<p>Oh dear. </p>
<p>Byerly, you previously stated that the proportion of male athletes among the student body at Princeton was higher than [at] any other elite university. </p>
<p>Now your claim has expanded to a larger proportion than [at] any other university in the nation. Period. </p>
<p>Though I think Im more supportive of scholar-athletes than you seem to be Im still hoping your next claim wont be highest in the universe! That WOULD make us a little unbalanced!</p>
<p>Look friends, the figure for all recruited athletes (male and female, varsity and junior varsity) at Princeton is just as Ive stated it and as the citations show, somewhere in the range of 22% to 25% depending on the sources cited. At Harvard, the comparable figures range from 19% to 23%. Harvard actually has more athletes. The difference in percentages is due entirely to Princetons small size and desire to compete in the same sports as its peers. Ive provided all the citations above so I wont repeat them here and I apologize to the readers of this thread for its tediousness. </p>
<p>Of course athletes are full citizens at Princeton, just as they are at Harvard and few restrict their activities just to athletics. Youll find student athletes in dramatic performances, debating societies and, yes, even among the rolls of Rhodes Scholars! Still, all colleges strive for a dynamic balance of interests and talents. For example, Princeton has long been heavy on the engineering/science side of the scale and is now moving to expand its student body to make room for more students in the arts and humanities. Interestingly, Yale, which has long had a large number of students interested in the arts and humanities, is now trying to lure more interested in the hard sciences. </p>
<p>As to misconceptions, certainly the most prevalent (and the one repeated most eagerly by Princetons detractors) is that Princeton is the college described by F. Scott Fitzgerald in This Side of Paradise, a WASPish, preppy place of strong class distinctions. Though there is something dreamy about Fitzgeralds descriptions of the physical beauty of the place, socially, Princeton is nothing like the world he knew. Today, Princeton is a place of great diversity with students from all parts of the world and from all social backgrounds. (By the way, if you knew me personally and something about my family background, you would lay those stereotypes to rest immediately!)</p>
<p>This last academic year many people holding onto these outdated stereotypes must have been shocked to see Princeton identified in national magazine surveys as one of the strongest and most inviting schools in the country for both African-American and Latino students. As noted in a current thread, Princeton was also just identified as one of the twenty most supportive campuses in the country for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students. (see: <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showpost.php?p=2765010&postcount=1%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showpost.php?p=2765010&postcount=1</a> )</p>
<p>The range of family incomes is very broad. My own parents were unable to provide any significant financial support and Princeton picked up nearly the entire tab. Today, Princetons financial aid program is unsurpassed. Other schools, including Harvard, have excellent financial aid but still require students to take out loans to cover their expenses. Princeton has done away with student loans entirely so that all aid is in the form of grants which do not need to be paid back.</p>
<p>Some things remain constant. Princetons campus is breathtakingly beautiful and timeless. Students study hard but also find time for involvement in a wide array of activities. As at any of the competitive colleges, you will find that there is never enough time during the day for all of the things you would like to do. In short, its an exhausting paradise.</p>
<p>When I applied to college, I was accepted at Princeton, Harvard, Yale, Stanford and a number of others. Any of them would have been wonderful places to study. I had my own concerns about Princeton prior to visiting but all those concerns vanished once I met the students and spoke with the very accessible professors. Stereotypes and misconceptions mingle with intentional distortions on the part of detractors of each of these schools.</p>
<p>Open your mind. Visit Princeton if you can. If your experience is anything like mine, youll fall in love.</p>