A Prospect's Princeton Perspective

Today, the Penn group toured Princeton, and little did we know that we were entering Hogwarts. Seriously, the buildings could have inspired the films. I think that the entire group would agree that Princeton has - by far - an exceptional campus, possibly the best we've seen thus far. In fact, all the campuses are beautiful; however, Princeton has a certain feeling. Although, my concern is that outside of Princeton, it seems very boorish. Although I'm not sure what kind of events there are in New Jersey. However, it is in between New York and Pennsylvania, which makes holiday trips more accessible. 

 When I first entered the campus, I felt a strong scholarly feeling in both my mind and body. I imagined myself, in the future, in a library with stacks of books and a cup of coffee while I wrote my research paper. The building architecture, heavily influenced by the English, added a bigger flame to my dream of becoming a scientist. If I were to work on a campus this beautiful, I would have no regrets nor complaints over grueling thesis papers. Coincidentally, Einstein held a lecture at Princeton. Even though I had not known this fact before entering Princeton, that may have invoked the scholarly feeling (somehow). Sadly, my camera died before I could take pictures of the lecture hall, but you can get a tactile and visual feeling from the pictures of the other cohorts. When I placed my hand on the chalkboard, I imagined my interpretation of the history of 20th century science - starting with Bohr and ending with Feynmann. 

Princeton houses (quite literally) a historical building and it's different from the others because it involves the British. During the American Revolutionary War, the British were pushed back by the colonists and they forcefully took refuge in it because they thought the colonists would not attack them since the building was so beautiful. Also, three miles of Princeton, the Battle of Princeton took place, another historical event. It's stunning to think that Princeton was once a battleground - it's too beautiful for war. 

This is Nassau Hall.

Before Woodrow Wilson was president, he served as the 13th president of Princeton. In honor of him, one of the six colleges was named after him - Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. On the topic of international affairs, Princeton highly promotes being involved internationally. Many of their internships and programs provide opportunities to travel out of country to work with foreign institutions and companies. I love that Princeton promotes international efforts, especially for science. Scientists need to throw away their pride of "having ownership over their own papers", science has evolved to the point where individual efforts are not enough, even the most brilliant of minds are inspired. For the progress of science and the quest for knowledge, scientists need to work together. This also applies to any other profession. Again, even the most brilliant of minds are inspired. 

Princeton also promotes student-professor relationships. The campus tour guide even said the professors become lonely although I think that was a joke. This is perfect for me because considering that I want to become a researcher, professors are the best resource that I have access to. Professors provide guidance to students, but by fostering their relationship, it will produce much more efficient papers. When I go to college, I want to find a professor to establish a relationship with and develop a thesis paper with him or her, and possibly submit to a science newspaper. With Princeton's 6:1 faculty-to-student ratio, I don't think it would be hard at all.

I'm usually not interested in writing, but Princeton's writing seminars have captivated me. Apparently Princeton offers specialized classes where the writing topics are fairly interesting, and unique. They offer topics on superheroes - how strong is Superman - and Macklemore - a deeper analysis of the song. These are unique topics and I feel as if those kinds of topics really bring out the student's writing, seeing as how they interesting. Also, the dorming system is very similar to that of Hogwarts; students are randomly assigned to six houses. For the upperclassmen, the college offers food clubs, which offer a different meal plan than that of the underclassmen, and they're like dorms without the housing. 

At first, I felt fairly intimidated by Princeton - partially because of the buildings - and I viewed it as a cutthroat college. However, after the campus visit, that completely changed. Through the tour guide, I vicariously lived in Princeton (though this may not say much) and I could see myself collaborating and developing a thesis with my colleagues. The guide said Princeton isn't a competitive college, but more of a cooperative college. For me, I love working together with my classmates because they offer different perspectives on an issue, but doing that in Princeton would be completely different because there are people from all over the world. Through the tour guide, Princeton, in my mind, has become an entirely different college. 

I am so glad that we made a trip to Princeton. I've realized how ideal of a college it is, for me. I'm absolutely stunned by the architecture, but in the end, the classes and opportunities they offer is what captivates me the most. I sincerely thank the Ivy League Connection and all of those who are involved for making it possible for me have such an experience.