<p>I don't know if it's representative, but it was a 300-level English course in which the prof took 1 of 3 precepts.</p>
<p>So should I go ask the professor which precepts he teachers before I sign up for classes? That seems kind of weird, if that's the first time I'm talking to this professor and I'm not even in his class yet...</p>
<p>My second semester, I took 3 larger lecture classes. In the first, a constitutional law class, I had a preceptor who had a law degree from stanford- definately more than qualified to teach the class-- the professor also taught one of the precepts, a professor who did not teach the class but was in the politics department taught another, and the rest were taught by preceptors similarly qualified to my own. </p>
<p>the second- a classics class that a lot of people took pdf, I had the professor as my preceptor. Another professor who technically co-taught the class taught a second, and I think graduate students taught the rest of them (but the sign up sheets had the names on them so that you can tell who you were signing up for)</p>
<p>In the third- a sociology class, there was one graduate student who taught all precepts. While she wasnt particularly qualified in the area, she was really nice and we had some good discussions, plus all sections had her. </p>
<p>Basically- it really ddepends on the classes that you take and how your schedule works out. The grad students also tend to be extremely qualified (they got into princeton grad school after all) and can be nice to get to know- and give you a different perspective than the teacher-- plus you need someone to tell you how famous your teacher actually is ;-), considering that the teachers would never do that for themselves.</p>
<p>"Tell about the "eating clubs...they sound alittle snobbish and "elitist" to me but I would be really interested in a first hand account of them."</p>
<p>See the analysis above. while it would impossible to fully explain them all in words, that is a very good job at doing it. </p>
<p>"How are the professors?"</p>
<p>Professors are great, bad, but overall very intelligent. Some are quirky, some are plain funny, and there will be some good and bad teachers, nice and mean. You can't stereotype them all. Just do your research before taking classes, find out who teaches what and how and who is good, and you should be fine. But that is no different than any other university really.</p>
<p>"How's the food?"</p>
<p>solid. it isn't like a 5 star restaurant, but can you expect it to be? I hear Cornell has been ranked having the best food, followed by Tufts. I'm not sure how accurate that is, but I remember reading rankings one time. Food in the town is fairly easy to come by but pretty expensive. It won't break your wallet once, but you can't do it every other day or else you will go broke fast.</p>
<p>hey...</p>
<p>sorry to add to all these questions! but i was wondering about the drinking situation. Does EVERYBODY drink? Are you considered a loser/outcast if you don't? Can you still have fun at parties without drinking? Is there intense pressure to drink?</p>
<p>I think you know, even as you are asking that question, that not EVERYONE drinks. They have substance free dorms, for example. And tap rooms in the eating clubs are only part of the party (there are other floors and other rooms).</p>
<p>well, yeah, i suppose i should rephrase that to "an overwhelming majority"</p>
<p>The answer, in my opinion, is no. I don't think you're pressured to drink (unless you choose to be around those kinds of people) though a lot of drinking goes on. Mostly beer though, I believe. I'll let the real princeton people answer the question more indepthly</p>
<p>a lot of people drink- but I dont think that anyone pressures you to drink (definately not if youre a girl- im not as sure about the guys) I have friends who would play beirut, and just let their partners drink (and they would usually end up winning because they were sober while the others were drunk) That might be different if you want to join a frat or a sorority, but in normal life, there is no pressure to drink, just the alcohol available if you so desire.</p>
<p>can somebody tell me more about the WWS school? Is it true that it's a hodge podge of several majors and doesn't give you a solid foundation in anything?
(plz see my thread on the class of 09 thread)</p>
<p>It sounds a bit extreme to me, but is it really all that much harder for a minority to get into a bicker, like say, the Ivy? Perhaps I'm just a bit naive but I would think that after so much progress that wouldn't hold true to the same extent any longer. </p>
<p>just curious,
c. witherspoon</p>
<p>"yeah and prospective students should know that minorities generally dont bicker clubs. Life is very different between minorities and whites when it comes to the street.</p>
<p>If youre a minority, you should check out the atmosphere closely yourself by going to your respective cultural group's websites in the pton website directory. Contact many of the students and ask them the questions to get a firsthand view."</p>
<p>Wow, I am really disappointed. I am Pakistani-American, and Princeton had been my dream school for as long as I can remember.</p>
<p>I am still gonna apply ED anyways (coz I love Princeton), and I hope that I will be get into a good eating club.</p>
<p>You don't HAVE to join an eating club. I think personal experiences are just that: PERSONAL, so you shouldn't be disappointed just because of one or two people's experiences. Times are changing rapidly and you can help decide what the school is like. Please don't get so down about this.</p>
<p>MMMMMMM. my enthusiam for Princeton has dipped almost below my enthusiam for Cornell ... I hate being close to jerks. Something tells me its gonna be quite hard to find a nice group of fellow aussies to hang out wit ...</p>
<p>It is not true that minority students are not in the bicker clubs. Some are officers as well. What I hear from club officers is that they would like to see more minority students bicker. If I were to fault them at all, it is for being unsuccessful at getting the word out. </p>
<p>Keep in mind that the OP graduated 3 years ago. Princeton has changed quite a bit even in that short time. On campus I see a great deal of mixing among students of different races, more than I've seen at many other schools. The key to socializing at Princeton is to get involved in one or more small extracurriculars -- a team, an a cappella, theater, or dance group, a sorority or fraternity, a club sport, etc. Students of all backgrounds in these groups develop close friendships because they see one another very often. </p>
<p>Re precepts, my d found that in the sciences introductory classes were very large, and the precepts were led by grad students who were basically focused on answering questions. In the humanities and social sciences, however, there are many opportunities for small seminars led by professors. And for the larger classes in the politics department, the preceptors are often lawyers who are really excellent -- in fact, many of them are better at leading discussion than some of the professors are. </p>
<p>If a student wants small classes, she or he can definitely get them. My d's first semester, she took 4 small seminars. Her largest class had 20 students in it, and each one was led by a professor. If you choose to do so -- at least in the humanities and social sciences --you can certainly take several small, professor-led seminars each semester. If you want a precept with a professor, you can find out ahead of time which one she or he teaches and try to get in. </p>
<p>My d did try the premed track; she did well but was turned off because it involved taking many large survey courses with 300 students. I do hear quite a few students saying that the discussions in precepts and seminars are so stimulating, and that the opportunities to connect with other bright people at Princeton (both students and professors) are so important to them, that taking a lot of large survey courses feels like a waste. If I were premed I might seriously consider Williams, where I assume introductory courses in the premed sequence do not enroll 300 students. However, premeds at Princeton appear to be very happy and they do well at med school admissions.</p>
<p>psh. how is hoagie haven expensive?</p>
<p>I think most of the time the fault for lack of racial interaction is of minority students themselves. My school is kind of segeragated too. However, I have friends from all backgrounds. Most of my friends are white, and I have never felt left out.</p>
<p>However, what I was worried about was not even getting a chance to joing a good eating club. I feel a lot better now that two people have immidiately challenged the statement that minorities cannot join bicker clubs.</p>
<p>And I agree with you, annandale. I think that the minorities in question automatically dismiss them because of the stigma attached (i.e. that bickering is for your typical upper-middle class caucasian collegiate). I suppose that in the end the experience is what you make of it. </p>
<p>charlotte</p>
<p>Just a question, how hard is it to double major at Princeton? I heard it is difficult because of the thesis requirement.</p>
<p>I'm pretty sure that they really discourage double-majoring at pton. I don't even know if it's humanly possible.</p>