<p>I've been admitted to both Princeton and Caltech and the deadline is approaching. I visited Caltech and loved it, while Princeton was just okay, but Princeton is much more feasible money-wise, unsurprisingly.</p>
<p>One of the main factors in my decision is the presence of a nerd subculture (as in I want one). I know Caltech has an awesome one, and "sub" might be an understatement there, but does Princeton have a comparable or decent one too?</p>
<p>I haven’t met that many nerds at Princeton. Among the ones I have, I have no idea what they do for fun. </p>
<p>Caltech definitely has us beat when it comes to nerdiness.</p>
<p>You’re going to find a better nerd culture at MIT or CalTech than anywhere else. I’m sure you’ll find nerdy kids to chill with at Princeton, but those other two are almost impossible to beat.</p>
<p>If your major is stereotypically “nerdy,” you’ll have no problem – a lot of engineers, computer scientists, etc. are very nerdy. We started a collegiate StarCraft league (I love SC, but am not really a nerd), the math club has some awesome and somewhat nerdy people, etc.</p>
<p>You’ll be fine.</p>
<p>I’m not sure how you’re defining “nerd subculture.”</p>
<p>My son is also looking for a nerdy subculture at Princeton. He is choosing between MIT and Princeton, but leaning toward Princeton because he really feels he will get more attention as an undergraduate. Also he is not 100% sure he wants to be an engineer.</p>
<p>When we sat through the engineering open house at Princeton over preview weekend, I felt you could easily interchange most of the students and prefrosh in the room with those at MIT. I am sure this is also pretty true of the math and physics department. </p>
<p>I think in certain majors there is definitely a nerdy subculture.</p>
<p>Princeton has a nerd subculture, but it is a tiny part of the campus social scene. That is why it is effectively invisible from the outside. I managed to attend for four years without ever really getting to know anyone from the selective eating clubs, celebrity kids, or the super-rich groups. I still had a rich social life among my fellow on-campus nerds. MIT and Caltech revel in the “I’m a nerd and proud of it” culture, while Princeton nerds shrug and identify themselves as science or engineering majors. If you want to a part of large, organized hacks or pranks, attend one of the Tech schools rather than Princeton, but be prepared to be a junior grad student!</p>
<p>these guys don’t know what they’re talking about…I visited Princeton and there is a huge nerd subculture…they had their annual starcraft tournament while I was there! </p>
<p>both of the people I was staying with were “nerds” as you would describe (interested in anime, video games, and so forth)</p>
<p>Although, CalTech will have a higher proportion of better nerds</p>
<p>Cassie, what major are you planning?</p>
<p>ha!, I don’t think that I have ever seen one of these?</p>
<p>can you decribe them to me?</p>
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<p>does that also mean that “worse” nerds exist?</p>
<p>If you like pranks MIT is in a class of it own.</p>
<p>Cal Tech may have a higher percentage of science nerds; but with a larger student body Princeton has a sufficient number of nerds that you can find a compatible group. </p>
<p>However, I suggest that you consider longer term. The world is not made up of mostly nerds. Many individuals who will be in a position to influence your future will not be nerds. You should prepare to work successfully in a non nerd world. As one example, over forty percent of the engineers at Princeton are women. At Princeton you will be exposed to athletes, creative writers, musicians, future politicians, etc. While you will be able to find other students with nerdy interests you will grow as an individual by interacting with non nerds. Think long term.</p>
<p>I thnk it becomes a non-nerd world as we get older because we start thinking of the former nerds as interesting, unique people and wondering why we didn’t know any of those kind of people in college (because we were too cool for the nerds then.) The former nerds are often those who become the successful, envied people later in life.</p>
<p>@JohnAdams12, I am thinking of majoring in Computer Science or Chemical Engineering, which will probably help me in finding people I want to hang out with…</p>
<p>@astrodeb, it makes me feel better to hear that you had a social life with fellow nerds at pton, which is basically what I was hoping for!</p>
<p>@PtonAlumnus, honestly, I wanted to have my undergrad experience be kind of a “safe zone” before I went out into the real world, but what you said does make sense as well. Looking at it that way makes Princeton a better choice I suppose ;)</p>
<p>I think it might end up having a lot to do with my parents’ opinions as well, since they’ll be the ones paying for most of it, but this at least makes Princeton much more appealing.</p>
<p>Also anyone else who replied, thanks, and good luck to anyone else making decisions!</p>
<p>Oh, but one other question I had was about the music scene at Princeton - I know there is lots of classical and theater stuff going on, but what about just regular bands (Jack’s Mannequin, Cobra Starship, Black Keys, etc.)? Does Princeton get any of them to play on campus for special events and/or is there a fairly nearby venue to go to? I asked my hosts about it at Princeton Preview but they were international and didn’t really follow American music, so they couldn’t tell me…</p>
