<p>I was randomly in monmouth junction, nj today and so my mom and I randomly decided to stop by princeton since, you know, it was right there.</p>
<p>And let me just say that I have never seen anything more amazing in my entire life (ok, maybe I'm exaggerating. but not by much)!</p>
<p>The architecture was so great and it almost makes me want to apply there!</p>
<p>but first, I must ask: are the rumors true? Is there really nothing to do for students that attend there except these "eating clubs." I really cannot believe that's true, but who knows?</p>
<p>I don't really know what you mean by your questions, but there are definitely things to do here other than go to "the Street." There are several hundred campus organizations one can get involved with. Most of the eating clubs are usually only open on Thursday and Saturday nights anyway.</p>
<p>I think the most important thing we on this Princeton board need to do is to keep explaining to all prospective parents and kids what Shirley Tilghman, the President of the university, is trying to do with the four-year residential colleges. Starting this year, Princeton has options for ALL to find a complete social home without ever even walking down Prospect Street - the street where the clubs are located.</p>
<p>That said, I am sorry Win had the outcome described but sure that he will have a great experience at UVa.</p>
<p>There's tons of stuff to do that doesn't include the eating clubs. That said, for much of the student population, the Street is the major hub of nightlife, and, often the location of the best parties.</p>
<p>Whether there is "other" stuff to do is a somewhat relative and subjective term. The only way to find out is to spend 2-3 days on the campus and compare it to your 2-3 days spent at other schools. </p>
<p>Based on my experience, in terms of "stuff to do" and the overall vibrancy/ambiance of the place, you will see major differences between Princeton and:</p>
<p>1) Small LACs with a few hundred students per class;
2) More urban schools with larger college towns, with much more to do in the area around the university;
3) Urban schools in very large cities where most students are sucked far off campus to other parts of the metro area;
4) Universities, or institutions in close proximity to other universities, that have larger professional medical/arts/law/drama/music/theatre/etc programs that provide thousands of free events for students every year and also lend a larger, more diverse population of students and educated professionals to the immediate area;
5) Universities with larger undergraduate student bodies;
6) Universities with more compact campuses, and Universities with more spread-out campuses;
7) Universities with more prominent housing/residential college systems that serve as "hubs" for the community;
8) Universities where private "clubs" are less prominent in the Thursday and Saturday night social scenes for freshman, sophomores, juniors and seniors, and where more of the social life is centered around the campus itself;
9) Universities with very large sports programs and fraternity scenes.</p>
<p>There are huge differences within the above characteristics and honestly the only way to really find out what your preference is is to visit extensively and compare. I would try to get into the best school you can, but have 4-5 choices and when you know what your choices are, then make those visits. It's definitely worth your time and money because all of these schools have VERY different social and extracurricular scenes.</p>