Articles filed under “Student Guides”

Hey Princeton! The prefrosh activities fair was hoppin’ on Friday afternoon. It was a sea of orange lanyards, Princeton drawstring backpacks (why didn’t we get those last year??), and, of course, the overwhelmed prefrosh. Oh, and a bunch of crazy people yelling at the prefrosh to join their club/activity/sports team/[insert group here].

Here are some DOs and DON’Ts, for both prefrosh from this past Preview weekend and those coming next weekend:

DO: Sign up for a lot of clubs you’re interested in.

DON’T: Sign up for every single club because you’ll regret the 5,000 emails later on (although you can always unsubscribe).

DO: Ask club members questions to find out more information about the club.

DON’T: Be overwhelmed when all the older students attack you so that you join their club. It’s Tiger love.

Activities Fair

DO: Keep an open mind. Always wanted to learn about hypnosis? Sign up for the Princeton Hypnosis Club (yes, this club really does exist).

DON’T: Belittle your abilities. If you like to sing but only your shower head recognizes your talent, please don’t be afraid to try out for an a cappella groups anyways.

DO: Stay on a club’s email listserv for a bit, even if you decide not to join that club. It’s always interesting to know what other clubs are up to, and you may change your mind about not joining.

DON’T: Be that kid who hits “Reply-All” saying, “Please remove me from the list.” Don’t do it.

DO: Sign up for the University Press Club.

DON’T: Not sign up for the University Press Club.

Hey Prefrosh,

As you visit campus this weekend and next, we know you’re going to be impressed (and overwhelmed) by all the things they tell you in info sessions, by the theater, dance, a capella, and comedy groups you see perform, and by the general neatness and tidiness of your hosts’ rooms (maybe not).

But when you’re walking around campus, you’ll probably either be looking at your map or trying to figure out how to stuff your lanyard away so it’s not obvious you’re  a prefrosh. Here’s my suggestion: look up. Try to find these gargoyles (and other building ornaments). There are some pretty good (and strange) ones around campus, and lots of people pass them by because they just don’t look up. Let us know which ones you find!

These four are all on the same building--should be easy to spot

These four are all on the same building--should be easy to spot

Princeton loves sports--or at least its architects do

Princeton loves sports--or at least its architects do

Animals, and animals with cameras

Animals, and animals with cameras

Aliens? Tongues sticking out?

Aliens? Tongues sticking out?

Totally random

Totally random

Wright Brothers get a little help from the wind

Wright Brothers get a little help from the wind

Disclaimer: this post is intended for people who didn’t make it outside today (read: people who still have gastro, and seniors with looming thesis-draft deadlines). If you did go outside today–and enjoyed it–make sure you go outside tomorrow, too, because it’s supposed to be even nicer.

We didn’t have much of a winter to complain about this year–and hardly any snow to speak of. Still, the first really nice day of the year is always notable, and Princeton seems to carry a different air about it with spring on people’s minds. Bright green leaves will fill in bare branches soon, and shortly after the pink magnolias will bloom, filling campus with hordes of tourists and the sweet smell of spring.

For now, hanging out on the Frist South Lawn will suffice, but keep your eyes peeled for good outdoor work-spaces so you can snag them first.

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Athena is likely the youngest junior on Princeton’s campus. She’s eight months old and only joined the Princeton community four months ago. “But Princeton doesn’t take transfers, let alone babies,” you might say. And you’d be right. But Athena is neither—Athena is a kitten, and she’s not really allowed to be here.

The Housing website explains that students with any pet other than fish (which must be in tanks smaller than 10 gallons) will be charged $25, and “must remove the pet immediately.” If either “the pet or evidence of” is found at the re-inspection of the room, the fine is increased, and the student may face “losing housing priveleges [sic].”

That didn’t stop Athena’s owner, who got her from a pet adoption agency in Trenton last October. Last year, Athena’s owner heard rumors of an “Underground Railroad” for shelter kittens, whereby student volunteers at the shelter fostered kittens until they were old enough for the shelter or found good homes. By the time the student found out more details, the shelter’s administration had changed to one that “apparently detests college students,” thus ending the “kitten revolution” of the Underground Railroad.

athenapc (1)

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We’re about a week into classes, which means some of you are probably considering whether or not to drop out of that fourth, fifth, or sixth course. And based on last semester’s course evaluations (available now on SCORE), odds are I can bet what those courses are—or at least, what department they may be in.

Comparing the aggregates for both quality of course and quality of lecture, it becomes pretty clear which students are truly enjoying their college years and which are reluctantly trudging through the mire. Coming dead last in both categories, for example, was the Economics department, registering a very questionable 3.3 (on a 5.0 scale) for both metrics.

