<p>My son has narrowed down his college choice to Princeton and Dartmouth. It has been a tortuous experience choosing from 5 amazing schools, each having offered him something really special. But he's looking at the two smallest Ivies with liberal arts programs as his final choices. By Friday he's got to make his final decision of which one. I think he is leaning towards Princeton for a lot of reasons (better science school, can do engineering in 4 years not 5, better financial aid package, shorter distance to home, not sure if he'll like the D plan, concerned about the heavy Greek life at Dartmouth). But then we got an email from a friend who pointed out that the air quality at Princeton is not good and this has us a bit scared. My S has a history of allergies and the problem comes not from pollens and mold - those are everywhere and he takes meds for those- the problems come from smog, which is why he didn't apply to any schools in cities. Princeton seemed far enough away from NYC and surrounded by trees that it seemed okay. He did alright the two times we visited. But he has to spend 4 years there. I've looked online and haven't found anything to back up this person's contention that the air quality is as bad as NYC. One site lists the air quality as good with a high percentage of days throughout the year as good (77%). I spoke to my S's allergist who didn't know much about the air quality at Princeton but thought it should be okay since it's not in the industrial part of NJ. Anyone have any info they can add to this? He can choose Dartmouth and be sure the air quality will be pristine in the mountains of NH but I do think he would like to choose Princeton. Need an answer by Friday at the latest!!!!</p>
<p>Well I don’t feel air should be a defining factor in college choice. </p>
<p>I agree, however, that Princeton has a lot of pollen. I was just there and the whole tour group was dieing from allergies! But I think as far as health concerns go, air is not a big deal. Do not worry about it! Princeton’s air is fine, and to be honest, as long as smog levels aren’t as high as Hong Kong, your son’s health will be fine!</p>
<p>good luck!</p>
<p>Bookmarked</p>
<p>Smog around here is pretty nonexistent; I’ve never noticed anything like it. It’s not until you take the train north into NYC that you see any visible air pollution right around Secaucus, which is basically across the state. It’s really not a problem.</p>
<p>I think the only way you are going to get accurate information on this is with scientific measurements because certainly there is no noticeable smog at Princeton. for most people this would be a non-issue, but if your son is extra sensitive then maybe there is some department you can contact at the school. On what basis did your friend say that Princeton had high levels (which seems very odd to me)? Did she see actual scientific reports? I don’t know how accurate that website you found was, but I’d go with something like that that actually tracks smog levels with instrumentation.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone. This is helpful. The site my friend sent to me is:</p>
<p>[Air</a> quality index for Princeton Mercer County NJ](<a href=“http://www.homefacts.com/airquality/New-Jersey/Mercer-County/Princeton.html]Air”>Princeton, NJ Air Quality | Homefacts)</p>
<p>Here the measurement for air quality is really bad, only breathable. That’s what got us worried. So I have been searching for some confirmation of this and have not found it on other sites. One site I found has the air quality about average except for sulfur dioxide:</p>
<p>[Princeton</a>, New Jersey (NJ) profile: population, maps, real estate, averages, homes, statistics, relocation, travel, jobs, hospitals, schools, crime, moving, houses, news](<a href=“http://www.city-data.com/city/Princeton-New-Jersey.html#ixzz1Kn8mtsKc]Princeton”>http://www.city-data.com/city/Princeton-New-Jersey.html#ixzz1Kn8mtsKc)</p>
<p>And other general weather sites list the air quality each day at Princeton as in the good category. The lower the air quality index, AQI, the better and anything under 50 is good. Princeton seems to always be in the 30’s. And looking at Hanover, the AQI is better - in the high 20’s - but they are both under 50. These sites would make it seem that there is nothing to worry about.</p>
<p>My S is significantly better than he was when he was younger - we had to move out of Manhattan when he was 8 to the seashore because the smog made him so ill - and his allergist thinks his body could handle most anything today short of being back in a major urban area. He just got back from a school trip to France for 10 days and was fine. But when we go into the NYC for any event, by the end of the day his eyes are a bit swollen. It’s the main reason he didn’t apply to any school in an urban area. Since Princeton is an hour from the city, we figured it was okay, otherwise he wouldn’t have applied. </p>
<p>But seeing this site my friend sent has us a bit panicked, expecially since he is close to deciding on Princeton and the deadline is May 1st. He could solve the problem by just choosing Dartmouth, where the air quality has to be good in the mountains of Hanover, but I wouldn’t want him to cheat himself out of the program he really wants out of fear for something that may not even be an issue. But we also don’t want to think of him spending 4 years in a place that might set his health back. As if deciding between these two wonderful schools wasn’t stressful enough! That’s why responses from people who are at or have attended Princeton are so crucial.</p>
<p>I don’t remember any significant/particular smog problem at Princeton, nor does my daughter. One possible thing to do would be to contact admissions ASAP and tell them the issue and ask if they can find/think of someone in operations or some other area you can speak to about this. They might not be able to find anyone, but it can’t hurt.</p>
<p>Your question is a medical question more than an air quality question. One person may experience problems with mold, another with ozone and another with particulate matter.</p>
