<p>I really cannot choose… Which do you think is better, and why? [I’m going to post this in the Princeton forums as well.] Thanks for your help!</p>
<p>Focusing on which one is “better” is ridiculous. They’re two of the best colleges in the world. Go to Dimensions. Visit Princeton. Pick the school where you feel most comfortable.</p>
<p>Both schools are undergraduate-focused but I would say Dartmouth a little-bit more so. You really can’t go wrong. Are you a fan of Greek life? Dartmouth. Are you fan of eating clubs? Princeton.</p>
<p>Are you crazy? Go to Princeton what the hell are you thinking!</p>
<p>I agree with Thickfreakness, you definitely need to visit both to find out which school is best for you and what you think your interest are.</p>
<p>Many will tell you that Princeton is easily assessible to NYC (~$30 a pop r/t) and Philly. Unless you plan on spending a lot of time in either place it is really a non issue because unless you are going to do something specific you when you get there, you won’t find yourself going just for the hell of it (the same can be said for those who talk about Dartmouth’s proximity to Boston).</p>
<p>Both You can feel the vibe at each school. If $ is going to be an issue, I think you “feel the $” and it is flaunted less Dartmouth than it Princeton. No matter what school you attend, you have to be comfortable in your own skin. I see from your post that you are a first gen college student. Attached, is an article when some first gens were interviewed about their experience at Princeton. No matter where you attend, you have to be comfortable in your own skin.</p>
<p>[Counting</a> pennies at Princeton - The Daily Princetonian](<a href=“http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/2009/11/16/24434/]Counting”>http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/2009/11/16/24434/)</p>
<p>Visit, talk to students, read the campus papers and blog and ask questions. Both are great schools and will provide you with a good education if is your desire to have one.</p>
<p>I agree that both are great schools and that you should visit and hopefully, you will find one of the schools more appealing to you.</p>
<p>In terms of NY/Philly, I think that Sybbie is not quite accurate. The round trip off-peak fare is $22.50 (round-trip peak is $27.00) and many students do go to NYC on the spur of the moment, to hang out, meet friends etc. I’m not saying that kids do it on a weekly basis, but proximity to NYC is not just a selling point without any substance–for many, it’s a real asset, adding a extra dimension to social and cultural options. In addition, students with NYC/Philly job interviews are able to get in and out of the city quickly, making it easy to schedule interviews.</p>
<p>I have a daughter at Princeton and a cousin (but more like a niece) at Dartmouth. There are many wealthy kids at both schools, but I don’t feel that Princeton students “flaunt” their wealth any more than Dartmouth students. I also believe that both schools have taken numerous steps to attract and retain first gen students and make their experience comfortable and successful.</p>
<p>You have two great schools to choose from. Good luck with your decision.</p>
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<p>I too have spent a lot of time on both campuses (having a daughter who attended Dartmouth and a brother who attended princeton who is currently teaching there).</p>
<p>According to the NJ transit fare tables traveling to princeton today (which would be off peak) would cost $14.60 each way from Penn Station (29.20 r/t). Add on another $4.50 if your destination is not within walking distance from Penn Station then your trip to the city is $33.70 before you do anything. Tack on an extra value meal at McDonalds’s and you are already at $40 and we know students are not coming into the city to simply go to McDonalds. It is definitely not a “cheap” trip for the average college student or a student on full financial aid.</p>
<p>[New</a> Jersey Transit](<a href=“http://www.njtransit.com/sf/sf_servlet.srv?hdnPageAction=TripPlannerItineraryFrom]New”>http://www.njtransit.com/sf/sf_servlet.srv?hdnPageAction=TripPlannerItineraryFrom)</p>
<p>Um, this is really silly, but I can’t access your link, so I don’t really know who’s right. According to my link, the NJ Transit train fares from Princeton to NY-Penn Station are as follows and the off-peak round trip fare is $22.50:</p>
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<p>I am not saying that it’s easy for a student on full financial aid, but you stated originally that “unless you are going to do something specific you when you get there, you won’t find yourself going just for the hell of it”. I disagree with that statement, as I believe that students do go to NYC on the spur of the moment, particularly as they get to be upperclassman and that such easy on campus access to NYC trains is definitely a big plus for Princeton students.</p>
<p>I agree with Sybbie that Princeton students usually don’t go to NYC for the hell of it. If, however, access to a big city is an important factor in your decision, do remember that Dartmouth is just a bus ride away from Boston.</p>
