One unique feature of student life at Princeton is that nearly all students at the University live on campus for four years. Unlike many other schools, there’s not an ‘apartment scene’ here, and the residential aspect of campus means that the tight-knit, community feeling among undergraduates lasts for four years and beyond. 

Students are randomly assigned a dorm and roommates their first year, and in future years are allowed to pick their roommates and their rooms through a somewhat complex process known to students as ‘room draw.’ Each April, the University housing office publishes a list of room draw times, which are weighted by class year and randomized within them. In other words (although this is slightly oversimplified), the rising seniors go before the rising juniors, but within graduating classes it’s impossible to predict before the times come out how your time will compare to that of a classmate. Rising sophomores go through a similar process, but draw in a pool of only students in their residential college. 

Room draw  is a fun time on campus: students who know they’ll be drawing into a room together for the following school year go around campus and visit the current residents of rooms into which they’d like to draw, scoping out the terrain and asking questions about the benefits and drawbacks of that particular location. Using floor plans of the dorms provided by the University, students compile a list of their favorite rooms and cross their fingers that it’ll be available on their draw day. 

The range of dorm rooms at Princeton is pretty broad: there are rooms ranging from singles to an 11-man suite (known affectionately as “the Zoo”). Accordingly, there’s a room size, layout and location that works for pretty much everyone. A quick Google search of ‘Princeton dorm room’ reveals some of the many über-cool floor plans available to undergraduates. You feel a mix of stress and exhilaration as you watch the list of available rooms whittle further down until it’s your turn to draw. 

Friends of mine at other universities across the country always ask me if I mind living in the dorms for four years, as I watch them all move into apartments off-campus. Each time, I answer a resounding no: the rooms available to Princeton students are usually a lot cooler than the typical ‘first year dorm,’ and I can visit any of my friends at school by foot in less than ten minutes!

Whether your time is at the top of the senior list, or at the bottom of your class, there’s a room waiting on campus for you to call home. 

When I first arrived on campus, I was apprehensive. There was only one other student from Honduras, and I was afraid of not adapting to American culture. Fortunately, during orientation, I attended one of the events organized by Princeton Latinos y Amigos. I was surprised by how welcoming the Latinx community was.

Back home, everyone was Honduran in my high school. I also went from speaking Spanish on a daily basis to only English. With the friends I made on campus, I was able to share why Honduras is an amazing country. I told them how much I missed the delicious food, great people and lively music.

Whenever I attended an event by Princeton Latinos y Amigos, I felt like I was back home. This is why I decided to be part of the board for the organization. As the current social media co-chair, I help organize events like Latinx Heritage Month, Posadas and the Fall Gala. There are many nationalities represented on the board, and we all bond over good food and Hispanic music. The board has become a second family to me, especially the upperclassmen who share advice on how to navigate academics at Princeton. They are people who I can count on and approach with any questions or concerns. I am always inspired by their achievements.

I am very grateful to the Latinx community for making me feel like I belong. There are several organizations, just like Princeton Latinos y Amigos that celebrate different ethnicities like the Black Student Union and the Chinese Students Association. My message to prospective students is that, no matter your race or nationality, you will find a home at Princeton.

On a winter afternoon, I set out with my friends, Hannah and Jake, for an impromptu visit to New York City. Our primary objective was to attend the 2019 New York Jewish Film Festival, though our chosen film, “Autonomies,” was already sold out. So, as we boarded the train, our excitement for the trip was tempered by the knowledge that our plan to try for standby tickets might not work, and we’d have to find something else to do in the Big Apple. Our excursion was funded by Princeton's Center for Jewish Life (CJL), which is always looking for ways to give students new opportunities to connect to their Jewish identities. 

Our train ride featured plenty of laughter, including each person telling the story of their first concert (mine was Taylor Swift, Jake’s was Zusha and Hannah’s was A Great Big World). Before we knew it, we’d reached the city and Jake, the native New Yorker, expertly guided us to the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, where the movie was set to take place. 

As we waited, we marveled over the beauty of the Lincoln Center at night, popped into the Metropolitan Opera for a look, and talked about our next adventure. After scoring the standby seats, we went inside. The mini-series was directed by Yehonatan Indursky, producer of the show “Shtisel,” which I had recently binge-watched with my little brother over winter break. Indursky was in New York for a Q&A session after the movie, so we settled in for what was sure to be an exciting night.

