Just how do students make money while also attending a rigorous academic institution like Princeton?  Until I got here, I too had this question. How do you manage to take classes, do well, make money and sleep? It seems like those things just don’t fit together. Well rest assured, despite my initial reservations, I promise you that it is possible.

Having a job at Princeton is actually really easy to do. There are so many different types of jobs that if you are looking to make money, or if you have a work-study grant to pay back, there will be something of interest to you. Therefore, here is a list of the top 10 jobs I have found while on campus.

1. Working in a library – sometimes you guide people to where books are, but oftentimes, you just make sure people stay quiet and get paid to do homework.    
2. Tutoring – for local elementary and high school students.
3. Working in the Dining Hall  – cleaning dishes and making sure the Dining Hall is properly stocked. This job has specific shifts, so it's very good for people who want a set time in their schedule for a job.
4. Babysitting – for local families and professors' children.
5. Baking cookies at Murray Dodge – Murray Dodge, home to the Office of Religious Life, offers free cookies and tea every day from 3 p.m. - midnight.
6. Assisting a professor with his or her research or working in a lab – gives you research experience and you get money, so a win-win.
7. Orange Key Campus Tours – Tours of campus for prospective students and their families. Learn more. 
8. Taking pictures for the Yearbook - everyone takes photos, so why not get paid to do so.
9. Writing Center Fellow – provide editing and brainstorming assistance to other students on their writing assignments (while fellows get paid by the University, this amazing service is 100% free for students.)
10. Residential College Adviser – serve as a mentor and adviser for a group of first-year students.

When I first arrived at Princeton, I started signing up for different clubs and organizations. Soon enough, I had secured three jobs for myself and didn’t even realize it. I found things that interested me and that would help pay for my shopping trips and my love of coffee. I am the editor-in-chief of the Nassau Herald Yearbook, an Orange Key tour guide and I am a writer for this blog. I love all of my jobs, and the best thing, at least for me, is that for the most part, they are not time dependent. I do have a specific tour slot every week, but I can work on the Yearbook and the blog whenever and from wherever. This fit my academic schedule really well, and I’m still able to have an income while studying for my classes. In contrast, some of my friends like having a job in their weekly schedule and have specific days for their dining hall shifts or other jobs.

There is an online resource with all of the available on-campus and nearby off-campus jobs available for students. I often find myself sorting through the availabilities to see if anything piques my interest. In short, with all the opportunities, something will pique your interest and, most importantly, fit within your schedule. 

As I reflect on my experience at Princeton in 2016, I have three short anecdotes that speak to my pride and gratitude for this school ...

Last weekend, I participated in my very first hackathon: HackPrinceton!

For those of you who don’t know, a hackathon is marathon computer programming event where lots of people come together to build all kinds of projects.

Every fall and spring, the Princeton Entrepreneurship Club hosts HackPrinceton, a 36-hour hackathon where students from across the nation come to work on software and hardware projects.

Here’s how the 36 hours of HackPrinceton played out for me:

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Friday, 9 p.m.: The hackathon begins. I arrive at the Friend Center with no specific plan or project in mind, but I definitely want to make something. I’m excited to hear some tech talks, get free swag and snacks, and play with the hardware from the sponsors. I end up taking lots of gummies and a Surface Book from the Microsoft table and spend the night doodling.

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Saturday, 8:30 a.m.: I wake up with a plan of action.

I’ve spent the past week worrying, disappointed with the U.S. Presidential election results.  I wanted to find a positive way to respond. I’ve have asked friends, teachers, adults, mentors: What good can come out of this? How will we move forward? What can I do?

Listen, they say. Talk to everyone, not just people like you. Be vigilant, be kind. Reach out and learn empathy.

Taking their advice to heart, I resolve to design an app that will facilitate honest, one-on-one, personal discussions about social and political issues. I’ll call it “Converse,” for people to converse about converse views. Hurrah!

10:30 a.m.: I eat brunch at my eating club, Terrace, and download trial versions of Sketch and Framer.js onto my computer. I’ve been itching to try out these two prototyping tools ever since I first heard about them this summer. This is the perfect time to experiment with them. When I open the applications on my computer, however, I realize that’s easier said than done.

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Noon: Fumbling my way around Sketch. I have no idea what I’m doing, but I'm making progress, slowly but surely.

