Princeton University Top Questions

There is a wide array of styles at Princeton--you can show up to class in anything ranging from sweatpants to sun dresses. And, for the most part, it's pretty diverse. If you don't feel like you fit in, chances are there are enough people like you that you can form your own group.

not enough diversity. i wish there were more international kids here. also there are too many people who want to confirm and this means that the amount of truly interesting people on campus is lacking

The student body is very diverse but heavily segregated. Students are not generally very politically aware and the school is on the whole fairly conservative.

There are definitely many different faces of Princeton. Diversity is one of our main goals. However, there is unfortunately, a degree of segregation among the students. There are the preppy kids who will go out and party on any given night. Racially, students seem to self-sort. Also, it is fairly obvious that those with more money tend to have more vibrant social lives.

I think Princeton's Student body is very diverse. Many different types of students interact with each other. Most students are involved in 2 or more activities. So you may see a student interacting with her fellow environmental group peers one morning, and then see her interacting with members of her dance group that evening. People are from very diverse backgrounds as well. I've met several people who grew up on farms, while others grew up in New York City. So the personalities are very unique, but that doesn't keep them from interacting with each other.

I don't really think any type of student would feel out of place at Princeton - I truly think that most types of students can be found, though they may not represent the majority. The dress code varies from those who get dolled up for class to those who will show up in PJs. Different types of students do interact, but of course students prefer to be with those who are more like them. I don't think this is any different at Princeton than any other school. Different financial backgrounds are prevalent, but the majority would seem to be those who are more wealthy. Many students are very politically aware and consequently very active. They are predominantly left-winged. I haven't really heard any students talk about how much they'll earn one day.

the kind of student that would feel out of place here would be a very religious student or one who is more conservative and who didnt want to live the hook-up culture-- although that is changing and there is a group starting that is non-religious and tries to fight the hook-up culture. THere is a lot of support for all different kinds of students.

-Perhaps the least liberal of the Ivys? -Wouldn't say it's super diverse. Though you certainly do meet a lot of people from all different parts of the country and world. -Most students play a sport (whether varsity or club level) or just exercise regularly.

Low-income students would be most likely to feel out of place at Princeton, not completely because all students are from wealthy families (although many visibly are) but because the University itself is brimming with resources. The generous endowment enables a plethora of opportunities that verges on an embarrassment of riches. At the risk of citing causation in place of correlation, a notably high percentage of Princeton students flock to the finance sector after graduating. Does Princeton breed this culture? Perhaps. More likely, the trend is a result of targeted recruiting by aggressive firms, a pack mentality, and the prospect of financial security at an early age. I don't think the pipeline will be this crowded indefinitely, but it has become a widely-acknowledged Tiger track. It's tough to decipher Princeton's political persuasion as a collective body. I would say most students are moderate, with a politically correct/non-confrontational slant. There are exceptions to that generalization, and most lie at the extremes of the political spectrum.

I love nerds. This may explain why I like the Princeton student body. In general, there are some really nice people at Princeton, and no matter who you are you'll have no trouble making life-long friends. There are also some jerks. Avoiding them is not difficult. My favorite thing about the Princeton student body is that everyone seems to have some kind of excitement factor to them, something really interesting that they've done that made them stand out to the admissions department. Sometimes this thing provides excellent teasing material. After six months at Princeton I discovered that one of my best friends was a national bagpiping champion. Bonus points if you can track down this person and tease him via Facebook.

Most of my experiences with racial, religious, LGBT, etc., were during my last two years at Princeton as an RCA. Any student can easily feel out of place at Princeton depending on who they room with, take classes with, are in close proximity to, etc., freshmen year. Princeton makes a strong push to integrate all students but in reality, it's a two way street. Students wear a variety of attire to class, ranging from sweatpants and t-shirts to more preppy, high end wear. Different types of students interact for classes. Most Princeton students are from educated backgrounds. Financial backgrounds vary from the very wealthy who pay full tuition as well as donate profusely to those who pay nothing or only a couple thousand a year for tuition. Students tend to be less politically aware at Princeton compared to other schools and are predominately center. Students, especially seniors, talk about how much they'll earn post graduation given that quite a few enter the working force.