<p>What my host at preview told me was that the Eating Clubs often get bands to come. From wikipedia: Notable artists that have played at Lawnparties in recent years include Beirut, Ben Kweller, Citizen Cope, Eve 6, Fountains of Wayne, Günther, Howie Day, Jurassic 5, Lifehouse, Lupe Fiasco, Maroon 5, Matt Nathanson, MGMT, New Found Glory, Rihanna, Rooney, Sister Hazel, They Might Be Giants, and The Walkmen. Many bands, including Girl Talk and Vanilla Ice, have played at eating clubs for other occasions. On June 13, 1981, R.E.M. played its first concert north of the Mason-Dixon line at an eating club in Princeton.</p>
<p>Reasonably good bands come to Princeton for special events. Every band in the universe comes to New York and/or Philadelphia (usually “and”), and is accessible from Princeton, especially if someone who wants to go has a car. Philadelphia is closer and much, much cheaper – you can see great shows here for $15.</p>
<p>The bands who visit the eating clubs or for the all school festivals can be a great opportunity. I think my son’s favorite was Lupe Fiasco at a very, very, very small venue. The eating clubs are small, like lounges. Terrace Club in particular has a great music history. Take a look here. [terrace</a> f. club ::: food = love Shows](<a href=“http://www.terracefclub.com/shows.php]terrace”>http://www.terracefclub.com/shows.php). Hip nerds love Terrace:).</p>
<p>There was an article in the student newspaper in which a student said,At Princeton it is OK to be a nerd.</p>
<p>Students at Princeton who self describe themselves as nerds do so with a self depreciating sense of humor; here is an article on the Mr. Engineering contest.
[Beirut</a> star dons Mr. Engineering duct tape crown - The Daily Princetonian](<a href=“http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/2005/03/28/12454/]Beirut”>http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/2005/03/28/12454/) </p>
<p>Even something as simple as a dodgeball contest is done with a sense of humor. Deep down, I feel like everyone at Princeton is a nerd, junior Brett Lullo explained. We all got our fair share of dodgeballs chucked at our heads in elementary school. Whether we were the fat kid, the nerdy kid or the boy that threw like a girl, we all got our butts kicked in dodgeball growing up. But now, most of us are past our awkward stages and are looking for revenge. Its the ultimate revenge of the nerds. </p>
<p>[Dodgeball:</a> No easy road to the title for dodgeballers - The Daily Princetonian](<a href=“http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/2010/04/08/25778/]Dodgeball:”>http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/2010/04/08/25778/) </p>
<p>Nerdy games are accepted. Jacobson noted that though games such as Magic are often viewed as “nerdy,” he does not find this to be the case at Princeton. “Princeton has the most accepting people in the world,” Jacobson said. “They don’t really care if you’re nerdy or if you had some type of high school classification.” High school, according to Jacobson, was quite different. He explained that a friend of his was interested in learning the game but decided not to sign up because of peer pressure from her friends. “Some people will say that they don’t want to play because of the people around them,” he said. “At Princeton, no one thinks badly of me just because I play the game.”</p>
<p>Berl, who started playing Magic last summer, said some people called him a nerd for picking up the game. “A lot of people might kind of look down their nose,” he said, “thinking we’re antisocial or kind of freaky.” Despite this, Berl said he doesn’t feel awkward playing the game at Princeton because he feels that Princeton is “a pretty open place.” “I’m sure there are some people who would look down on it, but I don’t really care what certain people may think,” he said. “I would not be any more embarrassed to play magic than to play chess. This is just one part of me - it doesn’t define me.”</p>
<p>Sam Perez '10 summed it up quite nicely. “Obviously it’s nerdy, but this is Princeton; it’s not that big of a deal,” he said. “I think there are a lot of valid benefits to playing the game. It’s definitely a mental exercise. It’s not just tomfoolery - not like World of Warcraft.”
[Every</a> Sunday, you can find “Magic” in the Frist Gallery - The Daily Princetonian](<a href=“http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/2010/02/18/25216/]Every”>http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/2010/02/18/25216/) </p>
<p>Quidditch at Princeton
[Quidditch</a> sweeps into Princeton - The Daily Princetonian](<a href=“http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/2008/03/25/20534/]Quidditch”>http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/2008/03/25/20534/)</p>
<p>It is important to understand that being a nerd at Princeton or CalTech is not the same as being a nerd in high school. If you have some idiosyncratic interest in high school, you will be shunned. At Princeton or CalTech, people are likely to at least get your gist, and apt themselves to have to have some interest that 99% of the public doesn’t share. By your admission alone, you have elite school “street cred”. There is an aristocracy of brains at these schools that trumps almost anything else.
That said, Princeton indeed is a social place. I’m sure you plan to grow in college. Growing in relation to others is just another facet of your development.</p>