Sydney's Tour

Start - 36 Uni Place

Good morning y'all! Let's do a quick poll: Raise your hand if this is your 1st time in NJ Raise your hand if this is your first college tour Well, welcome and welcome back! It's nice to meet you all. My name is Sydney and I am a second-year student at the University. Born and raised in New Jersey, as you may have been able to tell from my first question. I live about 30 minutes from campus, so if anyone wants to chat about distance—or the lack of it—at the end, please feel free to stay behind. I am pursuing a concentration in Spanish on a Visual Arts track with an intended certificate in Urban Studies. You can think of a concentration as a major and a certificate as a minor! On campus, besides Orange Key, I am the: President of my Class Princeton University Mentoring Program Mentor Member of the Club Volleyball Team TigerReport, sports broadcasting group RCA next year This tour will be about an hour-long: we'll cover history, academics, student life, my food recs, & more. If at any point, you can't hear me or if you have a question, please do not hesitate to interrupt me. How's the volume level now? Beautiful. The building we just left is 36 University Place. Starting from the bottom to the top, it is home to our Visitor Center, the U-Store (or University Store), Career Advising, the Dean of the College, and the Program for Community-Engaged Scholarship, a program that oversees the connection between specific academic courses and community service. The U-Store is what I like to call our mini on-campus Target. It sells groceries, dorm and school supplies, merchandise, and more. The Center for Career Development has walk-in hours and available appointments for resume work, job search, career decision, assistance, and a yearly HireTiger Career Fair. Behind us is Blair Arch, the largest arch on campus! It is frequently used by our many acapella groups for their ArchSings, or performances. When the arch was the main entrance to campus via train, the soot from the exhaust used to blow into the dorm rooms up above. Luckily, the train is further down campus now. It is actually located right next to our beloved Wawa, the chain convenience store on campus. Their Oreo hot chocolate is simply amazing. Great, two questions before we start Does anyone have any questions? Does anyone have any problems with going up these stairs?

East Pyne

Here we are outside East Pyne: home to foreign languages and our literature and culture departments. Here we'll chat about the two academic tracks here at Princeton, foreign language, and study abroad. Students at Princeton choose to either obtain an AB or BSE degree. AB refers to Bachelor of the Arts and BSE to a Bachelor of Science in Engineering. The main differences between the two lie in the number and content of required courses, independent work, and the foreign language requirement. AB students take a total of 31 courses in 8 distribution areas, write mandatory junior research papers and senior theses, and have a foreign language requirement. BSE students take 36 courses, including required classes like math, physics, chemistry, and computer programming, complete senior theses, and do not have the foreign language requirement. It is possible to switch between the two, although it is normally easier to do so from BSE to AB. This is due to the fact that BSE students declare at the end of their first-year, while AB students declare in the spring of their sophomore year. BSE students' faculty advising comes from the School of Engineering rather than the residential colleges like AB candidates. The University has 37 concentrations and 55 certificates, or majors and minors. Some BSE concentrations include Chemical and Biological Engineering and Mechanical Aerospace Engineering, while AB includes others like Spanish, History, and Molecular Biology. There are no double concentrations, but there is a chance to create your own or explore different interests via tracks within your department. On the basis of the AB foreign language requirement, we have 25 languages, now including American Sign Language. Students can test out of the requirement with AP credit or through the placement exams. There are plenty of opportunities to take your language skills abroad. Some classes include travel components in their coursework. This past winter break, a Spanish class took its students to Puerto Rico. First-year students can apply to join the Humanities Sequence, which is a yearlong double credit program that studies key points, concepts, and novels from ancient literature to Toni Morrison. Students who complete the sequence can then apply for a fully Princeton funded trip to Greece or Italy to complete independent research. Similar intensive program sequences also exist for science and engineering, math, and physics. Princeton also has its own summer study abroad programs, such as Princeton in Spain and Argentina. Although most students choose to stay on campus for their semesters, you can also apply to study abroad during the year. One of my close friends is on his way to Oxford next spring. There are also Global Seminars, or classes taught abroad in the summer and the International Internship Program. I know people traveling to Kenya and Greece for Global Seminars and internships, respectively. Before matriculating, students have the opportunity to defer apply for the Novogratz Bridge Year program and defer their enrollment for a year of international service work.

