Coming from a small school in Hightstown, NJ, I was worried that I wouldn't bond with my professors at Princeton in the same way I did with my teachers in high school. Having close relationships with my teachers outside of the classroom was such an important part of my high school experience. I was unsure if I'd be able to form the same kind of relationships with professors in an undergraduate population of nearly 5,300 students. But what I realized was that no matter how busy professors are with their own research or how many students they teach, at Princeton, professors truly care about the well-being of their students.

Princeton has 5:1 student-to-faculty ratio, so even though the number of undergraduates seemed like a lot to me at first, there are also so many professors to balance out the students. As an English major, I take a lot of seminar courses, which typically have 10 to 15 students and are focused on a highly specific topic. Some of my best memories at Princeton are from those three-hour seminars, where we discussed topics like the continuities that create the female literary tradition, the authenticity of a ballad or even the use of photographs in graphic memoirs.

In my “Historical Fiction/Fictional History” course, co-taught by two professors, each week, they spend the first 15 minutes of class asking us about how we're feeling and any updates that we want to share. Since moving to Zoom, my professors wanted to do something extra special to cheer us up about leaving campus. They designed super soft fleece sweatshirts with our course name and our team name (we were split up into "teams" to discuss the readings before class: I'm part of Team Platypus!). They even mailed the sweatshirts to us, and I was so excited to receive that package.

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Professors also do little things to show that they really know their students. I often receive emails from my professors about cool events on campus that they think I'd like or new books that are coming out that they want to share with me. And if I ever want to discuss potential career interests or graduate school, my English and creative writing professors love to talk about options over coffee at Small World, eager to offer insights and share their experiences. Professors really want to get to know their students, so go to office hours and invite your professors to lunch in the dining halls. Professors are also more than willing to work with you if you're having a tough week and need an extension or just want to talk.

Professors at Princeton are passionate: they love what they teach and they'll convince you to love the topic just as much. But what I've come to learn is that at Princeton, professors go above and beyond the academics to show how much they care about their students. If you're considering Princeton, know that our professors contribute so much to the experience. They are always more than ready to support you in every way.

Firestone Library underwent a transformation the summer before my sophomore year. As a first-year, I remember seeing entire swathes of the first floor under construction. When I came back last September, I was stunned. Immediately upon entering, on my left there was an entire new wing of the library: the Trustees Reading Room, a wide open space lit up by floor-to-ceiling windows and staircases along one wall of the room with bookshelves on the other wall.

Past the circulation desk, was another huge open space that I had known only as a taped-off construction area a few months before. Much like the Trustees Reading Room, this space is vast and seems to always have the perfect lighting, rain or shine. And beyond this lies the Tiger Team Room, a vibrant, clattery café encased in marble, with smooth stone tables in the sun where you can study with friends or just enjoy a cup of coffee. The tea room is probably the loudest and happiest place in Firestone, and it has become my new place to study.

Firestone’s new additions were a major improvement, but there was plenty to this library already. Although it’s a popular place to study, it’s also worthy of exploration in its own right. Whether you’re looking for small, comfy spaces or large sunlit rooms, there are dozens of cozy places that beg you to lounge and relax. Rumors of hundred-dollar bills discovered in random books. Hidden quirks and surprises waiting to be found. A mazelike lower level with a central atrium.

During one break when I was on campus, I wandered around Firestone for hours, looking for a way into its tower and finding other really wonderful places. These places aren’t quite as secret as I’d hoped, but they won’t reveal themselves to you on their own, you have to go looking for them.   

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An April month not so long ago (okay it was 27 years ago), I was trying to decide what college I would attend.  I was blessed with several options. Ultimately, Princeton felt like home. I found the thought of writing a thesis invigorating and was excited that I would be able to engage with professors from a variety of academic backgrounds. The director of the African-American Studies at the time, Cornel West, even took time out of his busy day to have a conversation with me. Even then, when Princeton still included loans as a part of its financial aid package, my offer was the strongest I received, and I knew my family would not have to worry about affording college.  While many things have changed about Princeton (like no loans) since my decision to attend, I chose to return to the University to work in the Office of the Vice Provost for Institutional Equity and Diversity to advance Princeton’s broad commitment to expand access and success for first-generation, low-to-moderate income (FLI) students at highly-selective colleges.