Princeton is mostly apathetic politically, but like every college, there is a small cadre of political zealots who "run the show," politically. The domination of campus dialogue by this relatively small group takes place mostly in the context of the Daily Princetonian, lectures put on by student groups (political and special-interest), and dialogues with the administration. Most people here come to college undecided politically. They tend towards liberalism because it is seen as the "nice guy's political orientation," though most don't spend enough time thinking about politics to be able aptly to defend their convictions. As is always the case, there are hard-liners on the right and the left, but I find that at Princeton, there's an unusually large base of middle-grounders, many of whom I've found to be highly open to reasonable argument.

Princeton provided me opportunities to interact with a much more diverse group of people than I ever had before. Students who grew up in urban, poverty-afflicted areas would probably feel most out of place. Most students would wear jeans and a shirt or button down to class, a few got more dressed up Four tables: asians, jocks, nerds, miscellaneous A lot of students seem to be from the East Coast, namely New England Upper middle-upper class predominate The majority are politically aware but fewer are active, predominantly left Some students do talk about money

A student who would feel out of place at Princeton -- someone who feels naturally drawn to the "popular kids" but is generally quiet and finds it hard to get involved in their own interests. It can be easy to get swept up in the "glamour" of the bicker eating clubs, but if you are confident enough to follow your own interests rather than popularity, then it's a really great place. The political activity on campus is shamefully low, myself included. I think people are interested, but not active.

Princeton makes great efforts to increase diversity on campus and admit students from different backgrounds, but that being said, the vast majority of students are white. Minority groups tend to self-segregate, creating their own social groups. Of course there are exceptions, and this "segregation" isn't enforced by any real social pressure. Students in general are sadly politically unaware, but you can still see demonstrations around campus almost every week (the local branch of PETA is pretty active).

Princeton has a weird social scene- its hard to meet new people and the entire class doesn't get together much. So its hard to know really who would feel out of place. I would say that different types of people don't interact nearly as much as i would have liked. everyone gets into a group freshman/soph year and sticks with it. People do interact through extracurricular activities though, which i thought was the best way to meet people. I thought that on the whole, Princeton students are pretty apathetic when it comes to political issues, etc. But when you really talk to people, you can see how smart/talented/remarkable each Princeton student is individually, even if it doesnt come out in the larger campus picture.

One of the first things you do at Princeton Freshmen Orientation is meet with a number of racial, religious, LGBT, and other groups on campus. I think some people find it hard to meet people if you aren't joining any clubs, groups, or sports teams. Some students show up to class in pearls and polos, while others show up in sweatpants. I can't really describe four tables at a dining hall... a ton of people mix and mingle. I guess I could see one sports team table, one religious/racial/LGBT group, and then one table of people all in the same dorm. The important thing to realize is how diverse the student population is. You can get people with wealthy backgrounds sitting with people with low socio-economic backgrounds, football players sitting with econ die hards, and so on.

Princeton students look remarkably uniform, but underneath this I think there's a good amount of diversity (aside from socioeconomic as I said before). There's a substantial (or maybe just outspoken) contingent of conservatives, but lots of liberals as well and many apathetic people. The university provides support for various groups in the form of a women's center, LGBT center, international center, among others. In my experience, however, people tended to hang out with people like themselves, and there was talk as well of self-segregation on campus.

Prineton is incredibly diverse.

Princeton students are very motivated and ambitious, which is why a lot of students are apathetic about the outside world. However, I can't imagine that this is too different from our peer schools. Princeton is incredibly diverse, and the University invests tons of time, effort, and money into ensuring that everyone feels welcome. Despite all of the diversity, however, people do tend to self-segregate.