Firestone

Here we are outside of Firestone Library, the largest library on campus with 70 miles of shelving. If you put a person in Firestone and had them walk through all the shelving and made another walk to NYC, the latter would reach NYC first. Here we will talk about the libraries on campus, writing support, and independent work. In addition to open stacks for browsing without the help of a librarian, Firestone is home to the Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, which holds some of the earliest print books, papyrus documents, the first four printed Bibles, manuscripts from Beethoven, and more. The residential colleges either share or have their own libraries and subject-specific ones for Architecture, Science, Engineering, and Music exist across campus. Many people come to Princeton thinking that they will have to write an entire book for their independent work. That's not true, unless you're getting the Creative Writing Certificate! The process of independent work and writing at Princeton is a journey with advising every step of the way. In your first-year, you are assigned a Personal Librarian and placed in a mandatory Writing Seminar based on a ranking system. Writing Seminar helps students get accustomed to Princeton's standard of writing. Many students take advantage of the Writing Center for essay and assignment support. In their junior year, AB students write two separate research papers of about 20-30 pages under the guidance of two separate advisors. In your senior year, everyone besides Computer Science BSE candidates, writes a senior thesis of around 80-100 pages—depending on the department—once again under the guidance of advisors. Multiple advisors if you are getting any certificates. More than really long papers, independent work is a chance to closely study something you're really interested in...and get funding to do so. A recent alum came back to chat about how he turned his thesis into a travel book. It's a narrative story about his journey down Colombia's Magdalena River on a trip that was funded by Princeton! I've also heard that someone once did independent work about different types of bread, and also got travel funds.

Chapel/Murray-Dodge

Here we are outside of the Chapel, one of the largest of its size and height in the world. The current chapel succeed a couple of previous chapels: one originally in Nassau Hall, one near East Pyne, and the Marquand Chapel which was lost to fire. On this stop, we will chat about religious life on campus. The University does not have any religious affiliation, but the Office of Religious Life provides support for the many religious communities on campus. Their home offices are in Murray-Dodge Hall, along with a prayer room, meeting space for religious groups (including those in the performing arts), and a cafe. The Chapel is non-denominational and holds religious services as well as important traditions like Opening Exercises for first-year students. Additionally, the Center for Jewish Life on Washington Road is another focal point of religious life fully equipped with a kosher dining hall, auditoriums, a library, lounges, and more. Murray Dodge's cafe is another site for student jobs. They provide free fresh baked cookies and hot beverages daily. My teammate and I go after every practice. My favorite so far have been the double chocolate and Oreo cinnamon cookies!

Frist Campus Center

Here we stand outside my favorite building on campus: Frist Campus Center, or as I like to call it...the center of campus. Here we will chat about its resources and student organizations. There is something for everyone on each floor. On the bottom floor, you'll find Frist Gallery home to Late Meal. While an underclassmen, you get a $9 limit to grab a late lunch or night snack outside of the regular dining hall hours. My current late meal go-tos are the Chicken Torta sandwich, Turkey BLT, and make-your-own burrito bowl. One floor up, you'll find the TV lounges, Nintendo Switch, ping pong table, Convenience Store, Welcome Desk, Witherspoon Cafe, Cafe Vivian, package lockers, and the Mailroom. The croissants from Witherspoon are a real hit. The second floor is home to the Student Government Office, the PACE Center for Civic Engagement, the Gender Sexuality and Resource Center (or the GSRC), the Accessibility Center, classrooms, and faculty offices. The GSRC frequently provides programming and support for students of different gender identities and sexual orientations, while the Accessibility Center advocates for students of different abilities. On the third floor, you'll find the McGraw Tutoring Center, Frist Theater, and Einstein's classroom. Many students use the Tutoring Center for review sessions, study groups, workshops, individual tutoring, study consultations, and more. The theater is home to many student performances, including those by the Princeton University Rock Ensemble, Black Arts Company, Princeton University ballet, k-pop dance org, and more. Princeton's late night talk show, All-Nighter, also hosts its episodes on Frist's stage with comedic sketches, musical guests, and key speakers. Upon entering Frist 302, you can almost imagine Einstein giving you a lecture. After all, his classroom has been preserved to look exactly like it did when he lectured here. There are an endless amount of student organizations on campus. From Class Governments to political societies, newspapers, acapella groups, premier dance groups, finance/business/investing ventures, karaoke, fashion mags, a chocolate making club, service clubs, and a club that gets together to eat good cheese and watch bad movies, the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Students oversees them all. We even have a freeform, completely student run radio station on campus that you can tune into on WPRB 103.3. An example of one of our service clubs is El Centro: a group of student volunteers who teach English as a Second Language Classes in the Trenton Area. If the student org you'd like to be in doesn't exist already, you can get a proposal together, talk to the Office, and make it happen! Before we move on, I would like to just point out the Woolworth Center of Music Studies. It is home to our Department of Music, the specialized Music Library, classrooms, practice rooms, recording studios, and more. There are plenty of opportunities to get involved musically on campus.