When I was a student at Princeton, I participated in a two-week summer program, Freshman Summer Orientation Program (FSOP) directed to students who may have been the first in their family to attend college.  Since returning to campus, I have the opportunity to collaborate with the Programs for Access and Inclusion (PAI). PAI offers several programs connecting FLI students with each other and with resources on campus to thrive.  As I reflect on my own challenges transitioning to college, it is a source of pride knowing that first-year and transfer students are able to benefit from the ongoing community they find through PAI programming. Some students may find community through their participation in the revamped and extended version of my beloved FSOP – Freshman Scholars Institute (FSI) or the four year leadership program, Scholars Institute Fellows Program (SIFP). 

I was drawn back to Princeton because of its commitment to service and providing students opportunities to be engaged in the vital work of demystifying selective college admission. In my role at Princeton, I have the opportunity to partner with a number of amazing programs such as Leadership Enterprise for a Diverse America (LEDA) and Matriculate. As a Matriculate Advising Fellow, Princeton undergraduates provide online mentoring and coaching to high achieving FLI high school students to support their consideration of highly selective colleges and universities.  This partnership aligns with Princeton’s informal motto, "Princeton in the nation’s service and the service of humanity."

During this “temporary abnormal,” as Princeton President Christopher Eisgruber '83 refers to this current state of affairs, try to enjoy exploring your college options. You will meet new people and learn about programs, activities and pathways that you may have never considered before. I encourage students to evaluate how a school fits your academic, extracurricular and other interests. I also encourage you to evaluate graduation rates, out-of-pocket expenses; and outcome data for colleges you are considering. Twenty-seven years ago, I chose Princeton as my home. I hope to see you on campus as a fellow Princetonian.

Being low-income and first-generation heavily influenced my decision to attend Princeton, but there is so much more about Princeton that makes me stay. 

Finances were the most important to me because I come from a low-income single parent household. My mother works for everything that my family has. Asking her to provide money for me to experience things like an unpaid internship or study abroad would be a lot for my family to handle, even though such experiences could help my academic, personal and professional growth. Princeton, however, provides many financially friendly opportunities such as Princeternships, study abroad programs, Breakout Princeton trips during breaks and PICS internships. Financial aid at Princeton is need-based, meaning the University awards students financial aid based on their individual needs. I chose Princeton because it afforded me and my family the financial freedom to help me further my academic endeavors. I could not in a million years afford to go to college without heavy loans, but with a generous aid package for undergrad, I can now think about attending graduate school.

Moreover, I also liked Princeton’s commitment to undergraduate education, the medium size of the school along with the student-to-faculty ratio. The resources at Princeton are unmatched. From the faculty who are hands-on in helping students cultivate their ideas and offering additional guidance during office hours, to the McGraw Center or The Writing Center; there is so much assistance, community and guidance tailored to each student’s needs. As a first-generation student, there is so much I do not know in terms of access, opportunities, finances, networking and even basic knowledge about jobs and fellowships. Being in a place with guidance and access to resources is important to me because it makes all the difference when you just don’t know what you don’t know. 

Why I came is important, but why I chose to stay is also of value. I chose to stay at Princeton because of the community, academic rigor and growth I've experienced here were unprecedented. I am very big on community and Princeton has provided me with the spaces where I am able to be myself while exploring different facets of my identity, the ways I learn and my academic interests. I feel like the spirit in the Black community here is truly special. We are all supporting each other and want everyone to win. I’ve met some of the most inspirational and motivating professors and students. I’ve also been able to travel to France and Puerto Rico during my time here even as a low-income student. Being at Princeton with financial freedom allows me to enjoy my college experience without worrying about money. I feel like I am where I'm supposed to be.

