Current Students: Why do you like Princeton?

posterX
Wed, 13 Jun 2007 12:09:39 +0000

Make sure you visit each for 2-3 days, including a weekend evening, and socialize, sit in on a bunch of classes and talk with tons of students. That’s the only way to really tell.

A shorter visit can either give you an unrealistic positive view or an unrealistic negative view: a longer one will give you an accurate view. I will say that these schools are very different, particularly in terms of how the social life is structured. There are stereotypes (e.g., about eating clubs) that of course are not 100% accurate, but they do have some basis in reality. In terms of snootiness you will find snooty people no matter where you go, whether it is a state school or an elite private school, but you will also find friendly people. What does differ from one place to another is how the snootiness affects your own social life, i.e., how prevalent and influential those attitudes are campus-wide.