Princeton: Past & Present
Written: Jan 24 '05 (Updated Jun 10 '05)
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Pros: more undergraduate focused than other research universities
Cons: it would be good if they would salvage more of their spiritual heritage
The Bottom Line: One of the most undergraduate focused Ivy League schools that, as has become the norm in the U.S., has jettisoned its heritage for the most part.
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| mht's Full Review: Princeton University |
The reason why you can't graduate from Princeton Law School is not because it's too hard to get into or complete...it's because it simply doesn't exist. For the same reason, if someone tells you that they graduated from Princeton Medical School (or the Princeton Business School for that matter), you can tell them to stop spreading it on thick. You see, Princeton, unlike other Ivies, pays more attention to that often neglected group in large research universities known as undergraduates. In fact, I would rank Princeton and Dartmouth (ever heard of Dartmouth law school either?) as the top two among the Ivies as far as undergraduate focus is concerned.
A Familiar Entity
Yes, Princeton is one of those well-recognized, famous names in education--practically a household name. It has a history that reaches far back in the annals of the United States. Granted, these United States are a young upstart in the sweep of world history. While it is not an Oxford (try something like a millennium ago as the oldest university in the English speaking world), it has established itself as an internationally acclaimed institution of higher education. Incidentally, it does have a cooperative agreement with that low-paying (for faculty) prestige factory known as Oxford. The name Princeton commonly impresses others.
Personal Angle
I enjoyed a nice visit this year (2005) to this campus in person with a friend of mine. So I have examined it live, recently, in-flesh-and-blood.
Also, it so happens that I went to the high school that Princeton regards as the best in the west. About 5% of my graduating class got in early and at that time, they said that yours truly was tied for #1 in GPA, received the Harvard Book Award, a National Merit Scholarship, etc.
So I got myself a Princeton application and was rather surprised to find what was contained within. Unlike any other application I saw, it had a list of questions asking things like what my favorite television program was! I wasn't expecting to get a lineup of personal trivia questions on the Princeton application. I suppose the designer of the application thought it would help them to get to know me more. It was, I suppose, more amusing, entertaining and quaint than other applications. In its defense, I suppose it helps the admissions committee to have a glimpse into facets of applicants that most schools seem hardly to care about.
Well, I filled out the more regular parts of my Princeton application, fussed over the more unusual parts, ("are they really going to decide who gets in based on the answer to these trivial questions?!" I thought) and ultimately, never sent the application. I've internally debated about whether or not I should regret not completing it and sending it in.
The co-#1 in GPA at my high school ended up going there along with a number of others. I think that high school still pumps a steady stream of students to Princeton, some of whom have told me that they liked, others not. I suppose I'll never know what would have happened had I sent in a completed application.
Admission Information
Princeton's 25th-75th percentile of the SAT was 1370-1560 on the re-centered SAT. 94% graduated from the top 10% of their high school class. The acceptance rate comes down at 10%. These statistics can give one some sense of where one might stand. There are, however, statistical exceptions--and you may become one of them. There are 4624 students there.
Interviewing Candidates
A study partner (and a bunch of classmates) during my law school days is a Princeton graduate. I remember that she had interrupted one of our study sessions to interview applicants to Princeton. So if you want to go to this school, you can expect to be interviewed, perhaps by an alumna or alumnus. The interview isn't unique to Princeton (e.g. I remember interviewing with a couple Harvard alumni in consideration of admission there) but then again, not all schools have interviews. Furthermore, not all schools that do have interviews use alumni. Princeton does. I like the idea of alumni interviews for the most part, and made myself available for that purpose to Northwestern University School of Law. (law schools that have evaluative interviews are rare)
Campus Tour
I went on a campus tour of Princeton without leaving my living room in Menlo Park, California. You see, the college counselor's office at my school had a video of a campus tour of Princeton, along with many other videos from different colleges.
Now I expected a fancy, spruced up promotional video bursting with special effects. This video looked like a homemade video--as if some amateur person with a camcorder just followed a student volunteer giving a campus tour. I suppose if that's what one would want from the interview, then great! It sure costs a whole lot less than flying from the West Coast to the East Coast.