It’s a tradition for Orange Key tour guides at Princeton to end their campus tours highlighting their “Why Princeton” story: a description of what brought them to choose the University for their undergraduate experience. Everyone's story is different, and as my years on campus progress I get more emotional each time I deliver it. Without further ado, here it is:

What drew me first to Princeton was the beauty of the campus. I didn’t go on a lot of college visits, but when my dad and I saw Princeton we both knew nothing was going to top it. But other, perhaps more pragmatic, elements of campus were just as attractive: I felt safe and loved that the campus residential community would mean I’d never need to venture off or live off campus to see my friends. The libraries scattered evenly among campus meant I’d have a different place to study for each day of the month. Having Nassau Street so close meant I’d have access to a bevy of global cuisines within a stone’s throw of campus.

But more than a physical space, I knew Princeton was a community. I was drawn to the residential college system and the idea that I’d have a smaller, built-in support network the moment I stepped on campus. Additionally, the Princeton experience lasts a lifetime: our reunions are a raucous, orange-and-black celebration of everything Princeton that draws nearly 25,000 alumni annually. (Check out this old New York Times article for a description of some of the antics). Local alumni networks like Princeton in Washington (of which I’ve taken advantage through Princeton Internships in Civic Service) host events for current students and alumni. In my experiences through the alumni networks I've had the opportunity to attend events with senators and world leaders. This means that the Princeton learning experience isn’t ever really over after you graduate.

I knew the students I would go through school with would be exceptional. I was, and still am, truly excited by the idea that I’m going to school with future leaders with whom I will share a crazy, one-of-a-kind four-year experience. I knew the University’s laser focus on undergraduate students, unique among its peer institutions, would exceptionally qualify me to become one of those leaders myself. In that regard, the University has exceeded even my own lofty expectations, funding weeks of in-class travel and summers’ worth of internships to enhance what I’ll take away from my studies.

There are thousands of undergraduate institutions in the United States. It's probably true that I would've been happy at many of them. But, I’m confident that there’s no place I'd be as happy as I am at Princeton.

A couple days after my admission to Princeton, I opened my mailbox to find a thick orange envelope. Inside were a series of pamphlets and flyers that would prepare me for my time at Princeton, discussing everything from student life to the Novogratz Bridge Year Program. After poring through those materials, and the University’s corresponding online resources, I came away with two key impressions. The first was that Princetonians really love the color orange (it’s true!). The second was that students really care about research. 

Even after looking online, I couldn’t truly picture what “research” might mean for a student like me. I knew I was interested in social sciences and the humanities, and I’d always imagined “researchers” wearing white coats and goggles at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).  It wasn’t until my writing seminar at Princeton — a mandatory class for first-year students that introduces a variety of research methods and principles — that I got a grasp of what academic research outside of the scientific disciplines might look like. Even then, as I was reading through and analyzing academic articles at a new, rigorous level, I wasn’t sure how I was ever going to come up with a topic to research myself. How was I, a public school kid from the suburbs, going to come up with an original research topic with academic merit?

I’ll let you in on a secret: it’s not as hard as you think. Every student at Princeton is required to produce a senior thesis as well as independent work during their junior year. What all that work has in common is that it represents an exploration of something each student is passionate about. As you declare your concentration (our word for major) as a sophomore and delve into your chosen field, you’ll discover with your professors that there are myriad questions left unanswered in your discipline’s literature. There is so much we don’t know! And there’s no way you won’t be curious about it. Many incoming students are under the misguided belief that their independent work has to be revolutionary somehow — that their findings have to be game-changers if they want to get an A or the respect of their professors. What they inevitably find, however, is that academic progress is oftentimes made up of minute contributions to larger questions. It’s bit by bit that many of society’s biggest questions are answered. It’s your job as a researcher to add another piece to the puzzle. 

