This blog post was co-authored by Ellie Maag and Patricia Chen. 

Every year, Princeton students perform in two monologue performances. One is "Me Too Monologues," and the other is "The Vagina Monologues." Here are our impressions of what it was like to perform in these shows. 

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"Me Too Monologues" started in 2009 by students at Duke University. The project acted as a peer outlet for insights on race and identity. Since Princeton adopted it in 2015, "Me Too Monologues" has transformed into a mental health initiative. Scripts are submitted anonymously by students and performed by peers.

As an actress in "Me Too Monologues," the process of developing the performance was just short of being an emotional roller coaster. It’s hard to swallow the fact that the stories are written by current Princeton students and that for every performance, there is a possibility that they could be in the audience. The script you pick is a seed that you cherish and water. It becomes your responsibility to internalize the message and magnify the voice. Sometimes, it can be difficult to detach yourself from the writer’s struggles.

"Me Too Monologues" has been the most impactful theater performance I have ever been a part of. Along with the other eight performers, we covered the topics of anxiety, depression, rape, self-harm, sexual assault and more. It’s a continuous uphill climb to destigmatize perceptions of mental health problems and bring awareness to how close to home it actually is.

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When I came to Princeton, I was placed in a living arrangement with three other women who became some of my closest friends. 

First-year winter. One of them signed up to perform in the show “The Vagina Monologues” by Eve Ensler. They were assigned to perform the last piece, called “My Revolution Begins in the Body.” We would meet in the bathroom to brush our teeth before bed, and she would recite it to me, conjuring up beautiful imagery before my eyes. 

Two years pass. Each of them were stuffed with treasured conversations and conferences that helped me come into my own as a feminist. 

Sophomore year. We bought “Milk and Honey” by Rupi Kaur. Our copy was passed from room to room, getting dog eared marks, gentle highlights and furrowed pencil marks. 

This year. I performed in "The Vagina Monologues." By now, I realize the show is not as perfect or revolutionary as I thought it was. But, I find the same thoughtfulness in performing. And the audience is shocked through many parts of the show. 

My partner and I spent months pouring over 557 words. We explored each tint and hue of every word, letting them drip thoughtfully from our lips. 

I realized that this is the whole purpose of "The Vagina Monologues." It's to help you find a community, delve deeply and take a moment to reflect on issues that you'd like to further explore. 

Sharpen your pencil and take out a notepad because in the next few minutes I am going to divulge the secret formula every Princeton student utilizes to help them make the most out of their college experience.

1) Originality is your legacy.

Originality doesn’t always come in the form of a novel idea or an earth-shattering revelation. Sometimes, it is neither tangible nor intended for the public eye. Originality is a magical concoction that brands your experiences as your own. It goes from the path you take to class to the choices you make for your senior thesis. Stop comparing your trail to the trails of your peers. Stop worrying about whether or not you’re living up to people’s expectations.

2) You can’t have it all.

I came to Princeton with the ambitions of a naïve first-year student, wanting to go to all the guest lectures, sponsored study breaks, supplementary classes and more. But that simply wasn’t feasible. I had to divorce myself from the high school mindset that I could do it all. Be aware that Princeton offers you more than you can ever dream of taking on. 

3) Take act one and two with a grain of salt. Stop seeking advice from people who tell you how to make the most out of your Princeton career.  

Here is the final and most important key: there is no secret ingredient. Four years. People always say that’s all you have. Yet, 36 academic months, 144 weeks, 1008 days…that’s still quite a lot whichever way you put it. Everyone around you is telling you to make the most out of your Princeton career but why is no one telling you how?

The fact is that no one knows and no one should know. There is no “most” in experience. Trying to quantify it is meaningless. Time is fickle. Some people become lost, trying to figure it all out. Too aware of time? You stay stuck in the past, nostalgic for the old days and resentful that it’s all going too fast. Too ignorant of time? You neglect that it’s there and end up standing with a diploma and a million things you haven’t done. My advice? Forget about navigating time. It only serves to complicate. Besides, this is your story. Your plot. Your set of characters. And if you don’t start filling the pages, who will?

Recently, I attended an event sponsored by Princeton Students for Gender Equality (PSGE), a student group on campus dedicated to facilitating discussion on, spreading awareness for, and taking action towards gender equality and inclusion.

