<p>So there's a thread on Princeton's strengths, now lets get balanced and hear what some of the downfalls of Princeton are.</p>
<p>Rather than just people who toured and "didn't like the vibe" it would be more constructive to hear from people who have spent significant enough amount of time there to speak about it.</p>
<p>Getting accepted is difficult.</p>
<p>Well, I don't know much about it (and didn't even apply), but students seem much more competitive/cut-throat and less laid back than those at West Coast schools, perhaps that is more of the feeling on the East Coast. The weather also is kind of a negative. </p>
<p>And, yeah, I suppose getting accepted is kind of difficult. :).</p>
<p>Pretentious Pricks: Princeton.</p>
<p>I guess it's name is kind of long, so you're going to waste more ink typing it on resumes than you would if you went to a short-named school, which means you're going to have to buy more ink cartridges.</p>
<p>But that's about it.</p>
<p>According to my interviewer (a very recent grad), the pre-professional advising at Princeton leaves a lot to be desired. Obviously, it's not difficult to score a sweet post-grad acceptance or a cushy job after graduating from a top 3 school, but she said that they're just not very involved or helpful in the process.</p>
<p>Does Princeton have a good graduate program for Business? What about other programs?</p>
<p>According to my interviewer, Princeton is very "insular" (his word), partly because it's in a very small town and partly because its students fit the sheltered upper-middle-class-kid stereotype very well. He said that Harvard is a more "intellectually exciting" place because it boasts more superstar professors and is close to MIT and the academic hubs of Boston. It was a helpful observation that confirmed my own inklings.</p>
<p>Oh, and course/seminar offerings. That's where Princeton's size hurts it (although, for an institution of its size, it offers a surprising variety of courses).</p>
<p>GRADE DEFLATION. How has this topic gone 9 posts without it being mentioned?</p>
<p>LOWER GPA makes you look like crap in comparison to other students. This WILL affect you, even though administrators try to play it off like it won't. Expect difficult classes and lots of studying to compete.</p>
<p>wow, randombetch is the second coming of ivyboy05.
seriously though, grade deflation isn't that big a deal. think 3.2-3.3 average gpa, instead of 3.3-3.4. it's not a huge difference, especially when it's not really affecting post-graduation prospects for most students. and do keep in mind that it's still over 35% A's (since many professors ignore this cap, and those that adhere to it only need to stay at 35), which isn't bad at ALL compared to other schools with real grade deflation.
sure, classes are hard and you'll have to study a lot. but that's not because of grade deflation; that's because princeton classes are generally hard. </p>
<p>also, if you got a 93% in that science class and have a b+, you can try talking to malkiel/your professor about it. malkiel has expressly said that the policy is NOT meant to restrict A's in specific cases, so much as it is a general effort to reduce excessive A's. it's an attempt to get rid of the mentality that everyone should get an A because they got A's in high school. clearly, if you got a 93%, that isn't the case, so you can try appealing that.</p>
<p>^ My interviewer said she was near the bottom of her class because of grade deflation, but she still got a huge internship with a posh law firm in NYC and then got into the joint J.D./M.B.A. program at UT-Austin (which is highly ranked for both law and business school).</p>
<p>People know "it's Princeton."</p>
<p>Alright, I'm a student here, and here are my thoughts:</p>
<p>Grade deflation - I got a B+ in class when my average was an A- (this happened in my one intro-level class; all of my other classes seemed to care less about grade deflation)</p>
<p>The Bubble - Since Princeton has basically all you can ask for, you don't see yourself leaving campus for anything really. They have trips to NY, the movies, and plenty of other places off campus, but you don't really interact with the town. I'm not sure if this is a weakness, but it may be to some other people.</p>
<p>Parking - its really hard to get parking overnight. really hard. I got a $33 ticket because I parked overnight on the street. Apparently you're not allowed to park in the street overnight. </p>
<p>...im sure there are more, but it's not easy to come up with weaknesses.</p>
<p>
[QUOTE]
I guess it's name is kind of long, so you're going to waste more ink typing it on resumes than you would if you went to a short-named school, which means you're going to have to buy more ink cartridges.
[/QUOTE]
The more ink per resume factor is probably mitigated by the need to send fewer resumes.</p>
<p>The atmosphere at Princeton is not less "intellectual". Not in the true sense. It may look less intellectual in the stereotypical image than Harvard, fewer coffee shops, etc. More kids in pastel clothing. But the level of intellectual discussion and your interaction with brilliant professors is, in my opinion and experience within my family, just as high or higher.</p>
<p>I heard HYP prefer rich students...<em>Sigh</em></p>
<p>smalllab--You were massively misinformed. HYP have extraordinary need based financial aid and devote much adcom time and budget to "prospecting" for applicants from disadvantaged backgrounds specifically to avoid having overrepresentation by rich students.</p>
<p>Alumother, you've misunderstood. My interviewer did not say that Princeton is less "intellectual" than Harvard; he said that Princeton is less "intellectually exciting" than Harvard. He was not talking about the level of intellectual discussion or the culture amongst the students. What he said was that one will have less opportunities at Princeton to form rapports with superstar professors, to work in highly influential think tanks and research institutes (e.g., the Poverty Action Lab at MIT), to feed off graduate students who are conducting cutting-edge research in their fields, and to attend high-profile academic conferences. And that will inevitably be true for a small undergraduate-focussed university.</p>
<p>You're always putting me down, sherpa.</p>
<p>Mustafah,</p>
<p>Princeton doesn't have PROFESSIONAL schools. It does have GRADUATE schools. And superstar graduate students. And superstar professors. And think tanks. Think Institute for Advanced Studies. Think Einstein.</p>
<p>I would argue that Princeton is high intellectually exciting. You just don't see as much of the "intellectual" role playing.</p>