“Autonomies” has a plot so incredibly complex, nuanced and dramatic that no summary can do it justice. It tells the story of an alternate reality in Israel, which is depicted as a country literally divided in two by a barrier. We left the theater energized, drained and full of questions. We marveled over the plot and its complexities and lamented the ways in which we saw connections between this terrifying dystopian reality and current events. It made us realize how much division and violence have become an expected part of our reality today.

Although initially exhilarated by the excitement of the night, we were all soon taking turns dosing off on our train ride back to campus, dreaming about New York adventures and dystopian worlds. 

Our adventure was in the middle of finals week at a time that we absolutely could have been spending every waking moment studying. That said, the fact that a Princeton group (the CJL) gave us the funding and means to take a break and try something new shows that despite Princeton’s intensity, there are more than enough opportunities (and resources) to live life and make friends. 

One of the most common questions I get asked is, "What made you choose Princeton?" and the answer isn't as simple for me as it is for some.

“Where have you found your community this year?”

Princeton's student housing organization sent out a survey posing this question. I answered in the typical fashion: activities, my co-op, my classes, the friends in my major, etc. Oh, and the bathroom.

For the first two years at Princeton, I enjoyed a private bathroom with my roommate. We reveled in our privacy and often boasted about our private bathroom status. We didn’t want to even think about fighting over showers or wearing shower sandals. At the end of sophomore year, I was accepted into the Edwards Collective, a residential community on campus for those interested in the arts and humanities. I was ecstatic and was only concerned about one thing: a public bathroom. To my surprise, shower sandals aren’t so bad. And I only rarely had to wait to hop in the shower. The horror stories my other friends told didn’t match my experience at all. In fact, some of the best parts of my day were spent there.

The secret? My hallmates were chatty in the bathroom. As we brushed our teeth or washed our faces, we’d swap stories about our days. I looked forward to hearing more about the progression of someone’s senior thesis or seeing new videos of a dance routine. With a few of my hallmates, it was a time to practice my German and discuss deep ecology. With everyone, it was a time of encouragement and sympathy. During finals, every exchange ended with wishes of good luck and gentle admonishments to get some more sleep and to take care of oneself.

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Many first-year students want singles and private bathrooms. In my opinion, this mentality reflects how some students first think about success. Upon arrival, you may want to isolate yourself and only focus on your studies. Over time, you start to realize that your success isn’t dependent on others’ failures. In fact, connecting with other people and hearing about their passions is a great way to deepen your education.

So, even those late night talks in robes and sweatpants have value. They’re an integral part of the Princeton experience, and a pleasant reminder that you belong.

During the semester I had the privilege and opportunity to work as a veterinary intern at the Princeton Animal Hospital (PAH). PAH is only about ten minutes from the University and handles various medical cases for dogs and cats.

At the clinic, I see a wide range of medical cases, since you truly never know what is going to walk through the door. While at first I was mostly observing and learning the ropes, now that I’ve been there for a few months, I’m able to do much more in the lab. I help with blood samples, prepare injections, pull medications, as well as assist during physical examinations. I have learned so much from the time I have spent in the hospital. The vets are incredible and always try to explain the case to me.

While I’m not in a lecture learning material as with traditional university classes, this internship is teaching me the practical skills that will prepare me for veterinary school. I am learning by doing, which is exactly the type of preparation I need. I am verifying this is the field I want to go into, and I am so thankful that I was able to coordinate the internship with my class schedule to make it happen.

Plus, I have to admit, it’s nice being able to get off of campus twice a week and pretend I am in the real world. Oftentimes, I find myself caught up in the Orange Bubble (how we fondly refer to campus), unable to get off campus and explore the surrounding area. Though I am only traveling ten minutes from campus, it is still a nice way for me to engage with the local community.  

This internship is just one of the many examples of ways in which Princeton students are engaging with the local community. I have friends who tutor off campus, work for the hospice at the nearby hospital, babysit for professors and other townspeople, and intern at other local companies. It is definitely feasible to have an off-campus job if you are willing to put the work into it. For some, that may not be of interest, but if there is an organization or company that you really want to work with, it is possible and 100% worth it.

Last semester, I spent the semester abroad in Panama. I was part of a unique program run through the ecology and evolutionary biology department. When I first started thinking about going abroad, one of my biggest concens was "FOMO": fear of missing out. Would I miss out on fun events with my friends? Would I be sad that I wouldn’t attend spring events such as the annual dodgeball tournament or Communiversity (arts festival)? Would I be upset when I saw Facebook photos of my friends all having a great time without me?