The most common answers to "where are you from?" would be the Northeast (NY, NJ, PA especially) and California, but there are students from every state, and countries all over the world. But even the ones from the US are often well-traveled, and many have absolutely fascinating multi-cultural backgrounds, having gone to high school in another country, or their parents being diplomats or in the military, or they are just very racially diverse in and of themselves: I knew a girl who was half French/Vietnamese and half American/Singaporean! Students are fairly politically aware, but not overly politically active... at least, not till Obama came on the scene. The campus is definitely mostly liberal, and though the atmosphere might seem very liberal to conservative students sometimes, one-on-one students are generally extraordinarily tolerant of each other's political views. And I can only remember one or two very brief moments of political bias in the classroom--professors are good about keeping their political views to themselves.

LGBT is kind of big. Or at least they make their presence known with a lot of events and posters, etc. I can't really think of anyone who would feel out of place at Princeton. There's something for everyone. Students wear whatever to class -- jeans and tops. There are a lot of athletes so they wear sweats. People aren't dressed up for class. If you are wearing heels during the day, people are going to look at you in a weird way. Students are from all over the world. Students are very politically active. I've never heard anyone talk about how much money they will earn one day. People talk about career paths. But money is not a big topic of discussion at least around me.

The student body is mostly self segregated. As it is at most campuses, people with like interests and like backgrounds stick together. The student body is incredibly diverse.

I believe that different financial situations were not a hindrance to friendships throughout the school year though financial situations sometimes did play a role in the types of activities that were planned for spring vacations and senior year dead week. I'd say that the most prevalent financial background at Princeton is upper middle class, though I may also think this because these students stood out more with the types of activities they do and the types of clothes that they wear. I knew a lot of students that were from the east coast, mainly New York and New Jersey, as well as many students from California. I'm not sure of the exact make up of each class but I would say that these 3 states must make up a decent amount of each class. I felt like there were very few students from the midwest, especially from Indiana. My cohort had only six students total from Indiana. Overall, students are politically aware, however, I would not say that the majority of the campus is politically active. Before coming to college, I believed that Princeton would be made up of a majority of right wing Republicans, however, I learned throughout my years that the Princeton student body was actually made up of more Democrats than Republicans.

While Princeton does have a generally diverse student populations, groups are overall self-segregating. Students at Princeton are generally mainstream types. I wouldn't expect ultra-artsy or angsty types to be happy here at all. To thrive, you need to be alright with social conformity. The classic Princeton uniform is a cable knit sweater or polo shirt with jeans or khakis. The athletes generally wear sweats.

On the surface, the student body is diverse and open to everyone. But there were times when I was overcome with fear because I was talking to such close-minded individuals. Sadly, words and sentiments of hate, bigotry, and ignorance still exist on campus. That being said, I very much enjoyed my time with Aquinas Catholic fellowship, Princeton Pro-Life, and the Princeton Association of Black Women. Students who march to the beat of their own drummer may feel out of place at Princeton. Some students dress preppy for class, but you can feel comfortable wearing a hoodie and jeans. Different types of students interact, to a certain extent. Tables: 1) athletes 2) Asians 3) good mix 4) loner reading a book A lot of Princeton students are from the East and West coasts, with many being from New York and New Jersey. Most students are well-off, but a stellar financial aid program has helped shift the students' median household income closer to the lower/middle class. Students are politically aware, not usually active. Princeton is the most conservative of the Ivies, but it's still an Ivy and therefore mostly liberal. Some students talk about future earnings, but most of the ones who mentioned it to me have philanthropic goals for their future good fortune.

I feel like I met a lot of different people on campus. Un-ambitious people would probably feel out of place at Princeton. Students wear anything from sweats to suits to class. Different types of students definitely interact. One of my best friends is almost my complete opposite. I don't know what the "four tables of students in the dining hall" prompt is supposed to mean. Most Princeton students are either from the Northeast or California it seemed to me. All financial backgrounds are well-represented, especially with Princeton's generous financial aid policies and even more so in light of the recent significantly increased financial aid at other top schools in the nation. For the most part students are politically aware and active. The majority are probably moderate, but significant voices for both right and left can also be found. I've never talked myself or heard anyone talk about how much they'll earn one day.