The event was called a Period Packing Party. It was part of a weeklong initiative put on by PSGE to celebrate menstruation, a subject that often remains taboo in our society. Together, the volunteers helped put together menstrual kits to donate to a local Trenton homeless shelter. An abundant supply of tampons and pads was collected from a combination of what the group originally had and donations from students who had heard about the event. It was incredibly heartwarming to see people uniting and working for a much needed cause.

The event took place at Frist Campus Center, the heart of campus and student life. The location allowed the event to be visible and attract students that were passing by. We spread ourselves among three tables and got to work. Volunteers at the first table packed the brown bags with pads. I was at the second table where we added tampons to the mix. Then the bags were passed down to the final station where they were rolled up, stapled and placed neatly in boxes, ready to be on their way.

The event was a success. We packaged over 300 period kits in total. People came together for the cause and stayed for the conversations.

It’s easy to get lost in the opportunities at Princeton. Yet setting aside time and prioritizing a cause important to you is a way for young people to take charge of their untapped power and mobilize together for meaningful change.  

If you have the opportunity to attend Princeton Preview, you will be matched with a current student. This student will be your host during your time on campus. They will eat a meal with you, let you stay in their dorm and show you what life is really like at Princeton.

When I came to Preview during my senior spring, I was nervous about what would happen. Would my host be nice? What if she was involved in activities that I just had no interest in? However, those fears were quickly suppressed once I met my host, Alex. Alex was a senior in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology department (the department I was most interested at the time and am currently majoring in) and had recently finished her thesis about African penguins. Considering I am a huge animal lover, I was immediately excited to learn more about her Princeton experience. She told me she spent a summer doing research in South Africa, was involved in musical theater on campus, was an RCA (residential college advisor) and had many friends and wonderful experiences at the University. She took the time to answer all of my questions about the school and give me a sense of why she loves Princeton.

Alex quickly picked up on what I was most interested in—Jewish life and animals—and directed me towards the different places on campus that I should visit while I was here, namely the Center for Jewish Life and Guyot Hall (which have become my two favorite buildings since matriculating). Being able to see the school through the eyes of a current student was so helpful in making my decision to attend Princeton.

However, this story doesn’t end here. While many students have limited communication with their host after preview, Alex and I have been good friends ever since. After first meeting, we talked all summer, and she continued to help me prepare for my introduction to Princeton. When I was confused about how to apply for a freshman seminar, she walked me through the process and even proofread my essays for me. When I didn’t know where to buy sheets or other supplies for my room, she told me about the Bed Bath and Beyond college pick-ups where you can purchase the items anywhere and pick them up at the closest store to your school. She also offered to meet up with me when I got here so that I had a friendly face to see amongst thousands of new faces.

Today, Alex is still one of my good friends, and I owe my attendance at Preview to that. She’s truly been a mentor to me over the past four years. She connected me with the penguin place at which she did her thesis research, which is the reason I got to spend my first summer in college in South Africa working with penguins. She’s helped me with job searches, thesis advice, class suggestions and so many other things.

While I can’t say this type of host-pre-frosh friendship happens for everyone at Preview, I can say this is a classic example of the types of friendships you form with other students at Princeton. There is no age gap between friendships here, meaning you have friends older than you who can be mentors, and you have friends younger than you that you can mentor. The frienships you form at Princeton are incredible and special. I am so thankful I attended Preview, and I know that Alex and I will remain friends long after I graduate.

Princeton follows a unique calendar system, where winter break is part of fall semester and students take their finals in January. Because of this set up, between the end of finals period and the start of the new semester, Princeton has a week of break formally known as Intercession. Some people take this opportunity to relax at home. Others go on trips with their friends. Regardless, it’s arguably the most carefree week in the academic year. With the burden of fall semester lifted from my shoulders and the work of the upcoming semester still unknown, I found myself with minimal obligations and time that I otherwise would never have.

During the break, I took an opportunity to delve into career exploration through the Princeternship Program. Every semester, Princeton’s Career Services offer students experiential internships with partner organizations from an assortment of fields. Most of these connections were established through the Princeton alumni network. Participants rank their top three choices and go through an interview process that is more geared towards matching students with the appropriate internship than it is about competition.