Princeton is a community of student researchers. That really does include every student — no student has ever graduated without turning in a research project. And don’t worry, there’s no chance you’ll be the first. Research can seem daunting, especially to students in disciplines not typically associated with “research.” But it’s nowhere near as nerve-wracking as you think, and the curiosity you’ll develop as a Princeton student will leave you with many more leads than you could ever research. 

I’m a tour guide with Orange Key, Princeton’s student tour guide service. Other than “What is your most commonly asked question?” the question I am most frequently asked is about the different kinds of classes required for Princeton students. It makes sense: coming from high school, where courses for students are mostly pre-determined, many students are itching for the opportunity to take courses in subjects they’re passionate about. Oftentimes, students aren’t excited about a potential new slate of mandatory classes. 

My answer is always the same: there’s only one required class at Princeton, but even that is largely up to you. Every student has to take a Writing Seminar, a semester-long course that teaches students to formulate researchable questions in preparation for junior and senior independent work. Not every writing seminar is the same, however. After being assigned to either the fall or spring semester, students are sent a list of the different seminar options to choose from. Usually, these fall into clear interest areas: seminars offered this semester include “The Future of Food” and “Justice Beyond Borders.” The customizable nature of the writing seminar tailors even this required class to student interests.

Princeton’s set of distribution requirements also affects students’ course choices. These are different for students in the Bachelor of Arts (A.B.) and Bachelor of Science in Engineering (B.S.E.) programs. Students enrolled in A.B. programs — which I describe to my tour groups as “(A)nything (B)ut” Engineering — must take ten courses of their choosing across seven different broad ‘distributions,’ in addition to achieving proficiency in a foreign language. These distributions include categories like “Social Analysis,” which covers everything from psychology to politics to journalism. For B.S.E. students — our engineers — the situation is a bit different. In addition to general math and science courses relevant to their chosen disciplines, engineering students must take four classes among the non-quantitative distribution areas.

I tell my tour groups that I think Princeton’s distribution requirement system captures the best of both worlds. On one hand, it clearly frees you from the monotony of high school classes: with the exception of the customizable Writing Seminar, there’s nothing you have to take. I didn’t want to see math in college, and aside from a Politics-y statistics course, I haven’t! But the distribution requirements also push you out of your comfort zone: I’ve taken classes on everything from bridges to audio journalism (complete with an expenses-paid trip to Alabama and Mississippi) in fulfillment of my distribution requirements, and they’ve allowed me to enjoy disciplines I never dreamed I would.

My teachers in high school used to say that “college would be different.” Usually, they were referencing the idea that expectations of college students are higher than they are of high school students. For most of my high school career, I didn’t think much of those warnings. When I learned of my admission to Princeton, and felt my future beginning to roll out in front of me, I panicked. How right were they? Was I going to be able to handle the rigor of my college coursework? Was I going to be well prepared?

Three years later, and I’d tell my high school senior year self to take a deep breath. In some ways, college is certainly more demanding than high school. Your professors are going to expect that you genuinely engage with the course material — not just regurgitate memorized facts for a test. They’re going to expect that you care about what you’re learning, because you’ll find most professors have dedicated their lives to studying that very subject.  Balancing coursework in college is something some people also find tricky — class schedules are less structured in college than in high school and can make it difficult for first year students especially to properly budget their study time. You’ll be surrounded by tempting opportunities to ditch the books for time with friends, extracurricular groups and campus events.

But, in my experience, it’s not that college is more difficult than high school. The best way to describe it is merely to say that it’s different. You’re studying what you love, so you’re going to care about all your classes. You’re going to want to prepare for your classes, because you’ll grow to know and care for your professors on a personal level. They’ll care about you, too, and the vast majority are very understanding if you’re unable to meet a particular deadline or need special assistance in class. You have more resources available than ever before to make sure you succeed — everyone from residential college deans and Peer Academic Advisers to the McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning has your back. And, you’ll be surrounded and motivated by other passionate learners every day. You’ll see a substantial reduction in the amount of “busy work” you’re assigned, and you’ll spend your time on more meaningful projects.