1879 Arch

Here we stand under the 1879 Arch. A smaller arch than Blair, but still home to many ArchSings and Poetry Slams. On this chat, we will talk about upperclassmen dining and housing, the Street, and the Carl A Fields Center. In their sophomore spring. Students choose from 4 dining options for their upper class years: staying on the dining plan, going independent, joining a co-op, or joining an eating club. Independent students get preference to dorms with kitchens, gain flexibility, save money, choose their own groceries, and cook their own food. Princeton has a shuttle called the Weekend Shopper that takes students off campus to grocery stores for free. Joining a co-op means cooking on an alternating schedule with other students. Lastly, a large majority of students look to join another community within the community via the eating clubs on Prospect Street, commonly referred to as the Street. Upperclassmen do not live in the eating clubs—unless they are officers—but rather in upperclassmen housing across campus, in the res colleges, or off campus in small numbers. Each eating club is co-ed, has about 100 to 200 students, its own cooking staff, social, athletic, and recreational programs. To join an eating club, students either bicker or sign in during the second semester of their sophomore year. Bicker is a selective process that involves events and chats with members, while sign-in eating clubs accept all who are interested until they reach capacity. Eating club fees cover meals, dances, concerts, semi formal events, and more. A good portion of Princeton night life revolves around the Street. The clubs are open to all Princeton students regardless of membership on most nights. However, there are many other things to do at night on campus: such as attend study breaks, movie nights, class government and other student organization events, Campus Club festivities, athletic matches, singing, dancing, and poetry performances, and campuswide events like Orange and Black Ball—an annual formal dance that is open to all undergraduates. On the Street, you'll also find two buildings that are not eating clubs. One is named Carl A. Fields Center, after the first African American Dean in the Ivy League, and its mission is to promote diversity and understanding on campus. It frequently hosts ethnic dinners, events for the mentor program for first-year students of color, parties, talks, and more. The other is Campus Club, the first building on the Street. It is home to our student run coffee shop, board games, & many events from various student organizations. Some nights, there will be themed food and even a DJ/parties open to campus in the back. My favorite Campus Club food find has been apple cider donuts and hot apple cider after a cold night on the Street.

Grad Schools

Here we stand where we can see Princeton's three graduate schools: Architecture, the School of Public and International Affairs, and Engineering. Undergrad programs in each of these fields can be found. The architecture building and Firestone were designed by alumni of the architecture program. The Engineering-Quad which you can see from here, past the fountain, has the floor area of seven Nassau Halls and a cafe! The fountain area is a great place to look at the stars! It's also where many students gather to take photos during Lawnparties! Lawnparties is an outdoor concert held once a semester accompanied by lots of food and celebration. On this stop, we'll talk about Princeton's graduate schools, Princeton's undergraduate focus, and Campus Safety. The concentration in the School of Public of International Affairs is highly popular for undergraduates. An undergrad concentrating in the School of Public and International Affairs can expect to learn the intersections of economics, politics, sociology, and history. One key component are the two junior policy task forces that make up the independent work requirement for the year. Groups of students work together with a faculty advisor to study policies and propose recommendations to the actual institutions. The graduate program in the school offers a masters in public affairs or public policy, a PHD in public affairs, a joint law degree program, or three certificate programs (one being health policy). Undergrads outnumber grad students by almost 2 to 1 on campus. This means that undergrads have primary access to resources, research, and opportunities on campus. Many undergraduates are able to participate in research through coursework, collaboration with professors, in labs, independently with aadvising, and more. On my right, you'll see a Blue Light Phone. These phones are placed across campus and will connect you directly with Public Safety when activated. The University has its own Public Safety department, as well as the Princeton Police Department that serves the greater community. Each student downloads the TigerSafe app and receives emergency alerts via the app, text, and email. Student IDs, or proxxes, give you access to your dorm and academic buildings. However, in order to enter a dorm, you need your prox and a person specific code. Amongst other safety measures, McCosh Health Center provides various medical services to students, Counseling and Psychological Services offers free short-term counseling to all students, and there is a hospital 10 minutes away.