I participated in a shadowing internship along with two other students at The Cornea Laser and Eye Institute in Teaneck, New Jersey. Because I was coming from Princeton, I woke up at 5 a.m. to embark on the long three-hour commute to Teaneck. I arrived there at around 9 a.m. and the three of us proceeded to change into appropriate attire, putting on a white lab coat, hair net and surgical mask.

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Throughout the day, we were exposed to numerous aspects of the profession and met with people at various stages in their lives. In the morning, we chatted with a medical student who was at the end of his residency. He explained his reasons for going into optometry (which I thought were rather convincing) and offered us advice on the long process that is medical school.

Our host, Dr. Peter Hersh, was a Princeton alumni himself. Before the internship, I read up on his work and researched procedures he performed at the institute. I was a bit star struck to learn that Dr. Hersh was among the group of people who pioneered and published the first research paper on laser correctional procedure.

I was grateful for the opportunity to observe eight separate surgeries and learn more about the techniques that Dr. Hersh had polished. He was very patient and thorough in his explanations. Despite being extremely busy, he took the time to walk us through what he was doing every step of the way and answer any lingering questions after each procedure.

This opportunity not only made me rethink my future career path, it also demonstrated the power of the Princeton alumni network. Near the end of the day, the conversations moved to similarities and differences between his Princeton experience and ours. Experiencing this undeniable connection with Dr. Hersh that bridged over three decades was an incredible feeling.  

One of the top things to do before graduation is to take a trip with a class or club. I’ve known people who have traveled over breaks to South Africa or London to sing or to Venice or China to research. During this past intersession, the period between fall and spring semester, I went to Paris with L’Avant-Scène, the French theater group on campus. We perform plays in French from the traditional French repertoire such as Molière, Feydeau and new classics like Wajdi Mouawad and Jean-Luc Lagarce.

Florent Masse, the French professor in charge of this troupe, has been taking newcomers to the troupe to Paris since 2004. Normally, there are about five or six people on this trip, but this year there were only three of us. So, we invited a few students studying abroad in Paris to join us at some of our activities. The schedule for the week consisted of drama instruction, activities for cultural enrichment and a play every night.

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We spent some time walking around Paris, visiting the Louvre and enjoying macarons, hot chocolate and crêpes. Most of our days, however, were spent at the Conservatoire National Supérieur d'Art Dramatique (CNSAD). There, we interacted with aspiring thespians and famous professors who helped us delve more deeply into our work. We had the pleasure of participating in a 3-hour dance class and several other theater classes that focused on character development and movement on stage. In the middle of the trip, we were able to watch a class on masks. It was quite an invigorating experience to perform alongside these energetic French actors.

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Every night, we went to plays at some of the best theaters in Paris such as La Comédie Française. We saw a total of eight plays. Our group preferred Molière’s hysterical Les Fourberies de Scapin at La Comédie Française and the heart-wrenching Saigon performed at the Odéon-Théâtre de l'Europe. After the play, we chatted with the actors. We met some stars of French theater: Loic Corbery, Claude Mathieu and even Xavier Gallais. All of them, despite being extremely accomplished and talented, were extremely humble and excited to interact with us and answer our questions.

I could not have made this voyage without the support of Florent Masse and Princeton. It’s often said here that Princeton opens doors. This was certainly true of this week.

As you may or may not already know, Princeton has a bit of a different system for dining once you become an upperclassman. The one that probably draws the most intrigue from prospective students is what is known as an "eating club." There are 11 of these clubs, and each one serves as a form of social and dining scenes for upperclassmen, should they choose to be in one. Certain clubs are "sign-in," where one simply has to write their name down in order to join. Others require students to go through a process called "bicker," where students are chosen by current club members to be a part of a club.

Sophomores go through the bicker and sign-in process for the various clubs in the spring semester. The bicker process usually involves playing games and doing mini interviews with various members of the club for a few hours in the evening. This allows you to get a feel for if the club is right for you and provides an opportunity to learn more about the club as a whole. It lasts two days and on "pickup day," students who bickered are notified of their status in the club; if accepted, they proceed to their new club and are warmly welcomed by other club members. Because sophomores aren't upperclassmen, they are allowed to have a couple of meals at the club per week and will then have full member privileges once their junior year starts.

Eating clubs are a great way not only to eat and socialize with your current friends but also provide a great opportunity to meet new people and make new friends. It's just one of the upperclassmen dining plan options, but worth giving it a shot if you're even the slightest bit curious.