3:30 p.m.: Break for a bike ride with a friend!

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4:30 p.m.: Return to working in Sketch in earnest.

6:30 p.m.: Break for a walk with a friend, then dinner.

10 p.m.: Finished creating the UI in Sketch, I move to Framer to animate them. Since I have no idea how to use Framer and want to be done with this project, I write some of the hack-iest code I’ve ever written.

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Sunday, 12:30 a.m.: Submit my project and go to sleep, yay!                                        

9AM: The hackathon ends, and it's time to demo my project at the hackathon’s Science Fair. I have a few great conversations about technology’s responsibility to resolve social problems, and I also get to see the cool projects that other participants have made.

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In conclusion, I really enjoyed my hackathon experience! I loved experimenting with two new tools, learning about the design process, and building something of my own! It was a productive – a surprisingly cathartic – end to a tumultuous week.

Thanks, HackPrinceton!

See all the HackPrinceton projects here, if you'd like :)

A library seems like such a mundane thing. It’s a place where books are kept and people go to study. It’s probably a simple thing that no one thinks about when choosing a college. However, until you get to college, you don’t realize just how much time you will actually spend in the library. It becomes such an important aspect of your college experience, that I would argue a visit to the library is a must on a college tour. Libraries give you a vibe for the school, and since every library is different (including all of ours on campus), you can get a feel for what works best for you.

Princeton currently has 10 libraries. Some, such as Firestone, Lewis or Marquand library, are more frequently visited than others, but each has its own flair. I find that when students are picking their library of choice, it depends a lot upon their mood and what they wish to get out of their study experience. My first year I studied in Firestone, our central library, because I liked the individual desks and the fact that it was closest to my dorm. However, towards the end of the year, I shied away from Firestone because it became too dark for my liking, and I had unhappy memories of studying for a difficult exam there. I tried out Marquand Library of Art and Archaeology once, but I didn’t like the giant windows because people walking by always distracted me. I also tried the Fine annex, home to the math department, but for some reason, it just didn’t feel right to me. Then I visited Lewis Science Library, which is now my current choice. This building, built by acclaimed architect Frank Gehry in 2008, is so interesting architecturally both inside and outside. There are super comfortable chairs inside; there is a "tree house," an elevated study space in which you can only trees; there is good lighting; and it is very close to my current dorm and favorite dining hall.

Some of my friends really enjoy the East Asian Library, located in Frist Campus Center, because it is conveniently located two stories above Frist’s café, which means when late meal rolls around, they can run downstairs to get some snacks and then get back to studying. Others have found the Architecture Library nice and quiet. Mudd Manuscript Library contains all of the pas senior theses and has really rare and exciting documents. There’s even a Mendel Music Library for those who like to study in the music building.

Essentially, there are so many types of libraries on campus, that you can find one that will best suit your needs. And what I have often found is that a library will work for one class, but when I’m studying for another, I need a location change. That’s why it’s nice to have the variation on campus.  

So I encourage all of you that when you’re on your college tour at Princeton, take a moment to peak into a library. I know that on our Orange Key tours, we make a point of emphasizing Firestone (the 2ndlargest open stack library, by the way!), but definitely check out some of the others when you come to visit.

Feel free to write if you have any questions about our libraries. In the mean time, I’ll be typing away in my favorite chair in Lewis, second floor right outside the tree house.

Without a doubt, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It involves pumpkins, autumn weather, crunchy leaves and time with family. However, I love it because it is the very best time to give thanks for all of the wonderful things in life. This year, our blogging team wanted to share what we are most thankful for this fall. Here are our responses to a very Thanksgiving-themed question: As a Princeton student, what are you most thankful for this year?

I'll begin by saying that this year, I am most thankful for the supportive community that I have found here at Princeton. I will be traveling home for Thanksgiving for the first time while at Princeton, but I am so grateful that I truly feel that Princeton is my second home. As a senior, there has been a lot to juggle between my classes, thesis and other important life decisions. I am most thankful for my friends and community here who support and encourage me. It makes me incredibly grateful to realize that, over my four years here, I have become close with so many professors, community members and mentors who have advised and encouraged me. And I have many dear friends who will continue to make me smile and be there for me—all well beyond graduation. On another note, I am thankful to live on Princeton's gorgeous campus, especially given how beautiful it has been this fall with the changing leaves and wonderful weather!