It was amusing to me how much time the tour guide took to boast: "Look! That's the dormitory that Brooke Shields used to live in." With all the important things that Princeton graduates have done over the years, should that really be the highlight of this tour? Then again, I suppose they are appealing to adolescents, albeit generally ones with high SAT scores & GPA's. ;-)
To be honest, the tour was rather dreary. Even my mom, who likes prestigious schools, was bored. The buildings came out in drabber colors than the reality. All one saw was a bunch of not-so-spectacular buildings, without a whole lot of information of what made the place tick. Princeton actually looks considerably better and more impressive live in person than on this videotape.
Throw the Dough (at you)
If you get in, expect them to throw the dough at you. You may need it because tuition alone rings in at $24,630 (not including room, board & books) Quite impressively, Princeton meets 100% of demonstrated student need. They also have been throwing around a bunch of full scholarships--not loans--but scholarships. Princeton is setting a standard of generosity for students that is a tough act to follow. It has raised the ante in the competition to recruit students.
These scholarships are not just reserved for those who run backdoor cuts on the varsity basketball team (like Dean Van Zandt of the law school I graduated from did), but for non-athletes as well. And if you're going for the sports programs, know that Princeton excels the most usually at sports that require a good bit of money to get good at.
What I mean is sports like golf and fencing, which generally require expensive lessons, equipment & fees--even before one competes at the college level. Northwestern is similar in that way notwithstanding its anti-historic, recent flashes of success in sports like football. Princeton, unsurprisingly for an Ivy, is no University of Michigan or University of Texas when it comes to sports overall.
On the other hand, a Princeton grad. friend of mine told me that his ENTIRE graduating class (100%) gave a graduation gift (yes, $$$) back to their alma mater before they left. In fact, on average, 61% of alumni give back to their alma mater, which ranks Princeton #1 among national research universities. I guess what goes around tends to come back around. There's no lack of moolah at this former College of New Jersey. Donations from wealthy alumni (and their wealthy families) don't hurt.
Core Courses
Like many universities, Princeton has distribution requirements. The break down is as follows:
Candidates for the AB degree must successfully complete each of the following areas: one course in Epistemology and Cognition (EC); one course in Ethical Thought and Moral Values (EM); one course in Historical Analysis (HA); two courses in Literature and the Arts (LA); one course in Quantitative Reasoning (QR); two courses with laboratory in Science and Technology (ST); and two courses in Social Analysis (SA); and one course that satisfies the Writing requirement (W).
Candidates for the BSE degree must complete a minimum of seven humanities and social science courses, among which they will be required to take one course in four of the following five distribution areas: Epistemology and Cognition (EC); Ethical Thought and Moral Values (EM); Historical Analysis (HA); Literature and the Arts (LA); and Social Analysis (SA). A student may substitute for one of these five areas the study of a foreign language at the 107/108 level or beyond.
Undergraduate Haven
In most research universities, the undergraduates are, relatively speaking, the scrubs of the lot. Think about it: professors at research universities get rewarded most for--surprise, surprise--their research. It is common in the faculty cultures at research universities to want to focus on their research and have as little to do with undergraduates as possible. While there are some professors whose research ends up benefiting undergraduates, don't necessarily count on it. Brilliance in research doesn't assure pedagogical prowess.
At Princeton, although there is much research going on, the undergraduates get more attention than your typical Ivy or big state school for that matter. There's no medical school or law school to draw away resources.
While I wouldn't put Princeton in the same category (in terms of undergraduate attention) as some small, liberal arts colleges (such as Gordon, Williams, Westmont, Calvin, Wheaton, or Amherst), according to those who have attended it does pretty well for a place also known for its research. While you can't get a JD or MD from Princeton, there are various masters degrees and doctoral degrees there. Indeed, I know various folks with letters like M.A. or Ph.D. followed by Princeton after their names. In case you were wondering, they're intelligent folks typically--but not in all instances.
Heritage
Would it shock you if I told you that almost all of Princeton's presidents were Christian ministers--in fact revivalists? One recent alumnus told me that all of Princeton's presidents until the 1960's were Presbyterian ministers! Perhaps the most famous of them was Jonathan Edwards, considered among the best philosophers/theologians in U.S. history. Its more recent history has included a Jewish president, President Shapiro. I have a book that I bought from a Princeton bookstore that describes each President of this multi-versity.
