class of 2016 FB group)</p>
<p>I have a friend there who thinks it is divisive. Lacrosse players are in Cottage, etc, etc I wish they didn’t have clubs. It’s too bad they eat and party there. Just partying would leave more flexibility. What percent are independent? I mean why take this incredibly diverse and interesting group of students only to have everybody pigeon hole themselves by junior year?</p>
<p>The clubs, although I hated them in my day, these days seem to provide a place for kids to settle in. It doesn’t appear to be divisive, everyone goes to everyone’s parties, except for a few closed nights. It seems that it’s a way to make sure there’s always someone you know eating dinner when you’re hungry.</p>
<p>I had one in TI and one in Terrace, about as different as two clubs can be. And they both loved them.</p>
<p>I find it perplexing, but true.</p>
<p>Thanks for the info everyone. It was really helpful. However, I was thinking the same thing as Murphy, about what percent are independent?</p>
<p>Why did you hate them alumother?</p>
<p>I was in Cap and Gown, in 1977. We were served by older African American men in white coats, back then, and I was a liberal Californian uncomfortable in that situation. Also, too much drinking for me, too many boys and too few girls.</p>
<p>Murphy,
Although it does seem to be true that certain teams or student groups gravitate toward a particular club, I don’t think this pigeon-holes anyone. I have a friend who is going into her sophomore year, and she is already starting a new co-op. She says that she feels very happy with her decision, and that even considering that most of her friends will be joining eating clubs, she can still participate in plenty of activities with them. In a way, I think eating clubs provide a context in which students can get to know even more people without compromising previous relationships.</p>
<p>Smacking, send me a PM or a FB message with your name!</p>
<p>Alumother, we’re the same vintage. I was an independent and had glorious meals in my room. One time I made yeast doughnuts and fried them on the hot plate. Good times.</p>
<p>mcm2011 - Hi! I went independent after one year in Cap, lived in Spelman, cooked with 3-4 others. Was not at a loss for company and didn’t miss the club at all.</p>
<p>My rising junior daughter chose to remain independent and will be living in Spelman. She’s looking forward to making her own meals (and saving a lot of money doing so). She has plenty of friends in clubs, including two of her three roommates, and knows she will be occasionally eating and partying with them on the street. She has no problem with the club system but it was not the best option for her.</p>
<p>About 30% of upperclassmen do not join a club, so although not a majority, independents have plenty of company. Of course, while there may be a few cliquish-type groups, most people at Princeton have a mix of friends through their academic and extracurricular associations that include club members and independents.</p>
<p>Thank you everyone for the information on being an independent! What are the housing arrangements like in Spelman?</p>
<p>My rising Junior Son knew in freshmen year that he wouldn’t be joining an eating club. He’ll be in Whitman on the meal plan. He is friends with a mixed group, some joined the eating clubs, some in independent and quite a few on the meal plan. He’s not drinker or into the party scene so I know that had a lot to do with his decision. He did check them out and was considering one of the sign in clubs but realized that he much rather have his meals in the dining hall and not have to trek over to the street to eat.</p>
<p>Spelman has something like 6 entryways, with two rooms on each landing, and 3-4 floors (I can’t remember now, 35 years later). Each room has a living room, a hallway with four bedrooms, a kitchen that’s in a wide part of the hallway, and a bathroom. The buildings are modern, as in 70s modern, and made of cement. They were designed by I.M. Pei.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t really say the club system is like the Greek systems at other schools; it’s just the most common comparison Princeton students use in trying to describe the clubs to other people. Both systems allow the student body to structure itself into a set of groups, and there are a few commonalities - the clubs host parties and field intramural teams, and the Interclub Council is similar to a Pan-Hellenic council - but there are many key differences, some of which have been pointed out already.</p>
<ol>
<li>The majority of Princeton upperclassmen are in a club, but there aren’t many universities that are more than a third Greek.</li>
<li>We don’t have rush. Instead of having all potential rushees go around to many houses during the first week of school (or spring semester at other places), Princeton students have a year and a half to try to figure out what club(s) suit them best. Bicker can be compared to rush on some grounds, but from what I can tell it’s far less superficial.</li>