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Avaneesh Narla '17: "I am most thankful for my senior thesis adviser, Ned Wingreen, professor of molecular biology and the Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, with whom I also wrote my junior paper and conducted summer research. I have really been enjoying my senior thesis, and I have been learning a lot about how to do investigations in science and ask questions in general. Ned has been extremely supportive and gives me continuous feedback, and I don't know how smooth the process would be if it were not for him!"

Jordan Brown '19: "I'm most thankful for the sheer amount of opportunities Princeton offers, especially in terms of opportunities abroad. Princeton fully funded both my Spanish class I took in Toledo, Spain, as well as my internship in Abomey-Calavi in Benin, West Africa. It's great to be able to try so many of the events, classes and internships available to us as students." 

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Briana Pagano '18: "I’m thankful for Princeton’s ever-changing sky: for cotton candy clouds, sunset silhouettes and for the Gothic spires that guide my gaze toward midnight’s maps of constellations. I’m thankful that, even as a junior, I still can't help but look up and get lost." 

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Kevin McElwee '17: "I'm thankful for all the travel that I've done with the Glee Club, and the friends I've made because of it! Because of the generosity of alumni, we've been able to sing beautiful music all around the world."

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Peyton Lawrenz '19: "Although I won't be able to travel home for Thanksgiving (there are no direct flights to New Mexico!), I reflect on missing such a valuable holiday with my family, I am overwhelmed by the incredible sense of "home" that I have found here at Princeton. Having received several offers from friends to spend Thanksgiving with their respective families, in this season of gratitude, I am reminded how much I value the kindness and generosity of the communities that I have found at Princeton."

Serena Zheng '17: "This year, I'm most thankful for my friends! After almost nine months away from campus (between studying abroad and the summer), above all else, I was so, so happy to see my friends. Before we graduate and disperse into in the real world, I'm excited to spend one more year with them, laughing, crying, learning and adventuring with the people who have made Princeton my home."

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Michelle Greenfield '18: "I am most thankful for the Center for Jewish Life (CJL) community that I've been part of for the past three years. Anytime I walk into the building, I am instantly greeted by many familiar faces, and I always know that if I'm looking for a friend or need help on homework, someone will be there for me. The CJL has provided me with leadership opportunities, learning experiences, genuine conversation and most importantly, lifelong friendships that I cherish each and every day."

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Kevin Wong '17: "As a senior, I'm particularly thankful this year for all the ways Princeton has changed me. Four years here has made my thinking sharper, my world wider and my life richer. I'm grateful for the extraordinary experiences Princeton has afforded me as a writer, a budding academic and an aspiring policymaker. The University's generosity with both its financial and human resources is like nowhere else in the world, and I'll sorely miss this place once I leave!"

A few weeks ago, my Asian-American history course (AMS 370) took us on a field trip to New York City to spend the afternoon in Chinatown. One great thing about Princeton's location is our proximity to New York City and Philadelphia for class trips, and I got to benefit from one of these fully funded opportunities this weekend!

Our class met at 1 p.m. to first take a walking tour of Chinatown. It was my first time to Chinatown, and I really enjoyed seeing Columbus Park and the Tombs, as well as learning about Chinatown's historical ties with Little Italy.

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We had time to explore the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA). The museum is really modern and was showing a neat exposition on Chinese food and identity in America!

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Of course, both the exhibit and the day made us crave some Chinese food. To end the afternoon, our professor took us all to the Oriental Garden, a Cantonese restaurant that has been highly ranked by both Michelin and Zagat restaurant review guides.

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Overall, Asian-American history has been one of my favorite classes this semester, and this field trip was a really great opportunity to spend more time with my class and to learn more about the Asian-American experience in New York City!

My parents have two favorite texts that I have sent them during my time at Princeton. Coincidentally, I sent them on the same day. I remember that day like it was yesterday. It was a cold Sunday in November. I was walking to the dining hall by my room for breakfast, and I was quite hungry. I tried to open the door, but alas, it was locked. I couldn’t figure out why it would be locked since it was 10 a.m., and that’s when the dining hall opened. Then, I remembered, daylight saving time. The clocks had changed that morning, and what was formerly 10 a.m. now was 9 a.m., which meant that I had to wait an entire hour before I could eat breakfast. I couldn’t believe it.

