<p>Well, Im leaving for college four weeks from today, and I cant wait. My four years at Harvard should be interesting, to say the least. But before I ship off and start this exciting (and frightening) new chapter of my life, I want to leave something behind for all of the eager, nervous potential Harvardians (or Elis, or Princetonians) that frequent these boards.
Ive been haunting CC since I was a sophomore in high school, frequenting the Harvard forum, and every so often, amidst the numerous What are my chances? threads, a question yielding equally subjective responses rears its ugly head: Why Harvard? Or, why Yale? Why Princeton?<br>
Well, as a prospective English and/or Visual and Environmental Studies (VES) concentrator who has had experience with each of these schools, I figured Id give some observations about each. This isnt a How-to guide or a lecture on why Harvard is better (because it often isnt); rather, these are things I noticed and considered about each school, straight out of the mouth of someone who was in your shoes: not an admissions officer, not a viewbook, and definitely not an expert.</p>
<p>PRINCETON.
Driving to Princeton, NJ is like driving into the heart of Pleasantville USA. At least, this urbanite has never seen anything quite like it. Everything is elegant, quaint, expensiveand so many trees! I was born and raised in NJ, and take it from me, Princeton is not the everyday NJ youll hear mocked as the garbage state or what have you; Princeton, NJ is a different animal. They dont call it the Princeton Bubble for nothing.<br>
If you hear one thing around campus, it wont be Harvard/Yale sucks or anything similar, because this campus is very self-contained; they dont seem to care what Harvard and Yale are doing, which I found attractive. But if theres one phrase you are certain to hear at Princeton, it is undergraduate focus.<br>
Academically, Princetons philosophy seems antithetical to that of most brand name universities; they neglect their grad students and shower their undergrads with attention. How often will a college student tell you that she just finished discussing her thesis with Toni Morrison over lunch? Or that a big name professor like Cornel West consistently invites his entire class to dinner at his home?<br>
As a writer, I was attracted to Princeton because of the creative writing department. If ever there were a big-name powerhouse department at any university, Princetons creative writing department would be it: Toni Morrison, CK Williams, Joyce Carol Oates, Yusef Komunyakaa, Paul Muldoon . . . Its enough to make you foam at the mouth. And guess what. Theyre REAL: you actually see them, meet them, talk to them, maybe become friends. (Oates, Morrison and Muldoon frequent Thomas Sweets on Nassau if youre interested in stalking them . . . and if not, go anyway. Have a Blendertheyre excellent!)<br>
And creative writing students, if accepted to the program, can write novels or volumes of poetry as their thesis. How cool is that? You may have heard of Jonathan Safran Foer, author of the recent Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. You may remember that his first novel was Everything is Illuminated. Wanna guess where he wrote it?
Also, if youre into journalism, Princeton has an excellent program called Press Club. Its hard to find stuff online about it (something brief here: <a href="http://etc.princeton.edu/CampusWWW/Companion/press_club.html)%5B/url%5D">http://etc.princeton.edu/CampusWWW/Companion/press_club.html)</a>, but you should go to the office of the Daily Prince and ask about it.<br>
Beyond that, Princeton also offers strong programs in the Humanities and engineering. I would definitely look into the schools excellent Comp. Lit program, if youre interested.<br>
And the student body is beyond description. My host at prefrosh weekend was a world champion kayaker; enough said. The students are extremely friendly and extremely helpful. I cant tell you how many times, when I apparently looked like I was lost, a Princeton student approached me and asked me if I was okay, if I needed help.<br>
The prefrosh weekend came on the heels of many seniors finishing their theses, and many juniors finishing up their second junior papers. In case youre wondering why Princeton doesnt offer double majors, the junior papers/senior thesis are to blame. These are intense assignments that EVERY undergrad has to complete. I was actually really impressed by the idea. Since its something that everyone does, its really a hurdle the students can overcome as a community. Just one of the things that seems to promote unity among its students.<br>
So you might wonder, then, where the school gets its reputation for being snooty. I attribute that to a few things. For one, the school has lots, and lots, and lots of money. Money, money, money. The money at Princeton seems as boundless as the opportunities; there are literally SO MANY THINGS the school is willing to fund for its students. Want a grant to go to Italy to research a novel youre writing (or Ukraine, like JSF)? Go for it. Want to go to Africa and spread AIDS awareness? Give it a try. As long as youre being productive with their money, they seem very willing to give it to you.<br>
But another factor of Princetons reputation seems to be the fault of the schools dark underbelly: eating clubs. From my understanding, because upperclass houses dont have dining plans, Juniors and Seniors have to find an alternative way to eat. For many, eating clubs are the answer. Like colleges, eating clubs have distinct personalities. And like fraternities/sororities, eating clubs have a process of hazing potential members called bicker. Some eating clubs are known for being especially snooty and prestigious, others are strictly for partying. Some accept anyone who signs up.<br>
I was fortunate enough to visit an eating club while I was there. My hosts girlfriend (who was SO helpful) happened to be a member of Tower, one of the more moderately crazy eating clubs. Folks, the food was delicious. And Im sure, had the University not demanded that the clubs stay dry during prefrosh, the parties wouldve been great, too. Im sure some less-that-flattering things happen at eating clubs (The first rule of eatings clubsyou do NOT talk about eating clubs . . .); but I didnt see or experience any of them, cough.
But eating clubs aint cheap. Since they arent really sanctioned by the college anymore, you cant get financial aid for them. So be prepared to pay. Or find other ways to eat; dont worry, there are many good options.<br>
Princeton is an amazing school. And youll be hard-pressed to find nicer admissions officers elsewhere. As far as financial aid goes, Princeton gave me my best offer. Keep in mind, though, that I am from New Jersey, and Princeton tends to be more generous with its NJ students. (I found that out the hard way. Harvard gave me a bit less, and when I tried to negotiate for more by comparing their offer to Princetons, Harvard said, We cant do that. Youre from NJ, and we arent Princeton . . . )<br>
Still, if I had any criticism of the school, itd be that its too perfect. Everything there seems boundless and ideal, or, as I like to say, unrealistic. Princeton seems cut off from the world. For Heavens sake, the schools front gate is NEVER locked. Even Harvard locks some of its gates; and Yale? Ha! Then again, Princeton, NJ is Pleasantville; I guess the school really has no reason to lock up at night . . .
Everything at Princeton seemed too good to be true, and one things for sure: when I left, I had the overwhelming sense that I would be happy there, that I would thrive. I had an amazing time in Pleasantville, and for days after, this cynical urbanite was dreaming Orange. (tbc)</p>