<p>Gotta love all the people here who spend so much time bashing Princeton without actual knowledge of the school (and then protest “oh no, I was just kidding”).</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Yes it is Wildwood and had the survey simply asked “are you happy with your social life at Princeton”, a vast number of students would have said happy or very happy or extremely happy. However, the point of the Princeton survey was to try and ferret out concerns about eating clubs/social lives so that the University could take steps to address them, which is why there are so many detailed questions and analyses. </p>
<p>We can play this game with other schools. For example, I could state that Harvard students are unhappier than most, that there is less interaction with professors than at similar schools and that professors aren’t really as concerned with undergraduates. Then I could link to this article [Student</a> life at Harvard lags peer schools, poll finds - The Boston Globe](<a href=“http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2005/03/29/student_life_at_harvard_lags_peer_schools_poll_finds/?page=full]Student”>http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2005/03/29/student_life_at_harvard_lags_peer_schools_poll_finds/?page=full) and make snotty comments about the school (about which I have little personal knowledge, but wow, I know two kids there and they’re both unhappy so that must make me an expert, right?)</p>
<p>Then I could link to this article. [Seniors</a> satisfied overall; extracurriculars get high marks | News | The Harvard Crimson](<a href=“http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2008/6/3/seniors-satisfied-overall-extracurriculars-get-high/]Seniors”>Seniors satisfied overall; extracurriculars get high marks | News | The Harvard Crimson)</p>
<p>Gosh, while students are overall pretty happy, only 70% of the seniors were happy with their social lives. That means that 30% are not happy–that’s huge. And wait, listen to what the survey says:</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>People in single-sex social clubs are happier than people who didn’t get into such clubs. That’s awful. There’s probably a whole group of kids who couldn’t get into frats/sororities/finals clubs who are unhappy. And, wow, the campus life must be so divided by the fact that kids who didn’t get into the clubs are upset. And frankly, even the term “finals clubs” sounds so pretentious, doesn’t it.</p>
<p>Look, Princeton students are overall extremely happy. The university is trying to do the best job it can to make everyone even happier. The University has upped financial aid to cover meal plans at clubs so that more students can join clubs if they wish, pushed for shared meal plans and built 4-year residential colleges to add to the choices that student have. Its financial aid in general is extremely generous and Princeton students are ethnically and economically diverse. The University has decided that frats/sororities have the potential to be somewhat divisive and has now banned freshman rush. This is not that unusual, bay. Many schools have banned freshman rush and many schools have banned frats/sororities because they just don’t like them. I frankly applaud Princeton for its transparency and its efforts to make the school even better, but part of me is sorry that it bothers because it allows people with biases, lack of knowledge and agendas an opening to make untrue and snarky comments.</p>