I have done a lot with the Princeton Jewish community, which is small, diverse, and generally friendly--though it can take some effort to become well-integrated into it, if that's what you want (but that's not necessarily different from any other group). Financial backgrounds are quite diverse, and though people tend to have a lot of friends that are generally similar to them, many also interact with very different people and develop diverse friendships. I have definitely learned a lot about people from many different backgrounds, and made important and meaningful friendships, with both people with whom I share cultural or other aspects of my upbringing and people who are very different from myself.

The student body is generally very diverse in terms of race, sexual orientation, and interests. The only group of students that might feel out of place are students from a socioeconomically disadvantaged background. Some of my friends felt left out when all of their friends could just decide to go to Mexico for a week and they could not. Students are open to meeting new people and do not focus on appearance. Dining hall tables were hardly ever cliquey; I felt that I could go to the dining hall or my eating club alone and find someone to sit with. Students generally go to class in sweatpants or jeans (VERY casual). They are generally not politically active. I would guess that most students are also politically moderate with an even balance of liberal and conservative students.

Princeton students tend to take their work as well as their social lives seriously. They are involved on campus and like going out, but typically party two nights a week rather than seven. Thursday and Saturday night are big party nights on campus, whereas Friday is more low-key. On first glance, the campus doesn't appear diverse, but it is less homogeneous than it looks. Over 50{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of all students receive some amount of financial aid, and Princeton has a very generous policy. Admissions is need-blind, and financial aid packages are fully grant-based, allowing you to graduate debt-free. The most represented states are New York, New Jersey, and California. Students lean left, mostly conventional academic liberals. All in all, everyone has a fascinating story to tell about their experience as a ranked figure skater or English teacher in India. Most people have pretty unique backgrounds. Princeton students are clean-cut and tidy, and they dress up a bit more for class than at other schools. Style ranges from traditional preppy to more polished Urban Outfitters inspiration, but you'll by no means be out of uniform in jeans and a Princeton sweatshirt. People love wearing school gear, which demonstrates their general Princeton pride. They split off into social groups as they do anywhere, but there is a certain Princeton spirit. In 2006, the football team beat Harvard and Yale in the same season (a rare occurrence; sports teams can be inconsistent and attendance spotty, though we have a good number of championships). Traditionally, there's a campus bonfire when this happens. After beating Harvard, the away game at Yale was crucial, so the student government sent several buses of Princetonians up to New Haven for the Yale game. As students rushed the field after our victory and enjoyed the bonfire that followed back home, the pride in the school was good-spirited and inclusive.

It's hard to talk about Princeton's student body as a continuous group because there is so much diversity. I think that one way to describe the student body is involved. While I'm involved with two club sports teams and a sorority on campus, everyone I talk to is involved in something else. Every student seems to find their niche, with involvement in any assortment of activities. The active student body creates a really positive feeling on campus. Students here are from all different social and economic backgrounds. While a lot of kids are from NY/NJ or CA, I have never felt lonely being from Oregon. People care a lot more about what you bring to Princeton and how you interact on campus rather than your background.

Contrary to the stereotypes, there are many, many types of people at Princeton. During your freshman and sophomore years, the residential colleges provide an opportunity to meet people who have been somewhat randomly thrown together. Some of my best friends from college were the people I lived with or near freshman year. You will be given the chance to meet lots of people at all of the various orientation programs during freshman week. I highly recommend participating in either the Outdoor Action (camping in the woods) or Community Action (volunteering in a city) programs as a way to feel connected to your new classmates. Once you get into junior and senior year, you have another chance to meet people by joining an eating club. Plus, because precepts are small (usually about 10 students), you can really get to know people in your classes. Overall, it's not hard to branch out and make new friends at Princeton.

Princeton students are from every background possible, and despite stereotypes, everyone seems to get along with one another. It really doesn't matter what your financial background is. I feel like Princeton is a very accepting environment, and everyone's free to be who they want to be. There's no expected persona.

