Entering the second half of my Princeton career is a scary prospect. It seems like just yesterday I was jumping on the couch with my family, screaming at the top of our lungs just seconds after spotting the ‘Congratulations!’ at the top of my Princeton admission decision. 

Being an upperclassman at Princeton is different in a couple key ways from the first and second year experiences. Perhaps most obvious is the change in the dining scene. First-year and sophomores eat all of their meals in the residential college dining halls, while juniors and seniors can get their meals in a number of different ways. Students can opt to continue on a partial or full dining hall plan, join a co-op (a small group of students who rotate cooking often-themed meals), or become fully independent (cooking meals on your own).

However, the most common dining option (and the one I’ve chosen) is joining one of the 11 eating clubs. Joining the eating clubs can sometimes be a source of anxiety for students as they struggle to pick the right one and coordinate choices with their friends. However, students are welcome to eat at clubs other than their own through the Meal Exchange program, and maintain strong friendships outside of their own clubs (I know many of my best friends aren’t in my eating club!) 

Another key change in upperclass life is its residential aspect. Students live in their assigned residential college their first two years at Princeton. Before junior year, however, students have the choice to move out of their colleges and into upperclass housing, which is not affiliated with any of the residential colleges. While most of these buildings share the same Gothic architecture as the underclass dorms, it was definitely jarring for me to see people from colleges other than my home Mathey in the hallways of my new building. Moving off campus is also an option for juniors and seniors, however majority of the student remains on campus since housing is guaranteed all four years.

One final big change going into junior year is the new research focus in coursework. Most of Princeton’s 37 undergraduate concentrations (or majors) require students to begin independent research in their chosen field of study. This begins with the junior paper, a ‘mini-thesis’ which is often a 20-30 page exploration of an original topic within your major. Don’t worry if this sounds intimidating (I’d think you’re crazy if you weren’t a little bit scared) – students within many departments are automatically enrolled in research methods classes that are invaluable in guiding individual projects. 

The end of my college career is perhaps a little closer than I’d like. However, I’m excited for the challenges that lie ahead and am optimistic that the second half of college will be even more fulfilling than the first!

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. 

Welcome to the Princeton edition of “MTV Cribs.” On this episode, we will be highlighting some of the different types of dorms we have here at Princeton. We have a total of six residential colleges, and these pictures show just a few examples of the many types of rooms that are available. We have buildings dating back to the late 1800s and others that were built within the past few decades. We have singles, doubles, quads, apartment-style housing and suites that house ten people. Needless to say, no two rooms are the same, but hopefully these rooms will give you an idea of the types of dorms you can expect at Princeton.

1) Apartment: These apartments consist of four singles, a common room, a kitchen and a bathroom. These rooms are designed for upper-class students who are independent and not on a meal plan.

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2) Three Room Double: This is an example of a three room double. There are two bedrooms and a common room. Note, this type of style is rare and is typically reserved for RCAs, Residential College Advisors, who help with advising first-year and second-year students about life as a college student. 

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3) Double: This is an example of a double, which is shared by two people. In addition to the shared bedroom, the roommates also share a private bathroom.

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4)  Double: Here are a few other examples of doubles.  

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5) Single: Here are a few examples of singles. 

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6) Double: In this type of double there are two individual bedrooms and two separate bathrooms, where one has a shower and the other has a toilet, along with a little entryway. 

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6) Quad: This is an example of a quad. Quads will typically have two shared bedrooms and a larger common room. 

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When you first get to Princeton you are inundated with acronyms. Don’t forget to listen to your RCA and PAA’s advice. Did you go to the SHARE panel? What about the ODUS discussion? Did you ask OIT for help with wireless connection? Do you have a JRC?

There are so many names and positions that it’s hard to keep them straight. That’s why I wanted to focus on one of these acronyms so that hopefully you as a reader can gain a better appreciate for what it is other than a few letters smashed together in a phonetically appeasing way.

PAA – Peer Academic Adviser.

A PAA works closely with an RCA (residential college adviser) to mentor a group of first-year or sophomore students. PAAs are typically juniors and seniors who have volunteered their time to offer advice and guidance to younger students. While PAAs often focus mostly on the academic side of things (hence the name), that doesn’t mean they are limited to the academic realm.

I serve as a PAA for a group of first year students in Mathey College, one of our six residential colleges. Since my primary role is to provide academic guidance for my "zees" (what we call our group of students, since they are our advisees), I often find myself at meals with them discussing classes for the following semester or what major to consider. As a first-year, I took advantage of this resource and constantly went to my PAA for advice, so now it is my chance to give back to the community that helped me so much. In addition to academic advising, I also work closely with my RCA to host fun study breaks for my zees. This year, we’ve held a Halloween makeup design workshop, a summer application and resume workshop and many fun weekly study breaks featuring some kind of exciting food (Qudoba and sushi are always a hit). We also have a family dinner every Sunday evening in the Mathey dining hall where all of our zees are invited to get a meal together and catch up with one another.

My role as a PAA also extends outside of my zee group. Any time there is a first or second year student interested in ecology and evolutionary biology, my director of studies forwards their information to me. Over coffee or meals, I get to meet other students who are interested in my major and offer them advice regarding curriculum and opportunities within the department.

The PAA system is spectacular and is one of the special aspects of the Princeton experience many visitors do not always learn about. Therefore, I hope this provides an idea of what PAAs do and how great of a resource they are for first- and second-year students.