I wrote an independent study paper with Prof. Mark Noll (a leading scholar in American intellectual history) that focused on the presidency of James McCosh of Princeton along with his contemporaries Charles Eliot (Harvard) and Noah Porter (Yale). Not surprisingly if you know Princeton's history, McCosh was also a Christian minister as well as a philosophy professor. He too, like a whole string of Princeton presidents, was rather pleased when religious revivals would break out at Princeton. He debated president Eliot of Harvard on what place religion should have in the university. McCosh asserted that one cannot have a sound morality apart from religion, which Eliot actually agreed to. McCosh did think, however, that religion should have a central place in the university, whereas Eliot was more vague and equivocating. Reading the whole debate made for interesting reading--it's hard to believe that such a debate took place only around a century ago. However, while there's a building I visited named after McCosh, there's not a whole lot of McCosh's thinking and influence left in this regard. McCosh won the debate but Eliot ultimately cast a longer shadow across the American academic world.
In case you're wondering, Princeton held on to its Christian heritage longer than Yale or Harvard. Today however, most of the remains of its spiritual heritage remain in the seminary and in student groups such as the Princeton Evangelical Fellowship--along with a few faculty luminaries such as Robert Wuthnow (with whom someone I know studied) in sociology, John Suppe in geology (who wrote a fine book chapter in "Professors Who Believe"), and Robert George (with whom I spoke recently), the McCormick Chair of Juriprudence.
Some of the folks in the seminary, towards the early part of the 20th century, sought to preserve the best in Princeton's spiritual heritage, but over time, that commitment eroded. Fundraising over a broad constituency also seemed to contribute to the watering down of its deepest commitments. Changes in the broader culture played a role, as did competition with other schools such as Harvard & Yale. Eventually, a group of Princeton seminary faculty broke off and started Westminster Seminary in Pennsylvania. Even the seminary itself today is a mixed bag although I know of some outstanding professors who have taught there.
While there are those who find its secularization pleasing to them, there are others who lament its neglect (at best) of its roots. Either way, knowing this state of affairs and the history that lead up to it could matter in your decision. Along those lines, there's a reason why the institutions in the Council of Christian Colleges & Universities have dramatically increased their enrollment (about 60% if I recall correctly) over the past decade. Some students would rather go to colleges and universities that have retained their roots, and built on them.
Former College of New Jersey
Lest one be confused with Princeton's former appellation, there's a College of New Jersey that exists now but it is not Princeton. However, Princeton's former name was the College of New Jersey. This school is the pride and joy of the state it resides in--but it no longer bears the name of its home state. The College of New Jersey is a fine institution in its own right, but doesn't even play in-state Princeton in sports because it competes (quite well I might add) in NCAA Division III.
Eating Clubs
Looking for a frat or sorority? You won't find them at Princeton like on other campuses because former president James McCosh instituted eating clubs in their stead. President McCosh was concerned about the moral deterioration that might accompany frat life.
Eating clubs are supposed to be centers of Princeton social life. Eating clubs don't end typically just with the eating, they often become nuclei of the student social scene. It would not be too much to say that there are eating groups that almost function akin to a Greek group. While most schools have an actual Greek system, just informal groups of students that share meals, and an array of student groups, I'm not aware of another school that has organized eating clubs like Princeton. McCosh's influence, at least in this way, lives on.
Since I'm Not Re-Writing the Paper I Wrote in College...
I'll conclude this Epinion, which I'd like to think featured some significant points to consider if you're thinking of applying or going there. It is intended to provide helpful information from my particular perspective.
If you are thinking of applying, let me mention that they favor family members (sons & daughters of alumni, brothers & sisters of alumni or present students), but at the same time, bloodline alone won't get you in. They don't make it a secret that family members help though. I saw this bloodline favoritism (and others who got in without its benefit) in action firsthand at the high school I graduated from.
While I won't vouch for the spiritual & moral virtue of the place compared to its former glories, it is a school that prizes scholarship while not so severely neglecting its undergraduates. If you become an undergraduate student there, you may very well be glad that there's no law school or medical school (one could add business school for good measure)--although quite a few Princeton graduates go on to these types of professional schools elsewhere.
Recommended:
Yes
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mht
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Member: Morse Tan, Esq.
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