<p>Freshman D is having a great time as well. Her social life has different components but mostly revolves around friends in her residential college. Activities with them include college-sponsored social events, excursions to Philly and NYC (she has gone to a couple of Broadway shows very cheaply through the college), but mostly just room/hallway gatherings which are with smaller groups and more personal. She goes to Eating-Club parties occasionally (about every couple of weeks) but has friends who like that kind of rowdier, more crowded type of party that go more often. She has friends among international students, her ec groups, her classes as well as her college. So far, a really balanced, supportive experience that keeps her motivated for all the hard work.</p>
<p>To paragpon</p>
<p>I do not understand the poor Princeton Preview experiences. From CC posters I have the impression that MIT does the best job and Princeton needs improvement. Princeton students are serious and sometimes intense; but they do have fun and enjoy a good prank. Please see for a list of some memorable pranks: [Princeton</a> Alumni Weekly: Pranks for the memories](<a href=“http://www.paw.princeton.edu/issues/2011/01/19/pages/2657/index.xml]Princeton”>Pranks for the memories | Princeton Alumni Weekly) </p>
<p>To be appreciated the pranks need to be well thought out and well executed. I still remember the first pranks my freshman year. The Princeton Honor Code means that all examinations are conducted on the honor system. No professors or TA’s remain in the room to watch the students. Students are free to leave the room and return. I was struggling on my freshman midterm physics exam and in walks a waiter in formal attire with a Heineken beer on a tray. He serves a student the beer and leaves. I am thinking What the ****. Ten minutes later the same student stands up and yells This test is impossible. I am quitting school. He tears up the midterm exam and stomps out of the room to great applause. A well done and appreciated prank.</p>
<p>I was public school, middle class, and mid western. Seventy per cent of the student body is from public schools or catholic schools. While there are a very few preppies that take themselves serious most students enjoy making fun of the preppy image or adopting a fun element of this such as by wearing old jeans and a tweed sports coat. Here is a recent video of Princeton students mocking the preppy image. See: [YouTube</a> - Charter Club Annual Croquet Game](<a href=“Charter Club Annual Croquet Game - YouTube”>Charter Club Annual Croquet Game - YouTube) </p>
<p>Most students are from backgrounds similar to your son. They are intense and passionate about their studies but are also looking for fun and warmth in college. </p>
<p>My sister attended Rice. If you desire more information send me a PM.</p>
<p>OP,</p>
<p>My son (a junior) and I (mom) visited Princeton and Penn a few weeks ago. We are a blue collar, middle class homeschooling family. We were at Princeton on March 30/April 1st and it snowed and rained that day. (We are from the finest city in the world here in So. Cal; <em>I</em> think people are crazy to want to live in cold but my son finds it refreshing) We had contacts on campus and we both stayed in dorms; I stayed in a girl’s dorm with one of our friends and he stayed in the boys dorm across the hall. We didn’t do an “official” tour; rather, our two friends, a young lady and a young man, took us around, allowed us to eat all the meals there, and spend virtually all day with us on Friday. I did a session with admissions while my son wandered around with his friends and we ended the evening at the Princeton Evangelical Fellowship which was such a wonderful way to end the day.</p>
<p>Comparing Princeton to Penn, I came up with a word for each campus. At Penn, the word that came to mind was “spirit”, at Princeton, the word that came to mind was “purpose”.</p>
<p>My son felt the slightest bit more affinity to Penn but he was sure he could be happy at both places. I think the reason he felt a little more affinity towards Penn is the reason you’re describing. There is a more “purposeful” (serious?) feel at Princeton and my son is a laid back Californian. However, he realizes that this is a very good thing and it would be a good challenge for him to be with other fun but strong, steady, highly intellegent young people who are serious about contributing to society.</p>
<p>I think the other thing that caused my son to like Penn a tiny bit more was that Philly reminded him of Pittsburgh which he really likes. We come from a big city and he’s kind of used to the bustle. Again, though, he could get very used to the smaller town feel of Princeton and he said as much. I was overwhelmed by Penn at first because it just felt weird to be on a campus in the middle of downtown. I much preferred Princeton but I did find Penn quite charming after we got to know it a little better. (Sorry I can’t comment on Stanford as I’ve never been)</p>
<p>The food at Princeton is <strong>amazing</strong> (I could see a freshman gaining weight except that you walk everywhere and burn it off). The campus is breathtaking (and I reminded our young friends not to take that for granted), and of course, the academics are world renowned.</p>
