<p>I've basically been working and saving up money this summer. so, I was wondering, how much money should we bring to get through a year at Princeton?</p>
<p>I hope you don't mean bring as in stash-under-your-mattress. I'm just gonna take money from my bank account and call mommy when I run out. :p</p>
<p>No but seriously, it depends on what kind of lifestyle you want to be living. Eating out three times a week, going shopping in NY all the time or just staying on campus, sticking to the dining halls. I figure, $20 a week should be fine, right?</p>
<p>idk. on average, i hear about $1500 for a generic college student. but for princeton does that number go up or down? (ill probably save $1000 on top of whatever number comes up)</p>
<p>Sporting events, movies, dating......taking public transport.....I just don't see the $20. but if you can do it.....great.</p>
<p>Yea I really can't forsee how much I'm going to spend. I was thinking that I spend about $20 a week now, but that's only cash, I forgot to count the hundreds I spend on credit card >.<</p>
<p>"I hope you don't mean bring as in stash-under-your-mattress. I'm just gonna take money from my bank account and call mommy when I run out. "</p>
<p><em>grumbles</em></p>
<p>THAT was a JOKE! Chillax!</p>
<p>This one really really depends on you personally. Assuming you arrive on campus with everything you need, it's quite possible to spend almost no money at Princeton; almost everything you could run out of or need besides toiletries is provided -- certainly food, printer paper, even a few free tickets to campus performances, laundry, etc. Plan for $200-$400 in books/packets, depending on what you take (I don't know if finaid covers this, I'm not on it). Everything else is lifestyle stuff... if you want drinks and snacks in your room, if you want to go to the city every once in a while, if you go shopping, if you run out of free student performance tickets, if you want to rent movies, if you want to buy a Princeton t-shirt, if you have an incurable addiction to the Bent Spoon's ice cream, etc. -- these things depend on you. I tend to spend almost no money on a day to day basis except $1.25 every time I grab a bottle of pop... and the aforementioned Bent Spoon addiction... but then a trip to NYC or shopping will take a significant chunk; so for me, it's hard to say what the average comes to.</p>
<p>Ashley</p>
<p>pop... hahaha</p>
<p>"And By Pop, You Mean Soda, ***** (the Princeton group)"</p>
<p>jk, thanks for the advice.</p>
<p>I'm in that group, haha.</p>
<p>Heh, I did that specifically to see what kind of reaction I'd get. As a military brat, I'm agnostic in such matters.</p>
<p>princeton for $20 a week can definately be done. The things that hazmat mentioned really arent necessary, or even used. Sporting events at the college are free, trips to professional sports are about $5 when done through the residential college. An occasional meal or starbucks is always nice, but you can go to hoagie haven or the wa or panera for under $10. Halo pub sells ice cream for $1.50 ($1 for a small) Points, and using latemeals at frist can buy all of the sodas/snapples/waters/gatorades you might need, and points can also be used at the convenience store at frist to buy toiletries (although not a very large selection) </p>
<p>you rarely rarely need money for public transportation-- I only used it to go to the mall once all year. Lots of people have cars to take you quick places, and if you are on a budget you can just attend all the things at the residential colleges (good opportunities anywhere) where you can go to a show (via a bus) for about $20. </p>
<p>just make sure that your book/pequod budget is seperate from the $20 a week or youd have a hard time</p>
<p>What's pequod?</p>
<p>Pequod is the printshop in the U-store that prints course packets (commonly called Pequods) and when the time comes, theses. Course packets are most common in liberal arts courses and contain book excerpts and articles and such. In some courses, the Pequod contains the bulk of your reading assignments; in others, it's just a supplement to additional assigned texts.</p>
<p>Ashley '06 (who, as an engineer, has only bought about three Pequods)</p>
<p>oo engineer...i was wondering, how is the engineering building? its the squarish 4 hallway building, right? when i visited for prefrosh, it was slightly...how to say...demeaning? and also kind of lugubrious and empty.</p>
<p>im sitting in it right now as I'm typing this. ive also only really been here during the summer, when its yeah fairly empty. but otherwise, its very MIT-like, but brighter. there is nothing gothic about it. (no grand lecture halls, etc)</p>
<p>what do you mean by demeaning?</p>
<p>The Engineering Building... looks pretty much like most other engineering labs or buildings in the country look, which is to say boring. It's a product of the era in which it was built (1960s architecture, what can I say?) and the purpose for which it is used (big industrial machines in glassy, clean, modern, shiny, delicate buildings? uh, no). For instance, as a CEE, I can't imagine having a machine shop that isn't in the rough equivalent of a garage -- easily cleaned, and not a problem if it can't be fully cleaned. In that regard, it makes sense. I've never thought of it as demeaning, really, or even depressing; no, you can't exactly imagine famous people getting up on a podium in the E-Quad and delivering historic speeches, but that's what McCosh 50 and Richardson are for. That's different. Can you imagine a wind tunnel in McCosh 50? I didn't think so.</p>
<p>That's also part of why there is the Friend Center. In a way, it's the opposite of the E-Quad in style -- new, clean, shiny. An "Art in Science" exhibit graces the walls. Most engineering students do work there rather than in the E-Quad, and though I don't mind the E-Quad, the Friend Center indisputably has a more pleasant atmosphere. (In fact, it's nice enough that some of the ABs try to sneak into the super-large-screened basement lab to write their theses, but are usually kicked out by maurading MechE's who need their CAD.)</p>
<p>I should add that many improvements have been made to the E-Quad that you may not have noticed on your tour. The Electrical Engineers have a huge complex in the basement that looks brand-new. Most of the student lounges (typically include computers, tables, couches, microwaves, mailboxes) and conference rooms are also nicer than you'd expect from the hallways. There's also the chance that the "demeaning" feeling came from the subtle hints of construction -- there's been quite a bit in various wings, mostly behind closed doors, but that just means things will be even better in the E-Quad for you guys. There really aren't that many engineeering classrooms in the E-Quad; most of my classes have been held in the Friend Center.</p>
<p>Finally, the E-Quad Cafe should be opening this fall. (According to construction estimates, that is, so please don't shoot the messenger if it doesn't.) The Cafe will be a huge improvement, as the Friend Center has plenty of work space but not as much "hang out and <em>maybe</em> work" space outside the student lounges. (I like having people around when I'm working, makes me feel like I'm not missing anything.) It'll help the engineering school's sense of community across the board, too -- you might see a professor or TA there, and Dean Klawe says that she will be a frequent visitor. Also, I believe they are planning the cafe to open out into the courtyard, which will be especially nice in the spring and fall.</p>
<p>The official Art of Science website:
<a href="http://www.princeton.edu/artofscience/gallery/%5B/url%5D">http://www.princeton.edu/artofscience/gallery/</a>
Yes, you can enter next year!</p>
<p>Way more than you ever wanted to know about the E-Quad:
<a href="http://etc.princeton.edu/Campus/text__sci60s.html%5B/url%5D">http://etc.princeton.edu/Campus/text__sci60s.html</a></p>
<p>Ashley</p>