See, I’m from Arizona, and Arizona is the one state that doesn’t have daylight saving time. That’s right, we never change our clocks. While we oscillate from Mountain Standard Time to Pacific Standard Time, that’s really only important when it comes to what time a television program will be airing. Otherwise, I go on with my life as if nothing changed, because it didn’t. That was, until I got to Princeton. I knew the clocks changed, but I didn’t really understand when they did. (Apparently, they change at 2 a.m. Who knew?)

The second part of this story comes from a note I mentioned at the beginning; it was really cold that morning. I had to put on a heavy coat and a scarf. This was a new phenomenon for me. Before this fateful morning, it had been fall break, and I was away with a class traveling in a much warmer place. But when I came back, it was so cold that I knew it was time for my first real winter. I had never really worn gloves and scarves for warmth, so this was definitely a new life experience for me. 

Therefore, the text I sent my parents that day was as follows: “I’ve learned two important lessons in college so far. The first, daylight saving time is real. And second, scarves are not just a fashion accessory.”

So for all of you west-coast students, have no fear. Moving to the east coast is a change, but it’s nothing you can’t handle. Invest in a warm coat, and buy some warmer scarves (rather than the cute flimsy ones I’m sure you all have), and you’ll be good to go. And for my Arizona brethren, have someone sit you down and explain daylight saving time to you so that you can take advantage of the extra hour of sleep and not be turned away from the dining hall—like me.

To honor the Office of Sustainability’s 10th birthday this month, I thought I’d talk a little about sustainability at Princeton …

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First, rewind to three years ago: When I was a pre-frosh visiting campus during Princeton Preview, one of the major things that struck me about campus–aside from the beautiful buildings, abundance of the color orange, and free food everywhere–was Princeton’s conscious effort to be “green.” And I wasn’t the only one to notice! Last year, a fellow student told me that she decided to go to Princeton in part because of how environmentally-friendly the campus seemed.

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After coming to Princeton, I got involved in sustainability efforts as an Eco-Rep, whose mission is to promote sustainability in the residential community, and I was pleasantly surprised at how receptive and supportive the group was. With the relatively small campus, Princeton’s Campus Dining and Building Services are quite receptive to student input, and the Office of Sustainability is always willing to support students promoting sustainability.

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Aside from student efforts, though, a huge collaboration between faculty, staff, and administration resulted in Princeton's official Sustainability Plan, which includes goals for reducing the University's greenhouse gas emissions, conserving resources, and engaging the University through research and education.

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On the academic side, the University offers many courses every semester for students interested in learning about energy and the environment in a variety of disciplines–civil and environmental engineering, economics, geosciences, history, and even my home department, computer science! Last semester, I was enrolled in a seminar called “Apps for the Environment,” in which we developed our own Android applications that could help out the environment. Pretty neat, huh?

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In more exciting news, though, the brand new Andlinger Center for Energy + The Environment opened earlier this year as a space for teaching and research. They’re doing all kinds of cool things relating to sustainable energy, but personally, I’m just excited to explore this beautiful space during the scavenger hunt for the Office of Sustainability’s birthday celebration in a few weeks!

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To learn more about sustainability and related research at Princeton, visit the Office of Sustainability and Andlinger Center's websites.

Happy Birthday, Office of Sustainability, and Happy (belated) inauguration, Andlinger Center :)

Before starting classes at Princeton, all freshmen participate in an orientation program. There are currently three programs that Princeton offers: Outdoor Action (OA), Community Action (CA), and Fall Athlete Program. All three are wonderful and give students an opportunity to learn about the ins and outs of Princeton from upperclassmen, get acquainted with the school, and most importantly, make friends as soon as you get to campus. Here are some thoughts from three members of the Class of 2020 who recently participated in these orientation programs.

Mashad Arora on Outdoor Action

For my orientation trip, I did an Outdoor Action (OA) backpacking trip through Harriman State Park in New York. Our group consisted of nine interesting and fun incoming freshmen and three truly awesome leaders. During the five days we spent hiking through the park, we bonded over amazing vistas, embarrassing group games, deep conversations, random photoshoots and multiple wrong turns. Without technology or ten thousand events to attend, we played late-night games of mafia, sang spontaneously while staring up at the stars, and ate s’mores around a campfire while listening to each other’s life stories. We went from being a hodgepodge of people from all over the world with different interests to being a tight-knit and warm family that loudly sang our favorite songs during the bus ride back to campus. Today, as I walk to class, it’s great to run into others from the group, as we share a special connection. Even though many of us have different interests and different paths, we all share this as our first experience at Princeton, and it’ll always be special to cherish the friendships that formed during OA.