The only kind of person who would feel out of place is someone who is judgmental or close-minded. Students here have an innate curiosity to better understand their peers; to learn from them and support them in their passions.

Most students are outwardly preppy, which is nice, because it means students are able to express themselves in ways other than clothing. I think we have a relatively diverse student body. People have an amazing range of interests, passions and backgrounds.

I don't belong to any racial, religious, LGBT, socio-economic or other groups of this type. However, they are fairly prominent on campus, and hold many events open to the student body throughout the semester. I can't think of a particular kind of student who would feel out of place here. There are certainly minorities, but as a whole the student body is so diverse that it seems everyone can find a place to feel comfortable. Most students get dress nicely for class (i.e., not sweatpants and a t-shirt) but it's pretty casual. Different types of students interact in classes, but outside of academia, Princeton can be pretty clique-y. There is a lot of grouping, and stereotypes that follow those groups: sorority, fraternity, eating club, sports team, a capella group, dance group, etc. Football guys (beefy, making immature jokes); international table (speaking strange eastern European languages); frat/sorority table; engineer's table (working on problem sets while they eat). Princeton students are literally from all over the world. A fair number seem to be from New York City or New Jersey. Many students come from extremely wealthy financial backgrounds (i.e., fly to school in a private jet and have family members who own islands), but Princeton also has a generous financial aid program, which allows them to admit students from less fortunate financial backgrounds. Other than College Democrats and College Republicans, Princeton doesn't seem to have a hugely politically active environment. It's not that people are apathetic - they seem generally aware of what's going on in the world, but they don't necessarily want to discuss politics at the dinner table. It seems to be a pretty even split between liberal and conservative ideologies. Students don't really talk about how much they'll earn on day, but have a general sense that they will be well-off.

Most students care about what they wear to class. i know that i wouldn't dare look like a slob - I know I wouldn't take myself seriously, and I wouldn't expect anyone else to take me seriously in that situation. Fact is, most people seem to be rich and white but that's just the image everyone puts forward. Not everyone is. I promise.

Every kind of group or organization you could ever want. We even had a club called Taste, which was essentially made up of gourmands who received money from the university to go eat exotic food in nice restaurants. Pretty fantastic. My roommate is gay and says she doesn't feel there are a lot of lesbians on campus, at least not ones that are 'out'. LGBT center is very active and present, but I don't know if this is the best campus for gay kids. Its not bad, but it could be better. Students wear everything... some get dressed very, very well to go to class, others are in sweats or pajamas. That's not all that common though. A lot of Princeton kids are from New Jersey actually, but definitely a strong showing from the coasts. A bunch from England and not as much other European countries. Kids are pretty well off for the most part, though the University says that 55{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} receive financial aid. Students are predominantly liberal, but there are definitely a strong showing of conservatives. Students are very, very aware of their earning potential and a huge amount of kids here will go on to Wall Street, investment banking, etc. Very, very popular path for Princeton kids.

The student body is incredibly diverse, and all the students are active and involved with something in some way. It's amazing the amount of talent that floats around Princeton - you can meet someone new and discover that they've spent their summers working in labs at some famous company for the past three years. It's fantastic. Especially as an arts person, I have thrived in such an inspiring community of students who are so passionate, from music majors to engineers. I feel confident that anyone could find their place at Princeton.

There is a certain degree of segregation on campus. But I feel that for the most part, the campus is pretty accepting of different groups. In general, there is a pretty good amount of diversity, so there is nobody who really feels too out of place. However, it is not uncommon that athletes tend to stick to themselves to a certain degree. The same is true of other groups too, but this is just in general. There is a lot of intermingling on a daily basis.

Princeton is racially and religiously diverse, but is socioeconomically homogeneous. It seems that most of the students come from wealthy families and attended private high schools.

