Well, I’m leaving for college four weeks from today, and I can’t wait. My four years at Harvard should be interesting, to say the least. But before I ship off and start this exciting (and frightening) new chapter of my life, I want to leave something behind for all of the eager, nervous potential Harvardians (or Elis, or Princetonians) that frequent these boards.
I’ve been haunting CC since I was a sophomore in high school, frequenting the Harvard forum, and every so often, amidst the numerous ‘What are my chances?’ threads, a question yielding equally subjective responses rears its ugly head: Why Harvard? Or, why Yale? Why Princeton?
Well, as a prospective English and/or Visual and Environmental Studies (VES) concentrator who has had experience with each of these schools, I figured I’d give some observations about each. This isn’t a How-to guide or a lecture on why Harvard is better (because it often isn’t); rather, these are things I noticed and considered about each school, straight out of the mouth of someone who was in your shoes: not an admissions officer, not a viewbook, and definitely not an expert.</p>
<p>PRINCETON.
Driving to Princeton, NJ is like driving into the heart of Pleasantville USA. At least, this urbanite has never seen anything quite like it. Everything is elegant, quaint, expensive—and so many trees! I was born and raised in NJ, and take it from me, Princeton is not the everyday NJ you’ll hear mocked as the ‘garbage state’ or what have you; Princeton, NJ is a different animal. They don’t call it the ‘Princeton Bubble’ for nothing.
If you hear one thing around campus, it won’t be ‘Harvard/Yale sucks’ or anything similar, because this campus is very self-contained; they don’t seem to care what Harvard and Yale are doing, which I found attractive. But if there’s one phrase you are certain to hear at Princeton, it is ‘undergraduate focus.’
Academically, Princeton’s philosophy seems antithetical to that of most brand name universities; they neglect their grad students and shower their undergrads with attention. How often will a college student tell you that she just finished discussing her thesis with Toni Morrison over lunch? Or that a big name professor like Cornel West consistently invites his entire class to dinner at his home?
As a writer, I was attracted to Princeton because of the creative writing department. If ever there were a big-name powerhouse department at any university, Princeton’s creative writing department would be it: Toni Morrison, CK Williams, Joyce Carol Oates, Yusef Komunyakaa, Paul Muldoon . . . It’s enough to make you foam at the mouth. And guess what. They’re REAL: you actually see them, meet them, talk to them, maybe become friends. (Oates, Morrison and Muldoon frequent Thomas Sweets on Nassau if you’re interested in stalking them . . . and if not, go anyway. Have a Blender—they’re excellent!)
And creative writing students, if accepted to the program, can write novels or volumes of poetry as their thesis. How cool is that? You may have heard of Jonathan Safran Foer, author of the recent ‘Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.’ You may remember that his first novel was ‘Everything is Illuminated.’ Wanna guess where he wrote it?
Also, if you’re into journalism, Princeton has an excellent program called Press Club. It’s hard to find stuff online about it (something brief here: <a href=“http://etc.princeton.edu/CampusWWW/C...ess_club.html[/url]”>http://etc.princeton.edu/CampusWWW/C...ess_club.html</a>), but you should go to the office of the Daily Prince and ask about it.
Beyond that, Princeton also offers strong programs in the Humanities and engineering. I would definitely look into the school’s excellent Comp. Lit program, if you’re interested.
And the student body is beyond description. My host at prefrosh weekend was a world champion kayaker; enough said. The students are extremely friendly and extremely helpful. I can’t tell you how many times, when I apparently looked like I was lost, a Princeton student approached me and asked me if I was okay, if I needed help.
The prefrosh weekend came on the heels of many seniors finishing their theses, and many juniors finishing up their second junior papers. In case you’re wondering why Princeton doesn’t offer double majors, the junior papers/senior thesis are to blame. These are intense assignments that EVERY undergrad has to complete. I was actually really impressed by the idea. Since it’s something that everyone does, its really a hurdle the students can overcome as a community. Just one of the things that seems to promote unity among its students.
So you might wonder, then, where the school gets its reputation for being snooty. I attribute that to a few things. For one, the school has lots, and lots, and lots of money. Money, money, money. The money at Princeton seems as boundless as the opportunities; there are literally SO MANY THINGS the school is willing to fund for its students. Want a grant to go to Italy to research a novel you’re writing (or Ukraine, like JSF)? Go for it. Want to go to Africa and spread AIDS awareness? Give it a try. As long as you’re being productive with their money, they seem very willing to give it to you.
But another factor of Princeton’s reputation seems to be the fault of the school’s ‘dark underbelly’: eating clubs. From my understanding, because upperclass houses don’t have dining plans, Juniors and Seniors have to find an alternative way to eat. For many, eating clubs are the answer. Like colleges, eating clubs have distinct personalities. And like fraternities/sororities, eating clubs have a process of hazing potential members called ‘bicker.’ Some eating clubs are known for being especially snooty and prestigious, others are strictly for partying. Some accept anyone who signs up.
I was fortunate enough to visit an eating club while I was there. My host’s girlfriend (who was SO helpful) happened to be a member of Tower, one of the more moderately crazy eating clubs. Folks, the food was delicious. And I’m sure, had the University not demanded that the clubs stay dry during prefrosh, the parties would’ve been great, too. I’m sure some less-that-flattering things happen at eating clubs (‘The first rule of eatings clubs—you do NOT talk about eating clubs . . .’); but I didn’t see or experience any of them, cough.
But eating clubs ain’t cheap. Since they aren’t really sanctioned by the college anymore, you can’t get financial aid for them. So be prepared to pay. Or find other ways to eat; don’t worry, there are many good options.
Princeton is an amazing school. And you’ll be hard-pressed to find nicer admissions officers elsewhere. As far as financial aid goes, Princeton gave me my best offer. Keep in mind, though, that I am from New Jersey, and Princeton tends to be more generous with its NJ students. (I found that out the hard way. Harvard gave me a bit less, and when I tried to negotiate for more by comparing their offer to Princeton’s, Harvard said, ‘We can’t do that. You’re from NJ, and we aren’t Princeton . . . ‘)
Still, if I had any criticism of the school, it’d be that it’s too perfect. Everything there seems boundless and ideal, or, as I like to say, unrealistic. Princeton seems cut off from the world. For Heaven’s sake, the school’s front gate is NEVER locked. Even Harvard locks some of its gates; and Yale? Ha! Then again, Princeton, NJ is Pleasantville; I guess the school really has no reason to lock up at night . . .
Everything at Princeton seemed too good to be true, and one thing’s for sure: when I left, I had the overwhelming sense that I would be happy there, that I would thrive. I had an amazing time in Pleasantville, and for days after, this cynical urbanite was dreaming Orange. (tbc)