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Leora Eisenberg on Community Action

I had the opportunity to participate in Community Action (CA) Interfaith, in which we spent five days in Greater New Jersey -- primarily New Brunswick and Princeton -- visiting the holy sites of different religious traditions, such as Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism and Christianity. While our community service was not as "direct" as that of other groups (i.e. we weren't building houses or mentoring at-risk youth) as other CA groups were, it was just as valid and important. My CA group was privileged to build bridges between communities, which many of us wouldn't normally frequent.

In the evenings, we would do group activities that were focused on our fears about beginning college and our trepidations about life in general. Most of the group really opened up--and it was heartening to see what we had in common, as well as what made us different.

All in all, CA was a fabulous experience. I would seriously recommend the program to anyone. (And if you're lucky, you'll go to a kosher Indian buffet on the last day, like we did.)

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Susan Orth on Fall Athlete Orientation

Finding out in late August that all of the freshman got the incredible opportunity to go away on orientation trips, either on CA or OA, and that I was unable to go due to preseason training for Field Hockey, was devastating!  But…of course, Princeton never leaves anyone out. 

We, as freshman fall athletes, got the chance to interact with other fall athletes in a small group orientation group for a few hours over the span of three days.  We discussed our anxieties, things we were excited about for the upcoming year, and everything in between.  Surprise, surprise, many of the people in the room had similar things to say.  It was incredible to be able to be part of an orientation experience like this, while still being able to train for our upcoming seasons.  The pressures of being a Princeton student-athlete are not negligible, and it was so nice to share this time with so many others who experience those same, or very similar pressures.  Also, the leaders of these small groups shared their vast experiences, giving us advice for the year, and sharing some of the many resources that are not only open to us as student-athletes, but all students on-campus.

Not to mention, athlete orientation was fun!  We played fun games, took a trip to The Amazing Escape Room, an interactive, team-building reality game, and I made many friends (who now come to my games, and I to theirs.)

Overall, this experience was such a nice way to start the year … I felt as if I didn’t miss out on any of the great orientation trips that were offered!

One of the craziest and overwhelming experiences during your first few weeks at Princeton is the activity fair. You walk into Dillon gym and are instantly surrounded by hundreds of students asking you if you sing or dance and drawing you in toward their table. There are so many different types of songs playing and sporting equipment being thrown around that it is a bit intimidating. Yet, there is an incredible feeling of excitement in the air as every group is super friendly and wants to explain to you why they are deserving of your time.

As I walked around trying to avoid running into other students, I knew I wanted to continue many of the activities that I participated in high school, since they would bring a familiarity to a new college experience. Therefore, I found all of the tables that related to things I was used to. However, it didn’t take long to realize that Princeton had so many things to offer that I didn’t need to stay within my high-school shell. Consequently, I signed up for dozens of student groups that looked appealing, I had some interest in, or as was sometimes the case, the person cornered me and talked about their program for so long that I felt obligated to sign up for emails.

Because of the energy of the student leaders and their excitement about the new freshman, I found many groups I might not have participated in if I had just stayed with my high school activities. Now, this isn’t to say you have to completely switch your lifestyle once you get to college. I definitely didn’t do that. But what I did do was expand my beliefs and open my eyes to new opportunities.

For instance, I applied to be a part of the Nassau Herald, Princeton’s yearbook, and joined club volleyball, both of which I was very involved with in high school. Yet, I also became an Outdoor Action (OA) leader, something (the hiking and camping element) I had no interest in until I went on OA as a first-year student. I also joined the Cheese and Bad Movie Club, Princeton’s Green Team, Koach, the Conservation Club, 3D printing, the Conservation Society in addition to a ton of other clubs that sounded interesting and fun.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that Princeton has so many clubs and activities that there is something for everyone. This website lists the current organized student clubs, and there are more being added every year. Whether it’s dancing, singing, student government, sustainability or whatever else interests you, Princeton has a club for it and a group of students who also share that passion with you.