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<p>I think this attitude is one of the biggest myths about Princeton. While it might have been true before the advances in finaid a decade ago, it’s just not now. Perhaps it’s still perpetuated because it’s easy to make these kind of comparisons in suburbia: It’s easy to call a school in a city diverse because it feels diverse, while a school in suburbia is going to feel quiet, exclusive, and yes, even less intellectual. </p>
<p>I have found that Princeton students are overwhelmingly normal in dress, political opinions, etc. They are decidedly less “edgy” than their peers at Columbia or UChicago or Brown. But to make the jump to anti-intellectual–or even just non-intellectual–is unfair and untrue. For the most part, I’ve found students at Princeton to be exceptionally bright and exceptionally interested in what they’re studying or reading or musing about. I’ve had great discussions about everything from Rousseau to Obama to Kid Cudi in the dining halls and my dorm courtyards and in precept. Even my neighbor, an engineer and wrestler–two things that hardly scream “intellectual”–can’t stop talking about his class on Rome.</p>
<p>Moreover, the claim that Princeton is heavily into partying isn’t entirely true. It’s just that our party scene is largely contained on a single street. It’s visible and accessible in a way that house parties at Chicago aren’t. However, that doesn’t necessarily translate to heavy partying. I know very few people who go out more than once a week–though certainly there’s a contingent that parties on Thursdays and Saturdays–and I go out maybe once every three weeks without feeling excluded from the social scene. Most people I know rarely, if ever, drink to excess. When I go out, I do so to dance, listen to music, and socialize with free beer–not to get wasted and do idiotic things. My younger sister visited this weekend, and I felt perfectly comfortable bringing her along to the clubs. Additionally, the sheer variety offered by the eating clubs means that there’s a weekend experience for almost everyone, including people who just want to sit and talk (Terrace, where I am half the time). </p>
<p>UChicago has done a fantastic job with its “life of the mind” advertising. And from what I can tell, it’s largely true. Hell, it almost–almost–convinced me to come a year ago. But that doesn’t mean other schools, and Princeton especially, don’t also cultivate the “life of the mind” and embrace intellectualism.</p>