<p>so i'm not trying to stereotype here, but i've heard a lot about ivies, even princeton, being largely composed of incredibly wealthy students...</p>
<p>so i'm a lower-middle class student, and i'm wondering if i can fit in? i'm from a suburban public school... my family doesn't own a yacht or villa...will i be left out? </p>
<p>i know people aren't seriously that dumb to say, "oh, you're not bloody rich; i can't be your friend," but do most of the social activities cost a lot of money? i can't exactly afford ski trips every weekend...thanks for the info!</p>
<p>Expect the super rich kids to stick together on holidays. But they hang out with everyone else while at school especially when they need tutoring which is most of the time- that issue creates a very democratic process- those are the kids pictured in the catalog and the catalog is in the admissions office LOL</p>
<p>What is it--55% of Princeton students get some sort of financial aid? Few would consider those students "very rich"--yet they make up the majority of Princetonians.</p>
<p>qwertulen that was hilarious...thanks guys, i feel a bit better now. and hey, i have to get in first, right? =p</p>
<p>yeah i kind of saw the same thing at hamilton...all the kids were driving cadillacs...but oh well, i'll do things my way. yay! hey, does this make me count as a minority group for acceptance? hahaha...</p>
<p>No, social costs aren't very high at all. Who do you think had time for weekend ski trips?! And taking the train to New York is literally free a couple of times year. Also, there was this story in the Prince a while back about these two guys who survived off free food for a week from lectures and etc.</p>
<p>Zel17: My concern is the cost of the eating clubs vs. a regular meal plan. If all of D's friends are in an eating club and she can't afford it, it could be uncomfortable. I haven't really looked into the difference in cost yet, but I do know that the eating clubs cost more and can be a big part of social life.</p>
<p>Nothing to worry about. The new financial aid awards have been adjusted so that they are based on the cost of an average eating club membership, not on the university meal plan. So students of all economic backgrounds can join eating clubs.</p>
<p>Wow, that's really interesting that Princeton is doing that. And even despite the fact that the eating clubs are a completely separate thing and not associated with Princeton (a far as finances, I mean?)</p>
<p>Honestly, I've been going here for going on 2 years and I can't tell who is rich and who isn't. It's not a big deal and no one makes anything of it really. </p>
<p>That being said, if you do make some rich friends here, get to know their parents!</p>
<p>For the answer to your question about eating clubs, check out the article in the New York Observer of Feb. 17, 2007:
Undercover at Princeton’s Eating Clubs
Lingerie, beer and a big tub of Crisco! They’re keepin’ it classy over at the Ivy League’s New Jersey outpost.
By Spencer Morgan
observer.com/20070226/20070226<em>Spencer</em>Morgan<em>pageone</em>newsstory2.asp</p>
<p>I would actually say that you'll probably spend less money here than at some other ivies. There's just not that much to do to spend money on. You'll stay on campus most of the time because there's not much for students on Nassau street and in the town of princeton, and trips to malls or the city are rare because most people don't have that much extra time lying around... And if you're into the party scene, the eating clubs provide free alcohol (unless you decide to join one and have to then pay for that, but the new financial aid plans for eating clubs eliminate most of the problem). At Harvard, Yale, Columbia, or UPenn there's more daily small expenses associated with more urban life, and at those schools you usually have to pay to get into some parties.</p>