“I have learned to value my own resilience over any unachievable notion of perfection. It is only from trying different study techniques and taking advantage of different class resources such as office hours that I’ve begun to figure out what I need to thrive academically.”
“The challenges, growing pains and learning opportunities at Princeton are limitless. It’s important to afford yourself that breath of fresh air between each one.”
“As someone who is greatly influenced by the environment I am in, I believe there is no other place where you will be able to become the best version of yourself than Princeton.”
“So far at Princeton ... I have been encouraged to recognize and explore other aspects of myself. Other identities that make me who I am. I stopped chasing this single community where I would feel at home and instead welcomed the idea of belonging through multiple communities and spaces.”
“I thought deeply about myself and my relation to this place called Princeton. ... There is always time to close the textbooks. I carve out time to do this wherever I can — attending talks, screenings or readings ... There is always time to be enriched by other things.”
“I chose Princeton in part because ... I wanted to be trained in the knowledge and skills for environmental research, yet I was also seeking a liberal arts education that would guide my decision-making and problem-solving throughout life.”
What I Found to Be Different
Part Two
The Real Experience
At Princeton, you'll solve problems, uncover deeper meanings and immerse yourself in your passions. The close relationships you'll form with peers, faculty and alumni serve as a foundational network of support in our close-knit community where curiosity and exploration create new waves of discovery.
Podcast
Leadership, Service, Compassion and Empathy
What does it take to be a leader? Christian Potter ’22 thought about this a fair amount during the last few years. It wasn't until he stepped into the role of president of the Undergraduate Student Government during a pandemic that he truly understood the qualities needed to get the job done. Tune in to learn about Christian’s year of leading, listening and learning.
Tune InLearning and Education Through Service (LENS)
Learning and Education Through Service (LENS) ensures that every Princeton undergraduate student has the opportunity to secure a meaningful summer service or social impact internship before graduation. LENS also will help students secure University funding for service internships they find on their own, allowing students to design their own experience with support from the University.
Learning and Education Through Service (LENS)
Learning and Education Through Service (LENS) ensures that every Princeton undergraduate student has the opportunity to secure a meaningful summer service or social impact internship before graduation. LENS also will help students secure University funding for service internships they find on their own, allowing students to design their own experience with support from the University.
[The Service Focus cohorts] really offers an informal way to discuss service ideas, while engaging with other members of the Princeton community with similar passions who [students] might not have met on-campus otherwise!
Podcast
From Pre-med to Politics and Discovering ‘That Princeton Magic’
Morgan Smith ’21, a concentrator in the School of Public and International Affairs from the Los Angeles area, shares her story about discovering a love for politics and civic engagement. Morgan talks about the Princeton initiative “Vote100” and the moment she discovered “that Princeton magic.”
Uncover the Princeton MagicVote100
Vote100 is a campus campaign aspiring for 100% of the student body to engage civically. We want all members of the Princeton community to pledge to participate in all future elections, proving that civic responsibility is a foundational characteristic of what it means to be a Princetonian.
Vote100
Vote100 is a campus campaign aspiring for 100% of the student body to engage civically. We want all members of the Princeton community to pledge to participate in all future elections, proving that civic responsibility is a foundational characteristic of what it means to be a Princetonian.
Making Unexpected Connections
There Are Levels to This
Part Three
Depth of Experience
At Princeton, we’re stronger because of our differences. Students come from all over the country and all around the world and meet in our inclusive, vibrant community where empathetic learning and listening support the perspectives of all students. This is a collaborative community where our divergent opinions bring us together in respectful dialogue, leading us to take action, make change and gain knowledge that takes us in a whole new direction.
We believe that meaningful learning doesn’t only happen inside the classroom, but in the dorm room, on the athletic field and through the relationships students form with their peers and professors. We establish connections that go beyond any class reunion, and our liberal arts curriculum enhances this experiential learning by allowing students to discover, uncover, unpack, embrace and enhance their learning. With the freedom to explore across academic disciplines, students learn to think broadly and tackle tough problems to find deeper meanings and more impactful solutions.
Podcast
Scramble Band, Debate Club and Finding Community
Gabriel Duguay ’22 discusses community on campus from student-run clubs to a meal with friends in one of the residential college dining halls. In addition to participating in the Princeton debate panel and the Princeton University Band, Gab, a native of Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada, is the founder of the Princeton Indigenous Advocacy Coalition and serves as a member of the Provost’s Priorities Committee.
Community on CampusDiversity and Inclusion
Princeton is a community made stronger by our differences and a world where diverging opinions are welcomed, respected and engaged. We embrace diversity in all its forms, and fundamental to our beliefs is that we all have unique perspectives, identities and experiences to offer in our close-knit and inclusive community.
Diversity and Inclusion
Princeton is a community made stronger by our differences and a world where diverging opinions are welcomed, respected and engaged. We embrace diversity in all its forms, and fundamental to our beliefs is that we all have unique perspectives, identities and experiences to offer in our close-knit and inclusive community.
A genuine dedication to excellence requires meaningful commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion. At a University that aims to make a difference through bold bets on human talent, we need to make sure that we find talent everywhere it exists and that we bring together people of many groups and identities and enable all of those people to thrive here.
Blog
To Find a Home
Gil Joseph ’25 writes about finding community at Princeton and how he has welcomed the idea of belonging to multiple communities and spaces.
Uncover More Than One Community
