Princeton University Top Questions

What is the stereotype of students at your school?

Ryan

Rich, white, overpriveleged, snobby

Emily

The stereotype is that Princeton students are all trust-fund muppets--wealthy, conservative, connected, going to Princeton to coast through school so they can make profitable connections with alumni who will get them lucrative jobs. They're said to be exclusive, snotty, and preppy preppy preppy. The eating club scene is an infamous source of apprehension; I certainly was worried that I would be excluded by this dominant part of the social fabric.

Ryan

The stereotypes about Princeton students are all about money - that we're all really wealthy. I think all the other stereotypes probably feed off that.

Ryan

1) Princeton students are all rich and/or preppy. 2) Princeton is full of legacies taking advantage of mumsy and daddy's achievements/alumni contributions to get a gentleman's education or find a soon-to-be-rich husband. 3) If you are at Princeton and you're not a legacy, you must have cured cancer as a junior high school project in order to get in.

Hannah

A student at Princeton describes what they imagine the school’s reputation to be, and how much truth there is it.

Hannah

A student at Princeton describes what they imagine the school’s reputation to be, and how much truth there is it.

Hannah

A student at Princeton describes what they imagine the school’s reputation to be, and how much truth there is behind it.

Katharine

Students discusses stereotypes of Princeton students and their attitudes toward learning.

Katharine

A student discusses the expectations stereotype of students.

Katharine

Student discusses stereotypes of Princeton students and social life.

Katharine

Engineering student discusses social life stereotypes at Princeton.

Katharine

Student from the west coast, discusses what it is like going to school across the country.

Katharine

Student discusses stereotypes of Princeton students.

Jesse

Princeton students are hyper-competitive and overly exclusive.

Mackenzie

Many people think Princetonians are wealthy, pretentious and preppy.

Jim

A lot of people see Princeton students as either extremely preppy rich kids or loser book-worms.

Pete

Snobby, preppy, overworked, cant party

Jody

They are elitist, rich nerds.

Laura

That they're preppy, rich, conservative, private school-educated, trust-fund kids, that only major in things like history, economics or politics in preparation for i-banking careers.

Emma

I think the general stereotype about Princeton students is that they are all wealthy, snooty, and preppy.

Gene

Conservative old money... entitled. Nerdy. Not diverse.

Andy

that Princeton students are largely elitists, lame/not outgoing, geniuses, nerdy

Devin

that there are a bunch of either "nerds" or really stuck up rich kids that just dominate campus in most aspects, and that Princeton is extremely competitive and very hard academically

Andy

That they are very privileged and stuck up

Toby

Arrogant, cocky, elitist

Janice

They are wealthy, preppy, conservative machinists. They are competitive and cut-throat.

Andy

The stereotypical princeton student doesn't drink, smoke, or party. He/she is really into their work and really wants to make a difference in the world.

Andy

Princeton and its students are stereotyped as elitist, detached from the world in a bubble of debauchery and pursuit of their own goals (career, social, or other) without a care for anything that really matters. The eating clubs, for their part, are often seen as bastions of this sort of elitism, exclusive institutions which promote the sort of entitlement for which Princeton as a whole is often stereotyped.

Alex

preppy, competitive, hard, stuck up, elitist, southern

Virginia

Well-rounded, smart, preppy, elitist.

Ron

J. Crew, trust-fund babies

Sean

That we all wear pastel polo shirts and shorts. That we are very preppy, privileged, and filthy rich. That it is a very wealthy and incredibly prestigious school.

danny

smart, rich, preppy, conservative, abmitious

Brendan

Princeton is often made out to be a bastion of elitism made up of rich, WASP-y students from New England prep schools and old Southern money.

Blake

Douchebags, rich kids, conservatives, token minorities

Gene

-Everyone here is rich -Everyone here is preppy -Everyone here is Type A -"Work hard/play hard"

Michael

Stuck up, elite, rich.

Josh

That we are all stuck-up, spoiled brats who have had every luxury imaginable handed to us by our parents on a silver platter. That we are all rich. That you have to have a perfect SAT to get in. Or if you don't have a perfect SAT then you have to be a legacy student.

Adam

I have heard that we make far too many abbreviations. e.g. "obvi" or the painfully ironic "abrev"

Andy

Princeton students are extremely preppy. Princeton pre-meds are uber competitive, obsequious, and socially awkard.

josh

that we are all smart and rich and elitist

Jimi

Many of the students are vey academic and therefore very stimulating to talk to. However, in general I have found that many of them are slightly immature because they lack life experience because they have spent the majority of their lives studying. In certain scenes the sterotype of WASPs with slightly warped values is still the norm

Alex

Rich, Preppy, Smart, Stuck-up, Elitist, White, Conservative

Shelby

People often think Princeton students are people who are preppy and snobby.

Paige

I would say stereotypes about Princeton students are preppy, arrogant individuals with very strong type-A personalities.

Mary

that they are very smart and very preppy.

Alexis

"Country Club" No social scene/partying

Lindsay

It's tough to gauge stereotypes from within, but I think the old classics are still in play: Princeton is an old boys' club filled with white students from elite prep schools. Before attending, I also thought of Princeton as the most athletic Ivy.

olivia

Princeton students are waspy, preppy, conservative, pretentious,

Daver

There are two types of "typical Princeton students", in my mind: 1) Jonathan Wentworth McOwnstheworld III 2) Dwight Deefendorfer, the Semi-suicidal Stressball