<p>I recently saw a post like this in the Harvard and Stanford forums and I guess I'll just start one here as well. I apologize in advance if a thread like this already exists. I really need this as I am torn between Princeton and Stanford for Early Action. Tell me what's wrong with this school!</p>
<p>*my intended major is physics and engineering physics and possibly mechanical engineering.</p>
<p>A lot of prefrosh end up getting excited about this topic but here we go:</p>
<p>So ‘grade deflation’ sounds scary but it’s not a big deal for anyone especially for a science/engineering major. Even in schools with huge grade inflation (60%+ A’s) stuff like Orgo and Physics is still going to be curved. Ask someone who took Orgo at Yale or something: chances are it’s around 30% A’s just like Orgo at Princeton. Some have argued that this is ‘grade equality’ / ‘grade fairness’ because now science/engineering majors are on an even playing field when comparing GPAs with Hum/SS majors because science/engineering courses are traditionally curved->resulting in a somewhat lower GPAs.</p>
<p>In general: People like to complain about ‘grade deflation’ but there’s still grade INflation at Princeton. If you don’t screw around in a course (do your homework, go to precept, study) and are supposed to be taking it (e.g. don’t take MAT 215 as a non-science major) then the lowest grade you’ll receive is a B/B+. Compare that with places like Berkeley and MIT where your GPA will actually get wrecked.</p>
<p>Ask current Princeton students. They’ll tell you that the grades they earned were fair. They worked hard to get them and are proud of their academic/extracurricular accomplishments.</p>
<p>The academic atmosphere is nice. Princeton is competitive but there’s a lot of cooperation.</p>
<p>Here’s more on the topic:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/princeton-university/1514479-issue-grade-deflation.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/princeton-university/1514479-issue-grade-deflation.html</a></p>
<p>Many schools have tough grading and many are considering policies limiting runaway A grades. At the end of the day Princeton undergrads come out of Princeton with excellent preparation for whatever they want to do and a boatload of prestige (for those who care).</p>
<p>////</p>
<p>So yeah Princeton’s tough but I’d expect that of any elite school.
The weather’s not the best compared to California.
There’s some social ‘exclusivity’ but the eating clubs (~75 percent participate in the eating club system) are nothing like ‘secret societies’ or whatever strange stuff is going on at other schools.
Some dorms are not so nice and others are really nice.</p>
<p>I think what might help is watching a video that’s posted on youtube - please search for “Princeton is the Good Life: A message to the Class of 2015.” </p>
<p>I think a frame in the clip puts in the only reply to your question as “work, play, sleep - pick two!”</p>
<p>All else is magic!</p>
<p>Good luck with your search!</p>
<p>Why do people have such a big issue with grade deflation? What’s wrong with schools pushing the average grade to the C/D range, especially selective ones like Princeton?</p>
<p>mapletree7
People just afraid about their grades :), grad schools and another stuff.</p>
<p>@sahp2kids; For my group of friends and I that choice only applies to the weeks before/during midterms and finals/dean’s date.</p>
<p>@mapletree7
Grading is weird because of ‘American education culture.’ An A is now ‘just acceptable’ and many high schools have grade inflation. I don’t think any secondary schools curve on a C-median bell curve. This has carried over to college although undergrad admissions, grad admissions, and employers consider different grading cultures/scales. That’s why for undergrad admissions you’re asked percentile/rank,how many APs your schools offers, etc.</p>
<p>My son who is a sophomore BSE student would love to see grade deflation changed to simply reflect grading according to the work produced (rather than as a percentage). Since he’s a BSE, grade deflation doesn’t affect him much but he still recognizes the issue. Having said that, there is no way he would have picked a different school based on what his experience has been to date - he loves Princeton.</p>
<p>^agree. What is interesting - especially for freshman BSEs - are the (incredibly) low mean scores in classes such as physics, chem and math. In my Ds multi variable Calc class, the mean was below 50%. It seems to be Ps system that the tests are way way more difficult then the p-sets and in-class lectures would indicate. I assume that there is a learning curve associated with figuring out the process. </p>
<p>While she was initially shocked at the tests, there is help available through the McGraw center, office hours, etc. At first, she felt completely inadequate; then went to McGraw, saw almost her entire class feeling the same way, and began to realize the incredible effort needed to master the material at a depth never before expected. The hard work is paying off - though a significant number of students have changed majors - but there is no easy ride. Her engineering friends at public schools, while having difficult classes, are not “pushed” nearly as hard.</p>
<p>Mapletree: one problem with grade deflation comes into play when applying to grad schools and fellowships that have hard GPA cut offs. Recent studies suggest that the grade deflation policy was hurting students and the policy is now under review. Under the policy, A’s are limited to 35% of the class - rather then A’s being earned on the basis of knowledge displayed.</p>
<p>The As are still earned on the basis of knowledge displayed.</p>
<p>First, keep in mind that any current students posting here probably likes Princeton a lot. (Myself included. 