However, once I went to Pamana, I quickly realized that none of those fears mattered. Sure, my friends were having a good time without me, and yes, I was missing out on events, but I was also doing incredible things. When my friends were having a movie night, I was busy celebrating Carnival (a celebration with parades, floats, music and dancing) and going hiking in a rainforest. When they were going out to dinner on Nassau Street, I was busy snorkeling and going to karaoke parties. I was having unique and special experiences that I wouldn’t have been able to have anywhere else. Plus, I was making new friends and getting to explore a new country.

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Another thing that really helped was that I had WiFi and could stay in touch with my friends and family. I didn’t get to talk to them everyday, as I might have back at school, but I was able to Skype when I had free time. I think in some ways it may have even been more special because I had the designated time to catch up with them rather than constantly seeing them in passing at school and remaking how we wanted to get a meal and catch up. Also, for any of you with significant others, rest assured that your relationship can remain and potentially even become stronger while you are abroad.

Upon arrival back at campus, I was also a little frightened about what it would be like. Would people remember me? Would people even have noticed that I was gone? Yet, as soon as I stepped back on campus in May and visited the clubs and organizations where I spent the majority of my time, my fears vanished. I was immediately welcomed back and people constantly came up to me asking how my semester was. It was such a great feeling knowing that my friends did miss me and that they wanted to hear all about my experiences.

All in all, I would honestly say that my social life was not affected by my semester abroad, and if anything, it improved. I met a new group of friends whom with I was able to share a crazy and meaningful experience. Now that I’ve experienced the first half of a real semester back at Princeton, it feels like nothing has changed. I don’t feel out of touch with any aspect of campus life. Things feel normal, despite having been away for a semester.  

“Hi, I’m sorry to bother you, but I saw your ‘Princeton Dad’ shirt and I just had to ask, do you currently have a student at Princeton?” This was how I started a conversation with a total stranger last summer when I was working in Key Largo, Florida. I had been living in the Keys all summer and had not seen or heard about any other person related to Princeton in months. Therefore, when I saw this man who was visiting the same beach, I just had to find out if I knew his son or daughter. Well, it turns out his daughter was a graduate student in the MAE (Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering) Department and I had no idea who she was. Yet, by reaching out to him, we ended up having a great conversation about Princeton and the research his daughter was doing. Although I had just met this father I felt connected to my Princeton family.         

While I do remember the lesson my mother told me about refraining from talking to strangers, there is something about Princeton that encourages me to reach out to other members of our community. I love hearing the stories from alumni about their experiences and how the campus has changed since they graduated. I also love meeting fellow students whom I had not had the chance to meet earlier on in my Princeton career. Sometimes, my attempts at conversation leave me looking silly, but other times, they have helped me tremendously.

For example, when I was recently studying abroad in Panama, I was given the contact information of a family who could help me find Shabbat services and kosher food while I was abroad. I had absolutely no connection to them apart from the fact that one of their sons was a Class of ’06 graduate and that they were Jewish. I sent an email introducing myself, explaining how I would be studying in Panama for a few months and asked tons of questions of what life was like there. Even though they had long since moved away from home, this family took me in and became my adopted Panamanian family. They invited me over for holidays, gave me warm food and let me stay at their house. I am thankful that Princeton provided me with the opportunity to be introduced to this family.

In a slightly different example, when I flew back to campus in January, I was waiting for my luggage at baggage claim when a girl came up to me and asked if I went to Princeton. She had seen the orange Princeton bag tag on my suitcase and figured there was a good chance I was a fellow Princetonian.  She explained that she was a first-year student and had never gone back to campus on her own. She was looking for someone to help her. Of course, I was more than willing to explain the train process and go with her back to campus. We ended up talking the entire ride back and now we are good friends on campus.

I’ve met so many fellow Princetonians out and about. I can’t tell you how many wonderful conversations I have had with total strangers in the airport because of my Princeton sweatshirt. I have met alumni, fellow classmates and even professors from the University. My conversations are always engaging and I learn something new about the University every time I meet someone.

Furthermore, our alumni network is so helpful when searching for jobs and internship opportunities. Alumni are always willing to provide advice and even help with job opportunities. While I personally haven’t taken advantage of this resource yet, I know in the coming years once I graduate, this will be extremely helpful.

It may be hard to understand, but once you become a Princeton Tiger, you are able to connect with an entire community of people offering their experience and guidance. These people may provide engaging conversation while you’re stuck on an airplane or they may be a wonderful resource when you are abroad. Whatever the case may be, they’re proud to be a Princetonian, and I am too.