Princeton University

I think Princeton is undoubtedly the best undergraduate education in America. The professors for the most part are accessible and very friendly. They also are leaders in their prospective fields. There are even Noble Prize winners teaching intro courses (and they have offices hours where they are actually there!)Where else would this happen but at Princeton? The university is also very good at providing opportunities to travel abroad or do original research. Since you must do Junior theses as well as a senior thesis, you should take advantage of these opportunities. The University does waste money profusely on undergraduates activities so student life is very comfortable.

1st Year Female -- Class 2006

Collaboration/Competitive: A+, Social Life: B-

I absolutely loved my academic experience at Princeton. I studied Russian and Czech, and was in a department with a small number of majors but a fairly large number of profs. They were absolutely wonderful, and I intend on staying in touch with a bunch of them, now that I've left.

Socially, it was a different ballgame. I don't care so much for the eating club scene. I did join one (two, actually; I switched), and I've gone through the dreaded Bicker on both sides - once while getting in, and twice (or three times, if you count fall bicker) while deciding others' fates. The system isn't so nice. Having half sign-in and half bicker is like the worst of both worlds. We should either have all being bicker, with a guarantee that someone gets at least one bid, or all being sign-in. The system as it exists is divisive and elitist. Still, they're a part of Princeton's tradition, and I did enjoy going to all the formals and that stuff.

I'm not going to give the Annual Giving people a red cent. The school wastes money like you wouldn't believe. But I will donate to my department and to Outdoor Action. They're doing good stuff. ... IF you go, make sure you do an OA trip to start things off. I went on one to start the year for my first three years there, and enjoyed it immensely. I highly recommend it.Princeton isn't everyone's cup of tea. Visit it before you decide -- and DON'T go to the official events. They don't paint a picture of what the school's really like. ... Reunions are awesome, though. One huge party with 15000 alumni.

4th Year Male -- Class 2003

Education Quality: A+, University Resource Use/ spending: C-