<p>ummmmm is that what happened? im taking away my congrats... =P</p>
<p>and btw alphacdc do you have to post everything about princeton in the general forums? no one cares and u make us sound elitist. lol</p>
<p>Princeton is a special place Shrek. Part of what makes Princeton so special starts right here with people who are genuinely excited by the prospect of attending a fabulous school. I believe in sharing the wealth and exposing others to a good thing. Perhaps by understanding what makes Princeton work so well (eg. undergraduate focus, enthusiastic alumni, close knit student community, etc, etc.), others will be more informed about what to look for in the search process. It's not elitist for those truly interested in understanding what makes a college a good choice. Unfortunately, there are some, however, who have another agenda. </p>
<p>But enjoy the experience. It only comes once.</p>
<p>"Unfortunately, there are some, however, who have another agenda."</p>
<p>Pot...kettle...black</p>
<p>So alpha, do you think Byerly is just really enthusiastic?</p>
<p>This thread is not about Byerly or you. Its about why Princeton generates so much entusiasm. Do you know why?</p>
<p>The reason Princeton generates so much enthusiasm is pretty obvious. Everyone loves an underdog.</p>
<p>and so the conversation turns sour.</p>
<p>Byerly (who often masquerades as Mensa and possibly others) has a way of doing that. So just ignore him/them, for he/they envy Ps consistent top rankings (hardly the sign of an underdog). </p>
<p>I say let's tip our hat to Princeton's alumni who give at the highest rate in the nation. Princeton's success starts here with a happy group of applicants and ends with those who are never finished (the alumni). I believe the rate of alumni giving is a tesatament to the value of the education they received and to their desire to never let go.</p>
<p>P.S. Thank you Alumother for those comments. It would be nice to hear from others as well.</p>
<p>alpha, I am surprised you keep posting the Princeton Review ranking, when you are aware of the NBER study which puts Princeton closer to Brown than to Yale or Harvard. The NBER study shows that students prefer Harvard and Yale by a significant margin over Princeton. Moreover, the NBER study was done as a pure research study and made available for free without a profit motive, whereas you must admit that both Princeton Review and USNews are out to sell books and magazines. As I am sure you aware, putting Princeton ahead of Harvard and Yale suggests that the authors know something new, so people buy the publication, only to discover that it's just hack journalism. I am surprised that you would not see through this.</p>
<p>mensa NO ONE CARES. people on this forum (princeton forum) DONT CARE WHERE PRINCETON IS RANKED. WE DONT CARE ITS THE UNDERDOG. we DONT CARE ABOUT RANKINGS. </p>
<p>all we care about is the intrinsic values of the school</p>
<p>so just be quiet an go away</p>
<p>Byerly, ah I mean Mensa suffers from Princeton envy. Thats why he/they are hanging around here all the time. LOL. Princeton is the big target on their radar screen. They are harmless, sympathetic and sometimes cute. They shoot from little cap guns (using small contrived studies to attack the national publications that prefer Princeton).</p>
<p>Like gnats, just ignore them. Princeton's strength speaks for itself.</p>
<p>Thats what I love about this site. Except for the occassional troll that is foolish enough to pop his/her ugly head into our cozy den, we're not prestige whores. We don't care if less people apply to Princeton, cause that just means that there is more room for us. We don't care much if Princeton drops a couple of places in the rankings, because only high schoolers, their parents, and trolls care about them (not employers or grad schools). Plus, a drop means we might lose a number of those overacheiving whores who might otherwise be tainting Princeton with their presence next year.</p>
<p>overachieving whores...LOL. i can guarantee that i am DEFINITELY not one of those ;) Princeton is just the best cuz it gives the life that every undergrad would ever want. you (and I hopefully) will bask in vast amounts of attention we'l get from the faculty...after all, princeton IS a school for the undergrads - the 17 - 22ers.</p>
<p>This is only anecdotal evidence, something I was cautioned in business school statistics to avoid. However, I loved Princeton while my brother and sister, who went to Harvard at approximately the same time (we are not triplets) did not love Harvard. My professors treated my thinking as though it mattered, and the institution treated me with consideration. I don't think my brother and sister had that experience. And the ranking of first or third or fifth doesn't matter. I have gotten every possible leverage point out of the Princeton name on my resume - it allowed me to stay home with my kids for several years and then reenter the workforce and still wind up in a position of authority. BTW getting to stay home with my kids was the important part.</p>
<p>Alumother, your comments about Princeton resemble those in the Prowl'r College Guide (which like so many rankings places P at the top of the heap from a student's perspective). A sample view in the guide follows:</p>
<p>"Students speak out on
Overall Experience" </p>
<p>"It is impossible to love every second at Princeton, because the work is simply too demanding. In the midst of all of the work, however, you will make some of the strongest bonds of your life, whether it is with professors, graduate students, administrators, support staff, or your fellow students. The Princeton bond is not limited to just that population either. Alumni are more than willing to share their wealth of knowledge and experience with students so that they can get the best opportunities in the workplace. A friend of mine networked during his sophomore year and got an offer for a paid internship at one of the countrys top investment banks before his junior year, a year earlier than the official recruitment process even begins!" </p>
<p>"It has been, by far, the best time of my life, both socially and intellectually. I really wish I could stay here forever."</p>
<p>...And I thought this was my own personal experience;). I had never even heard of the Prowl'r College Guide. Good thing my daughter is a high achiever type of her own accord because I clearly have not been doing my research the way you all have and did not fully understand what was involved in admissions these days. This new info will just have to benefit my son. Good luck to you kids - this is a complex and demanding process with stakes way higher than when I fell my way into Princeton in 1974.</p>
<p>Since I respond to new posts, I have not really paid attention to the name of the board. I will now, and will no longer bash any college on its own board.</p>
<p>I will also say that if I am lucky enough to end up at Princeton I would be very, very happy.</p>
<p>See you on the other boards.</p>
<p>how pleasant. hope to see you there!</p>
<p>
[quote]
The NBER study shows that students prefer Harvard and Yale by a significant margin over Princeton.
[/quote]
That is probably why the NBER study receives less publicity than the others. "Students prefer..." may well be an interesting read, but in terms of hardcore credibility, I doubt this holds much water. If I were looking for an amazing undergraduate school, I could care less what school my peers prefer; many 17 year old high schoolers are: a) uninformed and b) easily swayed by the college stereotypes ("Princeon is for snobs.") A study that considers factors such as yield, retention rates, GPA of accepted students, alumni contributions and fellow faculty ratings seems to be me the better indicator of which schools, academically, are the best. In these studies, Princeton is nearly always at the top.</p>
<p>Alumother - thanks for posting on this thread. Your comments/anectodes are great, and it is nice to hear from a Princeton alum. herself! I hope to be hearing your views and words of advice on the other Princeton threads.</p>
<p>Dangit, I'm late! I missed out on a brief revival of the old ED orgy/love sessions we used to have. So I'll just throw in some love and smile as I reminisce. <em>tosses in some love change</em></p>
<p>I agree, though. Princeton rocks not only because of the awesomeness that it is as one of the best undergraduate universities in the world, but because of the amazing people who will make it such an incredible four years (and the people who should be going there, but by some freak, tragic accident won't).</p>