<p>Hi all, I'm an international heading for Princeton. I'm wondering how difficult it is to get leadership roles in Princeton. At the moment, I want to be able to make as many friends as possible, so I figure that I wanna try for U-councillor and Residential College Adviser - stuff that helps me make lots of friends. But how about those leadership positions that require you to make many many friends before getting chosen or elected? Are leadership roles abundant at Princeton?</p>
<p>I ask this because I understand that internationals do have it harder mixing in with the domestic student population and making friends, so I'm especially worried about getting leadership roles, especially the popularly-elected ones.</p>
<p>Getting elected to a class government position freshman year takes hard work and a lot of luck. Elections are held at the beginning of the year, so no one knows anyone else, and the election can be sort of a crapshoot. But if you want to even have a shot you’ll have to knock on a lot of doors. The people that get elected freshman year tend to stay in office for three or four years, so you’re pretty much screwed if you don’t get elected as a freshman. This is less true for the U-Councilor elections since they’re held in the spring. All of that being said, there are a lot of leadership positions in small organizations that don’t require extensive networking. Residential College Councils are a great option for underclassmen.</p>
<p>as usual, you really provide great information, Weasel! love what you did with the stickied Princeton FAQ. thanks for your help. I’ll go think hard about it.</p>