<p>I recommend that you call the Princeton University Health Services. They provide medical care to students that have allergies. If your son chooses to attend Princeton they would be the specialists that would provide him medical care. Express your concerns to them and ask a health care professional if the air quality is causing medical problems for other students. Here is the contact page for UHS: [Contact</a> Us «*Princeton University Health Services](<a href=“http://www.princeton.edu/uhs/about/contact/]Contact”>Contact Us | University Health Services) </p>
<p>I recommend that you contact UHS immediately since it might require some time to reach the appropriate individual.</p>
<p>Good Luck!</p>
<p>Thank-you both so much. I will call Admissions and Health Services right now.</p>
<p>I spoke with the secretary in the Director’s office of health services and she is going to have the Director call me back today. She deals with all issues about students with high risk medical conditions so I am hopeful she can let me know if the campus has an unusual amount of allergy or asthma related problems. I am hopeful we can get this cleared up and my S can make his decision tomorrow. Once again, I am so grateful to CC- I’ve been so panicked that I’m not sure I would have thought of just calling the Princeton administration directly.</p>
<p>According to this, half of the US population lives in polluted air - you can look up different counties and compare: [Key</a> Findings: State of the Air 2011 - American Lung Association](<a href=“http://www.stateoftheair.org/2011/key-findings/]Key”>http://www.stateoftheair.org/2011/key-findings/)</p>
<p>FWIW, my D has noted no change in the frequency or severity of allergic symptoms. It’s very variable depending on an individual’s particular triggers. Sometimes, when someone moves into a new area, they at first experience fewer symptoms as they are exposed to new antigens to which they have yet to develop an immune response.</p>
<p>Should have said …as they are exposed to new antigens to which they have yet to develop an immune response and are less exposed to other known sensitizers.</p>
<p>OP - I’m glad you’ve contacted the University about this. As a parent of a P student, I’ve been very pleased with their responsiveness to any questions that come up. Last year my son was hospitalized after a taxi accident on the way to the airport to come home for spring break. I called and left a message with the dean of his residential college about handling arrangements if he couldn’t make it home. Within hours I’d received a call from his dean about interim housing and getting him on a meal plan over break and another call from someone in health services about offering him a golf cart to get himself around campus as he recovered.</p>
<p>I hope the air quality will be OK for your son. It seems clean to me, for what it’s worth.</p>
<p>I’m sure you’ll find the administration acccomodating to all your son’s needs. I couldn’t be happier about my son’s experience so far.</p>
<p>Hello! I live in the town next to Princeton and go to Princeton often. The air quality is very clean, far better than any city, because it’s a suburban little town with an absolutely beautiful, natural environment. Princeton air would definitely be considered healthy and refreshing. That being said, there is a significant amount of pollen because of all those otherwise-wonderful trees and plants. However, there is no smog whatsoever, so you can disregard that worry. I know many of my friends’ allergies act up around this time of year, but it’s nothing drastic; people’s reactions are so light that I don’t notice them for the most part. The majority of fall and winter are perfectly harmless in term of allergens, and since those account for the majority of the academic school year (~November through early April should be okay for most people even if they have allergies), I wouldn’t worry. I’m sure it will be nothing too inconvenient to handle even if your son has particular needs.</p>
<p>Send him to Princeton! The air quality here is definitely good and should never be a deterrent. He shouldn’t turn down his preferred school over something easily fixed like this.</p>
<p>thank you all. Very reassuring. The health services was very helpful and told me that while the air in NJ is not the best, Princeton seems to be better than other parts of Jersey. She told me that she has not seen unusual amounts of asthma among the students, that the worst allergies are to pollen and mold and tend to come from the students who live out west and are experiencing Northeast pollens for the first time. At least for my S it will be the same pollens he is used to at home. I was very pleased with how responsive the health services office was. My S is still struggling with his decision on which school to choose - talk about coming down to the wire! - but I feel reassured that if he does decide to choose Princeton, he can give it a try. Thanks again for all the great feedback!</p>
<p>I’ve lived in various places up and down the East Coast, including Princeton (for about 10 years) and Princeton’s air didn’t seem any different from any other suburban/rural location. There’s pollen in spring and fall from all the trees, ragweed, and so on, if that bothers your S. There’s little in the way of smog, exhaust fumes, or other stuff that you would find in a city or a heavily industrialized site.</p>
<p>Princeton Class of 2015! My S chose Princeton and I feel reassured by his doctor and the health services at Princeton that his allergies should not be a problem and if they are, the school will do everything they can to help minimize this as an issue (i.e. helping to create a hypoallergenic safe haven in his dorm room, much as we’ve done at home). Go Tigers!</p>
<p>Congratulations! Thanks for letting us know.</p>
<p>Congratulations and welcome to the best damn place of all:).</p>
<p>Smog should not be a problem in Princeton… its far away enough from NYC. I live around 40 minutes from NYC in NJ and the air is fabulous.</p>