Nassau Hall

We are now outside of Nassau Hall. It was once the largest academic building in the colonies, the US capitol, the target of Revolution shelling, and home to the entire college. It used to be a tradition for first year students to scale Nassau Hall and steal the bell clapper. If they were successful, classes were canceled for the day. If they were caught, they faced reprimand. The tradition no longer exists due to safety reasons and the bell clapper is only brought out for special occasions. Here we will chat about student travel, transportation, the town of Princeton, and Orientation. We are conveniently located near two major cities, Philadelphia and New York City. Each city can be easily accessed via our train station campus. Affectionately called the Dinky, our train station will take you to Princeton Junction and back. From Princeton Junction, you can use NJ Transit and Amtrak to get to various destinations, and to Philly and NYC in about an hour. Although many students choose to stay on campus for the majority of the week, students will occasionally travel to attend concerts, go shopping, and get a taste of the city life. Additionally, some courses will take students on free trips to either city. This past semester, my LAS class went to New York to view art galleries, have a fancy brunch, and try traditional Mexican food. Undergrads are not allowed to have cars on campus, unless there are extenuating circumstances. You will see students get around mainly on foot, or some type of wheel: bikes, scooters, skateboards, you'll see it all. Students frequently pass through the gates to enter town for movie nights, to grab food, and shop. Student Government often rents out the theater to provide free movies for undergrads and partners with businesses to offer free meals/snacks/and drinks. Some of my town favorites include the Best Breakfast Burrito from Olives on a croissant and Thomas Sweet's Midnight Jersey Shore Ice Cream. If you ask any student their favorite ice cream place in town, they'll most likely start a rant about why their favorite is better than the others. Lastly, the gate that connects us to the town of Princeton is named after a man who was instrumental in raising the money required to build the college. FitzRandolph Gate is home to both superstition and tradition. At the beginning of your first-year, during Pre-rade, you walk through the gates for the first time with your entire class being cheered on by the Princeton community. To commemorate your entrance into the world, you walk back out the gates when you graduate. It's said if you walk out the center gate before graduation, you won't graduate on time. You'll see students exit out the side gates. Pre-rade is just a small part of your freshman orientation. According to an interest form, first-years are assigned to one three-week long pre-orientation programs (out of Community Action, Outdoor Action, and Dialogue and Difference in Action). After these programs, first-years are welcomed to campus with events like an Ice Cream Social, Movie Night, Carnival, Skate Night, StepSing, and more. StepSing is a personal favorite of mine where the entire class joins to learn traditional Princeton songs and sing current hits of their choice. It is mirrored with a Senior StepSing.

Prospect House

We are now walking through Prospect Garden. The beautiful mansion you see is Prospect House, a private dining club and social facility for faculty and staff. Until 1968, it was the residence of the current University President.Students are occasionally invited by professors to eat there. My class officer team has been planning our Sophomore Formal which will be held in Prospect House next week! Each class government gets a budget to design gear items, host study breaks, and plan traditional events. We're currently planning our Declaration Day, a movie night, speed-friending, and opportunities for students to get free food from local businesses. I was told on my Princeton tour that the fountain in Prospect was lucky. I took that very seriously, came back around after the tour, and made a very strong wish that I would get into Princeton. We now have a bit of a walk until our last destination. Please feel free to come up and ask me any questions you might have, or just to take in the scenery.