)</p>
<p>Problems: people like to act busy, and there’s sometimes weird humblebragging about how busy / exhausted people are. Don’t do that. It’s stupid. Some engineers are cut off from the rest of the school, socially (though I’m not). Eating clubs: not the coolest institution; I love mine, but the system as a whole has some problems. I still prefer eating clubs to greek life or (heaven forbid) finals clubs, I think.</p>
<p>I’m sure I could think of others. Overall, though, I love this place.</p>
<p>@stemit ‘Under the policy, A’s are limited to 35% of the class’</p>
<p>That’s not true and the word ‘limit’ is too intense. Departments are given guidelines to ‘not exceed 35% A’s given out through the department.’</p>
<p>For example: all the professors who teach MOL courses should collectively be cautious about giving out more than 30-40% A grades in a given semester. You’ll find that in intro courses such as CHM 303 (Orgo) it’s maybe around 30% A grades and elsewhere in the department , say in CHM 4XX, it’s like 50% A’s (303 has 150+ students whereas 4XX has a lot fewer)</p>
<p>Also in seminar courses such as Writing Sem apparently professors are given free rein in grading.</p>
<p>As a parent, I thought the academic advising could have been better, and that the kids drank too much alcohol on occasion:).</p>
<p>Biology- true what you point out. But because the implemented policy is opaque, we can only try to deduce the effects. </p>
<p>I’d say that departments (especially STEM) generally have lower grades in intro classes, while upper level classes may have a skew towards higher grades. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, I cannot seem to find accurate answers on grade distributions beyond the anecdotal evidence my kids provide (one in engineering the other in Econ).</p>
<p>I think the end result (a graduate) is fine. The first year transition from HS can be intense for some; brutal for others; and fine and easy for the rest. All in all, a wonderful experience that has seemed to prepare the oldest to advance into the real world.</p>
<p>I was on campus today - I can’t say the campus is as nice as I have imagined for a top Ivy. I was imagining more red bricks but saw more gray bricks / stones instead. Anyone felt different?</p>
<p>The campus was beautiful today. :(</p>
<p>However, one once-bright-and-colorful tree fungus seems to now be in a state of decay.
Can we please have a moment of silence for that fungus?</p>
<p>@Pamirs are you serious? What exactly is appealing about red bricks? You would have have seen red brick down at Wilson/Butler but honestly Rocky/Mathey have prettier exteriors.</p>
<p>^What BiologoyMaster said. Aesthetics might generally be a subjective thing, but having seen dozens of campuses in the US and elsewhere, Princeton remains my favorite. Its beauty is staggering. This is actually the first time/venue I’ve ever heard anyone say otherwise.</p>
<p>Harvard is way more red brick than Princeton, over all. </p>
<p>But to each her own. You have to like green to like Princeton, and quiet walks, and magnolias, and gray stone courtyards.</p>
<p>It may not be about the red bricks.
It may be about the color gray. </p>
<p>People with depression or anxiety will associate their mood to the color gray. </p>
<p>Even in Feng Shui, gray is used as an accent color and is avoided in large proportions.</p>