I don't really participate in those types of groups, but I have friends that do on both sides. KASA is huge and very active. So it Manna/PEF/PFA. LGBT tries and some people get very involved, but my friends who are gay haven't encountered that much discrimination. It feels pretty open to me. The low-income groups aren't there, but with Princeton's financial aid package, most people are on it, so that's something of an equalizer. I feel like basically anyone can find a home here. Maybe if you were super nerdy, shy, wanted to go out but never did, and ended up working miserably you would hate it. But there are so many ways to get involved that it's basically impossible. Students wear anything from heels and dresses/sport coats to sweatpants and pajamas. Totally doesn't matter. Different types of students def interact. I have friends in PEF and PFA and Manna, though I'm atheist. Also, my friends are of all different types racially and sexually and socioeconomically. Done and done. 4 tables...the soroity/fraternity/ivy/cottage table, the jock table, the asian manna table, and the randos who constitute most of the student body. You can look at Princeton stats for geographic distribution. You definitely get to know the names of big schools. CA, NY, and NJ are clearly huge, but that hasn't been a limiting factor. Some student are politically aware, many aren't. Organized political action is smaller than people who actually care about politics. Oh well. Students are mostly moderate. My friends dont' talk about how much they'll earn, unless it's living out of a box as a comp lit/art history major.

I actually went to a public high school that was 98{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} white and Christian, so I’d never really met any Jewish or Muslim kids until I got to P-ton. While no ethnicity/background dominates like Anglo-Saxon, there are definitely communities for everyone. For instance, a number of my friends were involved with the LGBT scene, and they could kind of mold it as they liked. You definitely see a lot of popped collars and sundresses when it’s warm outside, but most students don’t come like that—it’s just a tradition that you find your own place in. There are a lot of middle-to-upper –class kids, but they aren’t (usually) the lazy kind. They still had to work to get here and to set themselves apart from the crowd. That’s what’s really cool about Princeton students—you know they’ve got some angle that got them in, whether it’s because they lived in Germany for 5 years or play the vibraphone better than anyone else, and it’s really cool when you bring that all together. That being said, I hung out within my eating club, which was known for being a little more edgy, artsy, and bohemian, so those are the people I knew the best—they balanced being really smart with being really fun and really talented. So I can’t complain too much about the prepsters, since I didn’t really interact with them outside of class, ever. I guess my point is that you can find people like you no matter who you think you are when you get to Princeton, and once you do, the rest of the student body kind of sorts itself into place.

My social circle was varied geographically (I had friends from all over the country and from abroad, as well), racially (I’m white, but I had fewer white friends than I did Asian (Eastern and Southeastern) and black), and religiously (my friends were Christian, Muslim, and Hindu, with a few Jews—unlike the predominantly Jewish demographic of my high school). The school is less varied, I’d say, by measure of economic background and sexual preference. Most of the students I knew were fairly well-off—but, admittedly, since the school has a no-loan program, there’s also a good opportunity to go on financial aid with no repercussions later. And while Princeton isn’t hostile to gays, it doesn’t offer an especially welcoming environment, either. Dress is often preppy (especially at lawnparties, outdoor concerts held twice a year, where girls wear sundresses and boys sport plaid shorts—really), but to class, students often wear sweats or pajamas.

The student body at Princeton is diverse, but is also somewhat stratified. You can look at the numbers on Princeton's website, but I can tell you that there truly are lots of international students and racial minorities on Princeton's campus. That being said, the interaction between different racial groups at Princeton is pretty minimal. This is partially due to the eating clubs. (Digression: the eating clubs are large mansions on a street right off campus where upperclassmen take their meals. They also have parties on the weekends.) Many more white students are members of eating clubs than black students. There used to be an eating club - Campus Club - which was home to many of the African-Americans on campus, but that club closed a few years ago. Although this is purely speculation, I would guess that since Campus Club closed, many of the African-American students have either gone "independent" (meaning they're not members of an eating club) or have remained in the residential college system after sophomore year, resulting in further stratification of social life on campus.