<p>You are posting the price to go to Princeton station (which is not where the school is located. You will still have to get to campus, whether you take the dinky or the bus. The prices I posted is to get to the university from Penn Station.</p>
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<p><a href=“http://www.hep.princeton.edu/~mcdonald/travel.html[/url]”>http://www.hep.princeton.edu/~mcdonald/travel.html</a></p>
<p>Students who go to the city on the spur of the moment are still going something when they get there (unless they are simply going to walk around the city and then get back on the train) and there is still going to be a cost involved. Even if they should receive free tickets for the theatre, a museum or other event, they will still have to get there from Penn Station and there is still a good chance that they are going to eat when they are out. </p>
<p>I can tell you unequivocally that most people who live in the city especially in the outerboroughs don’t come into manhattan on the spur of the moment simply for the hell of it. </p>
<p>Those that live in manhattan are not out for the hell of it; they are going to work, and going home. They maybe going out on occassion (dinner with friends, special occassions) but they are not out all of the time simply because the city is there.</p>
<p>I posted the prices from the Princeton Station, which is right on campus, to NYPenn. Here’s the description in the Princeton Parent’s Handbook<br>
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<p>Here’s another description from the University website [Princeton</a> University - Train Travel](<a href=“http://www.princeton.edu/main/visiting/travel/trains/]Princeton”>Visit Us) </p>
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<p>As you you can see from your own example above, the train ride on the Dinky (leaving Princeton Junction at 4:11) is about 5 minutes.</p>
<p>I’m going to take one final pass at this. Princeton has a location that is equidistant from NYC and Philly. This is an asset that Princeton students often take advantage of. It is about 1 hr. 20 mins. door to door to NYC (and can be as fast as 1 hour 5 minutes on the quickest trains) and there are over 25 trains a day. You can go into the city for an evening and return the same night. You can go for an early morning interview and be back in time for an afternoon class. Of course kids spend money in the city and I have never suggested that they’re going every night or that kids on financial aid might not have financial constraints that would limit their visits. But to pooh-pooh it not being an asset for many kids or act as if it’s the same as a Dartmouth’s student more limited ability to go to Boston (about a 2 1/2 hour trip and only seven buses a day) is silly.</p>
<p>Dartmouth and Princeton are both wonderful schools, with great academics and school spirit and enormous student loyalty. They have different locations, which is a factor for many applicants. I wish the OP good luck in her choice–they’re both terrific schools.</p>
<p>dartmouth > princeton for undergrad learning experience, isn’t it?</p>
<p>They are both pretty similar with a huge undergrad focus. Princeton does have the NYC convenience, though I can’t imagine anybody running back and forth to NYC regularly. Princeton has grade deflation I hear?</p>
<p>^ MASSIVE grade deflation.</p>
<p>Just wondering…judging by the name, i’m pretty sure what grade deflation is, but can someone please tell me what it is exactly</p>
<p>As a totally off-topic aside, I have to laugh over the proximity to NY/Philly issue. Over in the Women’s Colleges forum, there are people from the Smith Mafia who claim that the HOURLY and FREE bus to Cambridge that Wellesley runs is a simply <em>insuperable</em> barrier to going into Boston, and that the cultural resources of Northampton far outweigh anything Boston has to offer. :rolleyes:</p>
<p>Princeton’s grade deflation policy limits A’s to an average 35% across departments. One of my friends who is currently a junior there gave me the following example:</p>
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<p>See this article from * The New York Times * for more information: [At</a> Princeton University, Grumbling About Grade Deflation - NYTimes.com](<a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/31/education/31princeton.html]At”>http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/31/education/31princeton.html)</p>
<p>At my undergraduate institution, Wellesley, I recall being the ONLY student to get an A- in an English course. No one got an A. One or two may have gotten a B+, a few Bs, and the rest B-s and lower. Out of about 14 students. </p>
<p>And 35% As is considered DEflation??? What a joke.</p>
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<p>Lies. Just because everyone else inflates grades doesn’t mean any deflation is “massive.”</p>
<p>In all fairness, Baelor is right. The grade deflation isn’t “massive,” but it’s definitely there. Be prepared to get some lower grades than you might have expected.</p>