Believe me, your academic preparation is good enough. Nothing can really prepare you for the totality of your Princeton experience. But, relax: you’ve got this!

Before this year, I had never had a problem set, or “pset” for short. I came to Princeton as a potential English concentrator, hoping to limit my exposure to any quantitative subject. That changed rather quickly after I changed my prospective concentration in the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. I am in two prerequisite classes for my concentration that have weekly psets, worksheets filled with math and problem solving. These assignments are a lot different from my usual workload of reading and writing essays. Here are some tips I’ve learned about how to handle psets for the first time:

1. The most helpful resource for handling psets is the McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning. The McGraw Center runs group review sessions and individual tutoring for many of the most popular classes on campus. I go to the group review sessions for my microeconomics class almost every week. The tutors are students who did well in the class previously, and they do a great job explaining concepts and assisting with the psets. The McGraw Center also offers learning strategy consultations, where students work with you on topics ranging from thesis planning to overcoming procrastination to study strategies. I find all of the McGraw Center offerings to be very helpful, so I highly recommend using the many programs they offer to help students.
2. It is also very important to go to office hours when you can. During office hours, you can ask your professor or preceptor specific questions about the psets or concepts that you are having trouble understanding. It might make you a little nervous to go to office hours at first, but they are there to help you learn and succeed. If the regularly scheduled office hours don’t work for you, sometimes you can find a different time to meet and go over your questions. Even for classes without psets, office hours are a great way to talk to and learn from the amazing professors we have here at Princeton.
3. A final strategy involves working on the psets with friends and classmates. I have several friends in my classes with psets, so we formed a study group. We work on homework together, check answers and just act as a support system for each other in these difficult classes. Working with friends is definitely more enjoyable than working alone.

While classes can be challenging, I’m glad that I have found some of the many ways Princeton supports students in difficult classes. Everyone has their own strategy about how to get through their work, so I’m sure you’ll find even more resources to help you along the way.

If you’re a prospective Princetonian reading this and already know you’re considering law school, congratulations! You’re much further ahead in cementing your career goals than I was back when I was in your shoes. When I came to Princeton, I didn’t have a clue what I was interested in pursuing for a career. I knew I loved American politics and wanted to dedicate my life to service, but I didn’t know how that translated into a career path. As I arrived for my first year, I was bouncing a variety of future plans around in my head — everything from investigative journalism to opening my own veterinary practice.

I first became interested in attending law school during a freshman seminar I took on constitutional war powers. I won’t bore you with the details, but suffice it to say that I found arguing and analyzing the law and its controversies far more fascinating than any academic discipline I’d previously encountered. By the end of my first year, I was pretty sure law school was in the cards for me. The research I’d done, both on my own and with the help of the gracious Center for Career Development advisers, helped to cement the idea that I could combine my prior love of writing and passion for service with my academic interest in law.

Two points I’ve already highlighted — the availability of incredible law-related classes here (taught by world class faculty) and the rigorous support provided by the Center for Career Development—are just two of many reasons preparing to go to law school at Princeton is a privilege. There are a variety of course offerings, across a number of different departments that allow students to explore diverse fields of law within the contexts of their academic specialties. Many of those offerings change every semester, meaning that there is a wealth of fresh opportunities available if you aren’t feeling any one semester’s worth of law-based courses. The professors who teach these classes, both permanent faculty and visiting professors, are often themselves distinguished lawyers with unbelievable career experiences. 

There are also many co-curricular ways to explore an interest in the law. Princeton Internships in Civic Service and the Guggenheim Fellowships are two of many Princeton-supported programs that offer undergrads unique summer law opportunities in public-service. Many student groups here provide an additional avenue, during the school year, to explore legal interest, whether through pre-professional organizations or activist work. 

I didn’t pick Princeton for its legal-studies opportunities. After all, I didn’t even know it was something in which I was interested! But I’m incredibly lucky to have stumbled upon a community which provides what I believe is one-of-a-kind for students interested in learning more about law.