Columbia vs. Princeton

princeton12
Sat, 04 Apr 2009 11:56:26 +0000

I mean… in real life when will you really need to know the things we learn about in school anyway? I honestly don’t think my knowledge of folk saints in South America will really be necessary. Obviously in the real world we won’t feel that same sense of trust in our community… because everybody will be a stranger, and you don’t get the same sense of ‘togetherness’ that you do in college. My sense of “reality” really wasn’t a big factor in my college decision. I too faced a Brown v. Columbia v. Princeton decison. I will probably live in NYC sometime after college, either while in grad school (if I choose to attend grad school) or just… living there.

While I don’t have the advantages of NYC right outside my doorstep, I know that I’ll eventually get there after undergrad, and I didn’t see the rush. Why would I pass up living in this happy bubble (especially with the generous financial aid offered)?

I don’t think my sense of reality is warped. I won’t be leaving my purse in random places out in the real world. And believe me, interpersonal relationships are still very real here. The friendships, the relationships, are all still very real. Our emotions are still real. We still have to deal with very real issues, and the students at Princeton really do work their asses off during the week. Yes, we’re friendly and we know how to relax and we know how to party, but you can bet that we are also working extremely hard. Grade deflation has intensified the workload here. Life isn’t perfect, but I don’t think I could be any happier with the number of individuals that genuinely concern themselves with my well-being.

And not just students. I’ve faced a lot of extreme personal difficulty here and the members of the administration have been absolutely kind and understanding, doing everything in their power to help me out when I’ve been in need. They remember my name, they send emails to check up on me and see how I’m doing. I am very clearly not just a number or just some other student that needs help. They actually do concern themselves with the students on a very personal level.

The professors have never been difficult when they’ve dealt with me, even in regards to deadlines and requests for extensions.

And while there is a permeating sense of safety, obviously there is risk everywhere. I have personal experience with it here, and I don’t think it was the university that lulled me into a sense of safety in that instance. It was naivete.