lkn

Okay, I feel like someone needs to respond to the extreme negativity of grep who doesnt seem to know anything about Princeton. I am not the biggest fan of Princeton because the town itself is boring with no decent restaraunts, but it is close to cities that are fantastic. So - the housing plan is that they are tearing down a large apartment complex because it doesnt meet fire code. They are providing temporary housing for the people it affects in old faculty housing. After that they are tearing down the really old apartment complex. It is to improve housing options for grad students, but in the meantime there is slightly less available on campus housing. This should not affect incoming students because you are guranteed housing. Housing on campus at Princeton is not expensive - you can see on the housing website that you can live here for as little as $450 per month. But incoming students have last priority in the housing draw (which grep has wrong - current first years have top priority) but are guranteed housing. That means that almost all of you will be in the grad college, and not the annexes or apartments unless you have families. Some people complain about the social life, but it is what you make of it. Most first years hang out at the DBar all the time - it has really cheap drinks and is in the basement of the dorm. Many people leave town on weekends to go to NYC, DC, or Philly but there is plenty of stuff going on around campus. It is true that there aren't great bars in town, so people just hang out at apartments which is cheaper anyway. As far as undergrads go... well does anyone want to hang out with undergrads? I have heard that dating is rough for guys for some reason. There are many more single guys than girls, but at this stage in life most people are in relationships and there are other young people in Princeton working so online dating is certainly an option. Okay, I think that is everything, I think you all deserve a balanced perspective with the correct information!

hey everyone - Princeton grad student here. The social life at Princeton is okay. Most people have lives outside of Princeton either with their families or with college friends in NYC/Philly/DC. People hang out at D-Bar a lot, but the main social scene here seems a bit immature compared to grad students at other schools (most first years live in dorms and eat in dining halls). There are very very few grad student groups which is unfortunate, but you can deffinitely make friends here just like anywhere, and the students are very diverse. Butler apartments are totally sufficient. They are not luxury, but they are sizeable with significant storage space and decently sized kitchens. Positives include having your own yard sort of and having pets and negatives include paper thin walls and cold winters. I definitely recommend living on campus at least for a few years. I don't know of anyone who has a studio and I doubt any first year would get one - first years are lucky to get any sort of apartment housing. But second year it should be possible. When friends visit they can get a visitor's parking pass and park by your apartment / dorm. Parking is never a problem in on campus housing. There are lots of possible outdoor activities here - you can bike and run by Lake Carnegie for one. Grad students at Princeton are not the least bit snobbish. Many of them went to state schools etc. and they chose Princeton for its research not its snobbish social standing.