<li>We don’t have pledges.</li>
<li>Only the officers live in the clubs.</li>
<li>The clubs not affiliated with any national organizations.</li>
<li>We’re all co-ed.</li>
<li>It’s possible to switch clubs.</li>
<li>University financial aid can help cover club dues.</li>
</ol>
<p>A closer comparison to a standard Greek system would be Princeton’s fraternities and sororities (they do exist and are mostly chartered with nationals), which are almost exactly like a normal Greek system other than that they don’t have houses and that the University doesn’t recognize their existence.</p>
<p>It’s definitely possible for someone who doesn’t drink to be an active club member - I have several friends in my club who have never touched alcohol. The vast majority of the time upperclassmen spend at their clubs is spent eating, studying, and hanging out during the day. Each club spends about six to ten hours per week open for parties. Several clubs also like to emphasize quality over quantity when it comes to parties and hold wine tasting events for members and serve good beer on the weekends. The party scene is totally your call, but it’s a great way to meet club members, and no alcohol consumption is necessary to have a good time. Just ask the varsity athletes who can’t drink in season but still go out and have as good a time as anyone.</p>
<p>As others have pointed out, between the colleges, co-ops, and going independent, there are plenty of other very good eating/social options that aren’t on Prospect Avenue. I just think it’s pretty cool to be able to come back for your 25th Reunions, head to your club, and hang out with current members and all the alumni in between.</p>
<p>Thanks! That is a ton of great information, and it really clarifies a lot!</p>
<p>Personally, I felt kind of turned off by the idea of the clubs when I was a freshman, but now I’m in one!</p>
<p>I knew that I would never want to bicker a club on principle – it just sounded totally un-fun to me. But the sign-in clubs are actually more popular now, I think. I joined a sign-in club. I’ve found that it’s totally possible to not drink / drink very little (I have pretty low tolerance…) and really enjoy myself; at least among the sign-in clubs I’ve found a very laid-back atmosphere that’s all about actually enjoying yourself and meeting new people.</p>
<p>At first I was wary of the idea of eating clubs – what was the point? I’m not a big partier and they just sounded not-so-fun. But I like hanging out with people; I wanted to meet new people, a few of my friends were joining, the club I ended up in is super-relaxed and I had fun at the sophomore events. So my friends and I figured, what the heck, and we signed in! There was no hazing, no social judgment, etc, and it’s been fun.</p>
<p>As I’ll be a junior, I haven’t really experienced whether or not the clubs will divide my friend groups yet. However, I’m on a shared meal plan – basically you pay the same club dues as normal, but in addition to meals at your club you get to eat in the normal dining halls and live in a residential college! Talk about awesome. Also this is supposed to encourage socialization outside of one’s own eating club.</p>
<p>I also have a few friends who have gone independent – it seems like a fairly popular thing. And it makes a lot of sense for a lot of people. (If you don’t join a club, the University still increases your financial aid, so a lot of people on finaid go independent and then use that extra money. And some people of course just don’t find a club that they like.)</p>
<p>My verdict: the eating clubs are weird, but kinda cool. I like them. I REALLY appreciate that we don’t really have major greek life.</p>
<p>Tiger14, care to say which club?</p>
<p>Just throwing in my two cents from… The Princeton student body is very diverse, so that fact that most people end up bickering or signing into an eating club should show you that the eating club experience is very diverse as well, and that there really is a place for everyone! It’s the kind of thing you feel out naturally when you get on campus and make a choice that’s right for you!</p>
<p>As for the drinking thing, I was in TI a few years ago, which was considered the “animal house” and had two friends who couldn’t drink and one who chose not to who still had a great time. Also athletes tend to stick to rules that mandate no drinking 48 hours before a game. I spent plenty of time hanging out sober at my eating club during a sports season. When it came time time to join clubs, I’d say about 60% of my friends bickered TI, and the rest either did other clubs or chose to be independent. And everyone was perfectly happy with their choice.</p>
<p>It’s a good thing you’re doing your college homework ahead of time, since the eating clubs ARE an important part of Princeton culture. But don’t fret too much about them, you really won’t know how you feel or what you want to do until you’re on campus experiencing what they have to offer.</p>