<p>Our young friends were gracious, kind, and all the other students we met through them were gracious and kind, as well. We were there on a Thursday night and while the dorm rooms where we stayed were quiet (students keep very unique hours; some stay up much of the night and nap during the day; others try to sleep “normal” hours; boys had wii in their room), we could hear a Thursday night party going on in the 8 man suite above us. So, I would say, there are parties happening if you want them and there are quieter dorms if you don’t. Our friends are both just very nice, gentle “purposeful” people and they both seem to enjoy Princeton very much.</p>
<p>My son also sat in on two classes-math and physics-and enjoyed each one. He particularly found the linear algebra teacher to be funny. :-)</p>
<p>Yes, I would say there is wealth everywhere you go at Princeton but it isn’t flaunted in the least. Both of our friends’ parents are doctors (my husband is a driver) but they were wearing jeans and tennies. Almost all the kids I saw were very down to earth.</p>
<p>HTH a little with your decision.</p>
<p>All-
Thanks so much for insights and thoughtful narratives. Princeton is looking more marvelous and less daunting…thanks again and best wishes!</p>
<p>OK, examples of fun.</p>
<ul>
<li>Trips to New York for ballet, musicals.</li>
<li>Cane Spree - Frosh/Soph games</li>
<li>Dodgeball tournament</li>
<li>Tiger Inn Viking Night</li>
<li>Halloween - My son dressed as Pikachou from Pokemon</li>
<li>Secret arts societies</li>
<li>Traying on the Princeton Golf Course come the first snow</li>
<li>Late nights in each other’s rooms, discussing the meaning of life, or their writing. I am not kidding.</li>
<li>Writing for the Daily Princetonian. Unlike other top schools, it’s not competitive.</li>
<li>The dance clubs, DiSiac, eXpressions, etc.</li>
<li>Houseparties. Lawnparties. All-campus concerts.</li>
<li>Bonfire on Cannon Green if the football team beats Harvard and Yale in one year</li>
</ul>
<p>In all honesty, from a parent’s point of view, there’s almost TOO MUCH fun at Princeton:). I call it Disneyland for kids who got good grades in high school.</p>
<p>Speaking of dodgeball tournament, it’s going on right now. The tournament is run by the Colosseum club, which hosts weekly events like laser tag and water gun fights as an alternative to the Street. Over 100 teams are in the bracket, from varsity sports teams and eating clubs to the Shakespeare company, juggling club, and klezmer ensemble. We’ve got live student bands, catered barbecue, and a dunking booth with the class presidents on the platform. Just another one of those epic nights at Princeton.</p>
<p>Gee, now I want to go to…both Princeton and Rice!
Parents, if we could peel back the years.</p>
<p>Ptonalumnus, thank you for kind offer. I will PM you as soon as I figure out how to do it here on CC.</p>
<p>@paragpon: just press on the name of the member you want to PM and press the send personal message button :)</p>
<p>Princeton seems cool from what you are all saying. I have a question however. Do math majors hang out together? Is there a scence of camaderie between students from the same major that are also competing “against” each other because of grade deflation?</p>
<p>Do math majors hang out together?</p>
<p>Just speaking from personal experience here, but I wouldn’t say I regularly hang out with math majors simply because they’re math majors. Of my 3.5 closest friends who are math majors (one’s still deciding), I would probably hang around them just as much (minus problem set sessions) if they were physics or econ or philosophy majors. I’ll head over to Fine once or twice a week during tea-time to chill for an hour or so, but other than when we’re working on problem sets, I wouldn’t say there’s a whole lot of intramajor hanging out just for its own sake. I will say that most of my closest friends are quantitative (COS, ECO, ORF, PHY, AST are the majors that dominate), perhaps because our interests are along the same lines and we think similarly, but math majors are a pretty rare breed on campus. </p>
<p>As far as intramajor competition goes, I personally have never seen it. I can’t speak to the camaraderie in giant departments like history, but I do know that certain majors that have post-thesis departmental celebrations. All the Woody Woo seniors, for example, jump into the fountain outside Robertson Hall right after their thesis deadline. As far as grade deflation goes, I really don’t think it has any noticeable impact in this way, as at any other college in the country, majors are still competing “against” each other to a degree. Our curves are just slightly lower. I think one of the great things about Princeton is that official major declaration doesn’t happen for most until sophomore year, so friend groups are often very intellectually diverse before any separation by major might occur.</p>
<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>
<p>
I don’t think the school would be very inclined to expose you, being a parent, to the bulk of the “play.”</p>
<p>
I think you nailed it on the head (although I didn’t attend either preview, I visited a few times in the fall and couldn’t have found it more fun). Preview’s probably nice for meeting fellow future Tigers though.</p>