<p>Hi and THANK YOU to everyone for your very thoughtful and informative responses.</p>
<p>I wanted to let everyone know, including those kids who are still on the fence, that my son returned from an unofficial (i.e., non-Preview) visit and LOVED Princeton. Everyone was warm and friendly, and the reservations he had about Princeton from the social side were wiped away. My son met students as he walked around the campus, and one student invited him to an informal dinner where my son also met other students. My son also met a professor in one of the classes where he sat in and had an opportunity to talk after class about the school. As he walked around one of the sports venues, a coach who happened to see my son walking around took the time to introduce himself and spent some time talking to my son about the school and the team he coached. My son was not a recruited athlete and hadnt talked to any coaches at Princeton until then but he has played a varsity sport in high school and was very impressed that the coach took the time to talk to him about the school and the program. The bottom line is that when my son returned from this informal visit, he could actually see himself at Princeton. </p>
<p>My take-away is that, with all schools, you really need to visit outside of the Preview setting. I know that other posters have said this before but I dont think it can be emphasized enough. The official preview days at any school just arent an accurate view, for better or worse, of the real day to day experience. In the case of Princeton Preview, we came away with a very good understanding of all the academic, research and career services opportunities that Princeton has to offer by far, hands-down, the best presentation we have seen at any school. Princeton Preview completely succeeded in conveying the truly unique academic environment that exists at Princeton. My son has been waiting all these years to get into the type of academic environment where he will be pushed and challenged. That level of academics is what made my son go back for another visit, he recognizes that the academics at Princeton will be difficult to find anywhere else. After the two day Preview program, there was no question in our minds as parents or in the mind of my son that Princetons academic program would be among the best anywhere in the United States. Hearing the professors speak on their panels and seeing first-hand their tremendous talent and their sincere and dedicated interest in teaching the Princeton students was remarkable, exciting and inspiring. Also, each of us were floored by the poise, intelligence and disciplined thought of the Princeton student panelists; they were clearly the product of the exceptional education offered at the school.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, trying to capture a regular day on campus and the social side is so difficult in a program like Princeton Preview. There are so many different personalities and interests among the visting students. Perhaps fewer restrictions on the regular activities and trusting the good judgment of a clearly great student body would be a start. My son still has a tough decision to make in the next week or so but I am glad that he had a chance to go back and see Princeton again on just a regular day so that he can see what it will be like to just hang out at Princeton.</p>