There are student groups to accommodate almost anyone, including very active LGBT groups, ethnic clubs, and religious organizations. There is also a very large community of international students, and even American students all seem to be very well traveled and internationally-minded, so there is an acceptance and interest in different cultures. The Jewish community in particular seems very prominent and active with the CJL (Center for Jewish Life) adjacent to campus and frequently hosting events. There is a significant gay community, but many do not choose to participate in LGBT groups on campus and complain about the gay dating scene, which is very limited at Princeton. Like on most college campuses, the political lean is to the left, but there is still definitely a significant and active conservative portion of the student body. There are numerous political or politically related groups, like the College Democrats, College Republicans, Pro-Choice Vox, and Anscombe Society. While a majority of students aren't in one of these political organizations on campus, the student body is still generally informed and opinionated and current events make common conversation topics both in academics and among friends. One great way that Princeton encourages students from all backgrounds to apply is through their amazing financial aid packages, which guarantee to meet all calculated family need, eliminating the need to take out loans to cover the otherwise pricey tuition. A little over half of the student body receives aid from the school which greatly enhances the campus diversity, however wealthier financial backgrounds are also prevalent, and the other half of campus can afford to pay the over 40,000 a year for school. Sometimes this portion of campus seems like more than half because of the higher visibility of students with expensive clothing who are able to take pricier vacations over break, but they are actually not the majority. This can lead to some stress to students from different backgrounds, who may feel like they cannot necessarily afford to keep up with their peers. Regardless of their financial background, however, all students seem to be equally ambitious, with the knowledge that a Princeton education can take them far in life if they make the most of the opportunities it offers. While there are students from almost every state and hundreds of countries, the largest groups are probably from California, New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey, with one of the larger international contingencies from London. In addition, many students come from private, boarding, prep, or magnet schools. As a graduate of a public high school in Virginia, I entered Princeton knowing only one other person in the school, with no peers from my graduating class, unlike many of my classmates who had up to 20 people from their year alone coming to school with them. Though at first it seemed daunting at times when so many other people all seemed to already know each other, I found it refreshing to be able to start college with a completely clean slate and meet new people without basing my social life around people I knew previously. Princeton students usually tend to look well put together. While some, especially a lot of athletes, will go to class in sweats, most tend to dress a little nicer, but not over the top fancy. Jeans with sandals, heels or boots is pretty typical for girls, though sneakers like Converse are also common. On the weekends, if going out to a party, dress becomes a little fancier and more club-like. Short but casual dresses or nice tops with jeans or leggings is common for girls and guys will often wear a polo or more fitted T-shirt. While classes and extracurricular activities bring many diverse students together, there is still a definite divide, especially among those who are involved in life on the Street (eating club members or those who frequently attend parties there) and those who are not. While there is no particular animosity among these two groups, there is more of a lack of mixing, and it is not based on racial, ethnic, religious, or LGBT status, but more on a combination of personal choice and at times socioeconomic factors (eating club membership often is more expensive, though the university is slowly working on using financial aid to reduce this cost). Though there are always exceptions to this divide in friend groups and in teams and clubs that bring people together, it still remains a recognized issue on campus.

When you first arrive at Princeton, it's easy to feel out of place if you don't fit in with the dominant culture oriented toward Thursday/Saturday parties and nights out at the eating clubs. However, as you develop academic and extracurricular interests, then you find a group of people you can identify with. I think there is something for everyone at Princeton, you just have to look for it. At the same time, the school is small enough that you're forced to interact with people from a wide variety of backgrounds. Overall, I think the dining halls are an excellent place to meet new people, because there is always at least one person at your table who you probably didn't know before sitting down. The biggest form of segregation is between underclassmen (in the dining halls) and upperclassmen (in the eating clubs).

i think there are strong networks at princeton among ethnic and racial minorities. while these networks strengthen people's sense of belonging at princeton, they are most necessary because of the unfortunate sense that a certain group (those referenced by the stereotypes) control princeton, especially with regard to eating clubs and job searches. i think that low-income students feel most out of place at princeton just because life here seems generally expensive. students are absolutely politically active, and i cannot complain about the balance. i think there is a great division of left and right side politics and both are equally vocal.