McCosh Couryard

We are standing in McCosh Courtyard. McCosh Hall is home to the English department, American Studies, and classrooms of all sizes. It may look familiar as it's where Shia Labeouf was kicked out of lecture in the second Transformers movie. Here we'll talk about distribution requirements, classes, and academics at Princeton. I briefly touched on distribution requirements when explaining the differences between the AB and BSE tracks back at East Pyne. Princeton's commitment to a liberal arts education means requiring each student to explore classes in different, broad genres. There are 8 distribution requirements in total: examples being Science with and without Lab and Literature and the Arts. Princeton is a medium sized institution. With the construction of the new colleges, Princeton will accommodate 6000 undergraduate students. There are a few unique factors that contribute to a Princeton education. Our student to faculty ratio is 5 to 1, which is the lowest in the Ivy League. All professors at the University must teach undergraduates. There are 3 types of class styles: lectures, classroom-style courses, and seminars. Lectures are usually for large introductory courses, meet multiple times a week, and have smaller discussion sections called precepts with 10-15 students. Classroom-style courses have 15-30 students and meet multiple times a week. Seminars meet once a week for 3 hours and have 12-15 students, or less. If you find yourself wanting to take a seminar that's not offered and you can find a group of interested students and a professor, you can work together to create the syllabus, grading, etc. and essentially create your own class! The only time you would not be taught by a professor is during a precept, or Wintersession—an opportunity during winter break to take fun classes and trips taught by other students, professionals, and members of the Princeton community. I once attended a Wintersession course taught by a Disney executive who brought in special guests like the President of Marvel, Kerry Washington, and Guillermo del Toro to talk to us via Zoom. I would say my smallest class size has been 8 in the LAS seminar I mentioned earlier that took us to NYC. My largest was either Econ 100 or Statistics for Social Science with 100 or so students. My favorite class so far is one I'm taking now about the different dialects of Spanish. I also love this space because it's home to USG's Outdoor Movie Nights. They get a big blowup screen, candy, sometimes outdoor seats, and project new movies —like Soul and Shang Chi.

Morrison Hall

We are standing outside of Morrison Hall, named for the late writer Toni Morrison who retired at Princeton after teaching humanities, African American studies, creative writing courses, and founding the Princeton Atelier. The Atelier is a program that crafts interdisciplinary art courses with notable artists. For example, a recent Atelier Songwriting class had special guest Paul McCartney listen to their compositions. The Princeton Atelier program is now run through the Lewis Center for the Arts, which recently opened in 2017 and houses performance spaces for the arts, study spaces, design studios, and more. The Lewis Center for the Arts is also conveniently located by the train station and the Wawa! Morrison Hall was originally a dorm, previously home to Financial Aid, and now admin offices. Here we'll chat about financial aid, Princeton's commitment to diversity, and student jobs. Approximately, 62% of students are on some sort of financial aid. Princeton's three main principles continue to stand out amongst our peer institutions. The University is committed to being accessible to every admitted student. That is why we are need-blind, need-based, and grant based. What that means is the need for financial aid will not be considered in your application. This policy is also applied to international and undocumented students. The University will also meet 100% of your demonstrated need in the form of grants, not loans to help you graduate as close to debt free as possible (83% of seniors). These policies help to create a student body with varying socioeconomic status, home states/countries, and backgrounds. I have met people from all across the world who have stated that Princeton was one of—if not their cheapest college option. For first generation low-income students, Princeton hosts the Freshman Scholars Institute. It's a fully paid summer program that allows participants to get academic credit and become accustomed to the University. The Scholars Institute Fellows Program continues to provide these students with resources once they matriculate. On the other hand, many students become paid employees of the University through campus jobs. Some run social media marketing, others help in labs, some give tours, and all speak highly of working at the various libraries on campus.

