<p>Before I actually got to Princeton for OA, I was on this very forum almost daily. That was 4 years ago, and now Ive graduated. Its funny how once you actually arrive at Princeton, you stop dreaming about the place on CC and you start to live it. This is a testament to the CC Princeton 10, and to people like Alumother, FScottie and Ptongrad2000 who helped make the dream for so many of us become reality.</p>
<p>Now that I have graduated, and working crazy hours at a bank, I figured I owe it to future Princetonians to detail my experience and what you can expect from 4 years at Princeton. This is also to clear up a lot of stereotypes and other weird information posted here. If you are thinking of Princeton, read on.</p>
<p>People say that Princeton is not for everyone. That is true. What Princetonians have in common is the sense that your own destiny is in your hands. If youre the sort of person where your parents, or others, pushed you to do everything you have achieved, then you will most likely have problems at Princeton. In my view, the Princeton experience can simply be divided into the basics and optionals.</p>
<p>The basics are the things every Princeton student gets automatically. These are things like the fake gothic dorms of Whitman (which I tried but failed to draw into grumble grumble grumble), access to great classes taught by great professors, rapidly improving dining halls, and other world class facilities. This covers the general education and lifestyle basics that all good colleges offer. It however, is only part of what I call the real Princeton experience.</p>
<p>What defines you at Princeton is not what major you are (unless its something obscure like Slavic languages), or what classes youre in, or really what your background is but the choices you make every day. The Princeton experience is what you make it out to be. There are some that live by the basics for an education and then there are those who mould it from an education to a life changing experience. The distinction here, and why Princeton isnt for everyone, is that at Princeton you live in an orange bubbly world of opportunity and only you can decide whether or not you grasp the opportunities presented to you.</p>
<p>In my case, I had 3 awesome roommates from all over the place. Youll see that everyone who is smart enough to get into Princeton is smart and everyone, to a certain extent, is a geek at heart. In your first night, the university throws an OA party which you can choose to go to. At best, the party can be described as dull. Most people at that point, will have heard rumors of eating clubs and that they are all open and serving beer and so on. You can choose to go out and see what the famed street is like. Within the first week you choose the people you eat meals with, you choose club sports to try out, and you choose to sign up for a dozen activity groups. Its one of the few times in life you will be able to choose who you are, and who you become because at that point, the two are the same. </p>
<p>I had never played lacrosse or tennis, nor have I debated in any of the forms of high school debate, nor was I ever the cool kid in high school. While your background and race is still important, its really a time where everyone is finding their place and deciding who they want to be. If youre willing to try new things, to expand your horizons, to dream of the possibilities that are now within your grasp, then you are well equipped to enjoy your 4 years. I came to Princeton thinking I would be a maths major. I wanted to be an academic. Within a few days, I started dreaming of who I could be. </p>
<p>I hanged out with a several circles of friends and we went out to the street regularly. Many people often complain about the bicker clubs on the street, but having gone through the whole process, it really isnt as bad as all the horror stories suggest. Typically every major sport or activity or circle of friends fits in at one of the 10 clubs. The choices you make, the friends you choose to hang out with, should reflect on which clubs or social circles you fit in. People complain about the exclusivity of things like bicker clubs and passes. Few would ever admit they either never had the guts to ask someone for passes or never dared to try their luck. Like asking the cute blonde in your chem lab out for coffee and a movie, a lot of people that I know simply dont do it at all and then they complain about not getting laid or how evil bicker is. The opportunities always exist, but are you willing to take it?</p>
<p>At Princeton, opportunities abound. If you have the guts, and if youre willing to try new things and new ideas, then Princeton is for you. What makes the Princeton experience great is that so long as youre willing to leave your shell, theres no limit to what you can do and become. My 4 years were amazing. I envy those of you reading this, who will one day grace the same place I have come to think of as a second home. </p>
<p>Once again, a big thankyou to Alumother, FScottie, and Ptongrad2000 for being awesome.</p>