Princeton FAQ: Get your questions answered by current students

<p>@wannadartmouth</p>

<p>The accept rate for int'ls is like 7%. </p>

<p>@thebigcheese</p>

<p>Econ here is very rigorous 'cuz it's one of the things we're famous for. Generally if a student pulls all-nighters often (like me) it's because they are irresponsible with regard to their schoolwork.</p>

<p>The surrounding town is small, safe, rich, and boring. But there are some really nice shops and restaurants.</p>

<p>hey, uh, how about using one question mark.</p>

<p>@thebigcheese121</p>

<p>The rigor for econ here is nowhere near that of math/physics. Econ is the most popular major here with like ~300ish students each year. In general, I would not say econ is rigorous...but it really depends on you. You may find it either easy or challenging. </p>

<p>As a comparison, for math/physics, you'll have a hard time finding a math/physics major saying it's NOT rigorous, no matter how good they are. If you were wondering whether this kind of statement can be said for econ, the answer is no.</p>

<p>"Do the students pull all-nighters on a regular basis ??"
No. Sure there are some who do it, but that is because they choose to do so. This is a pretty hard place, but so is other colleges that are as prestigious as Princeton. However, it's not like you'll be worked to death with no sleep on a regular basis. It is not too bad if you develop a good work ethic, or if you're just extremely smart ;)</p>

<p>How's the surrounding town ??
ray121988 answered this question well.</p>

<p>Hello!
I'm a freshman here at Princeton. From Southern California.
I do work-study in the dining hall. </p>

<p>I'm taking Arabic here. Interested mainly in the humanities and social sciences.</p>

<p>I go out to the Street and go to the eating clubs on weekends.</p>

<p>I'm acquainted with Greek life, Jewish life, the visual arts, conservative life through friends of mine on campus.</p>

<p>I do a lot of extracurricular work with the Chicano and Latino communities on campus.</p>

<p>Let me know if I can answer any of your questions about life here.</p>

<p>you mention your taking Arabic, did you have background of that language before you took classes? I'm thinking about switching to another language because I just dont enjoy spanish</p>

<p>p.s. I'm thinking latin if i do change</p>

<p>@ princeton12</p>

<p>I'm interested in Near Eastern Studies and Arabic...how would you rate your experience at Princeton in those areas since i hear the Near Eastern Studies Department is quite small?</p>

<p>I had absolutely no background in Arabic before I began here.
I grew up with Spanish, took the AP test and thus fulfilled the language requirement in that way. However, I really just wanted to learn a third language. I settled upon Arabic.</p>

<p>My experience in my Arabic courses has been very difficult. It is a LOT of work. The class meets 6 times a week, and homework is assigned every day. I regularly spend at least two hours every day on Arabic. I love it, though. It's been extremely rewarding, though it honestly has been very trying. I'm not sure if I would do it again.</p>

<p>It should be noted that in order to get credit for Fall semester of an intro language, one must complete the second semester. Even if I had wanted to drop Arabic after a rough first semester, it would have meant forfeiting any credit for that first semester. So if you plan on starting a language here, remember that you're stuck for the year, unless it's really that bad and you incur a deficiency and take an extra class some other time in your Princeton career. However, this applies to INTRO languages. Subsequent language courses do not follow this.</p>

<p>I haven't taken any other courses in the NES department, though I have heard good things about it.</p>

<p>hey guys, just wondering how will Princeton notify you through your email other than through the online portal? This is because I did my application through hard copy.</p>

<p>yeah true. its probably email but itd be nice to get an envelope. btw is it the 31st with all the other ivy's?</p>

<p>I was notified of my princeton decision last year through online portal, although it took about 3 or 4 minutes before they let me through (since thousands of students were loading it at the same time).</p>

<p>I have a question! so, i'm a girl from SC, attending public school. however, our school is the best public in state (besides governor's school) and i'm taking the most difficult courses offered (i'll take a total of 12 AP's by the time I graduate). will my geographic location significantly hurt my chances?</p>

<p>by the way, i'm a junior :D</p>

<p>@dancemuse: the less kids at Pton from SC, the better your odds.</p>

<p>How strong is Princeton's engineering?(esp mechanical and aerospace)</p>

<p>can you switch from AB to BSE?</p>

<p>@lluvia:con:fuego</p>

<p>I think in general, Princeton engineering is pretty strong. In my opinion, I'm pretty confident in claiming that it is stronger than engineering at Harvard/Yale. However, compared to MIT or Stanford, it may not be the case depending on which engineering (i.e. I assume MIT and Stanford's electrical engineering departments are very good if not the best).</p>

<p>Specifically for MAE (Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering), I'm not too sure since I'm a Computer Science major. Hopefully someone else can answer this for you.</p>

<p>@fiftyeightsix</p>

<p>Yes, you can switch from AB to BSE. If you want to do it later (i.e. sometime during your sophomore year), then it's generally best to have finished at least some if not all of your engineering requirements during freshman year as an AB student.</p>

<p>can anyone give me some information about HUM 216-219 at princeton? I was looking for something similar to directed studies at yale and this seems to be the closest thing. how intense is the workload? what are the lectures and seminars like? how many other courses do students usually take along with this? i absolutely LOVE history and literature, but should i invest my freshman year into this or just take freshman seminars and separate humanities courses of my own choosing? what are all the pros and cons?</p>

<p>i know, i have a lot of questions.
any advice at all would be highly appreciated! :)</p>

<p>How long should the two essays you have to write (for admission) be? They didn't say on the site.</p>

<p>canwemoveon - i know a lot of people who took HUM. It is a lot of reading, but most of the people find it very, very enjoyable because they, too, love literature. Most people take only 2 other courses on top of the HUM sequence.</p>

<p>ah thanks so much; do freshman/writing seminars count as a course?</p>