Blair Arch/Witherspoon Hall

We have just arrived in Mathey Courtyard. OR, we are standing in front of Witherspoon Hall, otherwise known as Spoon. It's a brownstone, marble, and slate building that was originally made to be a luxury dorm. Here we'll talk about the residential college system, residential life, and advising. The res college system is one of the reasons I decided to choose Princeton. I like to think of them as a community within a community and an opportunity to closely connect with those who live around you. Each residential college is a cluster of dorm buildings with access to a central office with staff, a dining hall, printers, laundry, lounges, libraries, and study spaces. Some residential colleges like Forbes and Whitman have their own dining halls, while Rocky and Mathey and First and Butler share respectively. As of Fall 2022, two brand new residential colleges and facilities will be opened. Housing is guaranteed to all undergraduates and 98% choose to live on campus. Currently, incoming first year students are randomly assigned to one of six residential colleges: Rocky, Mathey, First, Butler, Whitman, or Forbes. Each res college has its own perks, such as proximity to Nassau, our Campus Center, or Wawa and evokes a strong sense of pride in each student. During Clash of the Colleges, the first years in each res college face off in a series of challenges for a spot on a trophy and bragging rights. You can find rooms that fit anywhere from 2 to 11 people on campus. Singles, doubles, and quads are common room configurations. You are randomly assigned a roommate your first year, but you fill out a questionnaire first detailing your living habits so you can be more accurately matched. You'll get very close to your dorm neighbors in your first-year, as they will most likely be in your advisory group—fondly referred to as a zee group. About 15 or so first-year students will be paired with a Residential College Advisor, or RCA, a junior/senior who lives nearby and provides support for first years through Orientation programming, weekly study breaks, and frequent check-ins. RCAs work alongside each Res College's Director of Student Life, Head of the College, Director of Studies, Dean, Resident Graduate Students, and Peer Academic Advisors to help ease the transition into university. For the first two years of your undergrad experience, unless you are BSE which we'll chat about later, you will be assigned a faculty advisor via your res college. This faculty member will approve your courses, chat with you about your potential path, and more. Essentially, you'll always have someone to chat with and a multi-level advising system of both students and paid staff. I am currently in First College, which soon will be under construction. One of my favorite things about the res colleges is that each one has its own council of students who get a budget to plan study breaks! Study breaks are free events that remind you to take a break with some great incentives. We've recently had a juice truck, ice cream truck, Insomnia Cookies, and trivia for some examples.

Whig Clio

We have made it to our last stop. We stand in front of Whig Hall, next to Clio, and behind Cannon Green. Whig and Clio are named after the two groups that make up the American Whig Cliosophic Political Society, the oldest political, literary, and debate society in the country. Whig Clio has always been one of the largest student groups on campus and a place for political debate on both sides of the spectrum. Whig refers to more liberal ideologies and Clio to more conservative. Cannon Green is also home to a very spirited athletic tradition. Here we will chat about athletics and finish the tour with my Why Princeton. Princeton is a Division 1 school and member of the Ivy League Conference with 38 varsity sports. Our athletes continue to be successful in competition. Whenever the football team beats both Harvard and Yale in one season, we hold a large campus wide bonfire. The last one occurred this year actually, as our team claimed those games and the title of Co-Ivy League Champions. Men's and Women's Basketball are this year's Ivy League Champions and the Women's team qualified for the March Madness NCAA Tournament. Women's Fencing also claimed the title of Ivy Champions. Additionally, our Track and Field and Diving teams have been breaking records left and right, also sending athletes to NCAA championships, placing amongst the top in the nation, and receiving All-American status. But all the fitness isn't just for varsity athletes. Some of my favorite athletic moments include rushing the field after our Homecoming win against Harvard and making the club volleyball team. We have 37 club sports that do pretty awesome things. The the club volleyball team is on our way to Arizona for Nationals in April. Intramural sports are also offered through Campus Recreation, the res colleges, and the eating clubs. They can be a great time, but surprisingly competitive. I heard someone got tackled in broomball the other day, all in good fun of course. The non-varsity gym Dillon is home to the fitness center—which is open to all students—dance studios, basketball and volleyball courts, and a spin cycle studio. One of the other tour guides actually teaches spin classes! There are plenty of ways to stay active on campus.

Why Princeton & Thank You

We'll finish off the tour with my Why Princeton! Coming from a school with a graduating class of 58, I realized that I wanted to attend a larger school, but maintain the same sense of belonging and have plenty of opportunities to get involved I was drawn to Princeton's zee group and res college system, the amount of advising, alumni participation, student funding, and the traditions! College is such a unique experience. It's not likely that you'll ever be surrounded by so many diverse backgrounds, resources, at another time in your life. But, the great thing is that the spirit of Princeton stays with you even after you graduate. It's the reason that Princeton Alumni constantly vouch for students when it comes to job opportunities and why they come back in the tens of thousands for our Reunions every year. It's nice to know that you can meet so many new people and still always see a familiar face. Thank y'all for allowing me to show you around. That concludes our tour. Are there any last questions? I will be walking everyone who would like to return to the Admissions Center back. I'll wait around in front of the building to answer any personal questions you might have! If you'd like to go to Nassau Street, it's right that way. Have a wonderful day.