Over my four years at Princeton, I’ve had the honor of attending public lectures given by everyone from Nobel laureates to undercover journalists (including one who reported from North Korea). Among these lectures, here are three of my very favorites:

“The Art and Science of Pixar” with Danielle Feinberg, Director of Photography for Lighting at Pixar Animation Studios

While working on Pixar’s “Coco,” Danielle Feinberg was directed to “create a world like no one has seen before.” Sitting in the audience in Maeder Hall, I couldn’t help but be struck by these words. Neither coder nor artist, I share the same mission nonetheless. Each day, we all strive towards it in our own personal way—imagining, aspiring, defying odds, creating a world like no one has seen before.

I left this lecture more inspired than ever: by the creativity that transforms both worlds and lives, by the dedication to do good work, and moreover, to do meaningful work. Because, as Danielle said, “It wouldn’t be a Pixar movie without imbuing the whole thing with heart.”

“Princeton and The Other ‘F’ Word: a Conversation on Failure” with John Danner, Fortune 500 advisor & UC Berkeley business professor

Go into your garage and pick up a can of WD-40. Look closely at the number on the bottle; thirty-nine failures preceded this product. Henry Ford went through 19 letters of the alphabet before arriving at the Model T. Ever heard of Chanel No. 4? Didn’t think so. But everyone knows what came next.

John Danner’s lecture reminded me that failure is the foundation for growth. The following morning, I awakened to a rejection in my inbox. As I dragged the message into my “Rejection” folder, I couldn’t help but smile. I am so grateful for the place that has taught me to see, in failure, the reaffirmation of character, the beauty of surroundings and the overwhelming opportunity that awaits.

“The Hidden Worlds of Narrative Nonfiction” with Richard Preston, New Yorker writer & bestselling author

On a warm, spring night in California’s Palomar Mountains, a young man named Richard Preston stood beneath a sky full of stars. Slowly, he wandered toward a small white dome that stood out against the night’s cloak of darkness, lured by a combination of curiosity, elevator music and laughter. Pausing in front of the astronomy dome, Preston knocked once, waited a few moments and then knocked again, louder this time, as to be heard over the music. After a few moments, a voice emerged from inside the dome. “Hey, somebody’s knocking!” Preston stood still. “Aw shitsky, Carolyn,” the voice continued. “What do they want?”

With that, the door opened, and out of the dome stepped Eugene and Carolyn Shoemaker, astronomers who were searching the night sky for asteroids and comets that could slam into the Earth—or, as per Preston, “the only astronomers whose work could have a real impact.”

That night, as Preston sat beneath the brilliant spring sky, he realized: somebody has to write about this. Standing behind a Princeton University podium on Dec. 1, 2016, reflecting on a science writing career that has taken him all the way from Ebola labs to redwood treetops, Preston referred to this moment in the mountains as his “calling.”

And, sitting in the audience that winter afternoon, I was reminded of mine.

From the title of this post, you might be saying to yourself: "The first semester is finally over. Why would I want to take any sort of 'course' during my week of rest?" However, these aren't like your normal academic courses; they're called Wintersession courses.

For those of you who may not know, Wintersession is the week between the end of the first semester in late January and the start of the second semester in February. During this time, there are no official classes in session, so it basically serves as a week-long break to rest and get ready for the new semester. Very often, students will plan trips to various locations during this time or simply go home, but of course there are some students who decide to remain on campus. Thankfully, Princeton provides fun activities for these students to do. These Wintersession courses are typically student-led classes or workshops where you can learn and do all sorts of things, from learning about lucid dreams, making your own homemade pizza, and doing magic tricks, all the way to doing dance workshops with one of the various dance groups on campus such as BAC (Black Arts Company: Dance). These "courses" take place in a very relaxed and friendly setting where you can simply learn or do things you might have thought about doing - or perhaps never thought of doing!

If you're on campus still, you definitely should check them out and see what interests you the most. Also, if you feel inspired, you can teach one as well. This year there's even a course on how to correctly peel an orange, so, as you can see, the possibilities are endless. These courses are offered every Wintersession and are definitely a mini highlight of people's time here at Princeton, so definitely give them a try! Here's the link to the website for this year's offerings.