Course value vs. department

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Whitman

This feels strangely CGI

Ah, Whitman, the newest of them all, whose neo-Gothic arches and towers we owe to erstwhile eBay honcho/gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman ’77. From an aerial view, the college forms a “W”, said to be in her honor (definitely apocryphal). It’s no eyesore from the outside. Though Whitman does seem to be aping the time-earned classiness of, say, Rocky — it’s all like “hay look I’m 4 years old but I can be castle-y and majestic too” — it’s a pretty nice-looking crib overall. And there are some nice things on the inside, too.  I’ll be quick to admit, the Whitman experience is an overwhelmingly positive one. But I’ve still got some pretty serious reservations about the place. It looks good on the surface, but under that perfect veneer there’s something’s just a little … off. If that’s cryptic, good — I’ll take you through the usual tour, and then I’ll explain myself more clearly when we get to the end, because, suspense, or something.

The résumé:

Laundry: Thanks to ridiculously generous laundry room distribution, no matter where you live the nearest washing machine won’t lie more than a hallway’s length away — you’ll be grateful that you don’t have to clamber up and down stairs with a hamperful of misery. But because of the easy access, these rooms are always busy, so to guarantee yourself an open machine you’ll often have to make the arduous (ok, elevator-assisted) trudge to the 1981 basement, where you’ll find a wondrous array of washers and dryers.

Kitchen: Like the laundry rooms, they’re sprinkled throughout, usually two to a floor, and they’ve got all the usual amenities: fridge, stove, oven, microwave, requisite filthy dishes, etc.  Since they’re fairly cramped and devoid of any homey ambiance, the kitchens don’t make for particularly good study or social spaces — I never visited them except to raid someone’s fresh batch of cookies (note: easily sniffed out from afar). Be careful what you cook, though, because air circulation tends to, uh, share your creations with everyone in the vicinity. My freshman year, someone managed to stank up all four floors of 1981 with the thick reek of five-spice. This happened on a regular basis. I will never forgive you, O anonymous purveyor of Asian cuisine.

Computers: Printers on every floor is a godsend, but for usable computers you’ll have to venture to Whitman Library. (We’ll deal with that place in a second.)

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Wilcox Dining Hall

Wilcox Dining Hall

While most argue that Wilson is pretty much the bottom of the barrel in terms of residential colleges—prepare yourself now for snide jokes from those bums who live in the castles upcampus—there are a lot of factors that contribute to Wilsonites’ steadfast pride.  An unbeatable location, lots of singles, great party-ready suites, and computer clusters that actually work help make Wilson well worth it.  Plus, you get the automatic street cred of hailing from the “too-cool-for-kumbaya” residential college, ideal for long-suffering eye rolls to impress fellow froshies.

The résumé:

Laundry: There are two laundry rooms, located on the ground floors of Feinberg Hall and Dodge-Osborn Hall.  Since Wilson’s only a two-year college, there often isn’t a line for laundry, but be warned: Upperclassmen tend to mooch off of the Feinberg laundry room during peak hours on weekends, so plan ahead!

Kitchens: One mythical kitchen in Dodge-Osborn, which I have yet to hear of anyone using.  You need a special passkey to get in, which you can get from your RCA—a bit of a pain, but the fact that it’s locked also means that it’s probably much cleaner than the typical kitchens in Rocky or Mathey.  Who knows, it might be a treasure trove of culinary wonders!

Computers: There are two clusters, including one right above Wilcox Dining Hall that only works once or twice a year.  While most froshies suffer through the Wilcox cluster (its printer was my mortal enemy for my entire freshman year), you’ll be much better off if you use the cluster on the ground floor of 1937, which has two functioning printers, eight computers (both Macs and PCs), and is rarely ever full.  If you live in 1937, Feinberg, Walker, or 1939, don’t even bother bringing a printer—the 1937 cluster will do the trick.

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Wavy. Ivy-free. Home sweet Butler.

Telling people that you live in Butler inevitably leads to the follow-up question: “New or Old?” Butler used to have a reputation for being the worst res college to live in, with legendarily horrible waffle ceilings, a long trek to central campus and only meh-worthy food. But all that changed in 2009, when Princeton introduced shiny new, well, New Butler.

Bedecked in wavy red brick walls, bright interiors, modern lines and a trendy sustainable green roof, New Butler is not your typical Gothic, ivy-covered Princeton building. Before you waste any time feeling disappointed, though (“Nooo I wanted to live in a castle!” It’s okay, I thought that way too, until I moved in and saw the light), realize what it means to reside in the newest college: air conditioning. No bugs. Leather couches. Flat screen TVs. Many a mirthful moment has been given to us Butlerites, chuckling at our friends in Rocky as they traverse four flights of stairs to get to the bathroom, with nothing but a meager fan waiting in their circulation-void rooms.

“What? No, I’ve never seen a spider or ladybug or ant in my room before! That’s gross… okay sure you can come hide out in our basement, the A/C is super cool and yeah Studio ’34 is still open.”

Bloomberg is similarly cushy. Of course, 1915 is a different story. But we’ll get to that as you read on…

The resumé:

Aerial view.

Aerial view.

Laundry: There are ample washers and dryers in Bloomberg and New Butler. They’re all as new as the building, so everything runs oh so smoothly. Check out the map here for specific locations.

Kitchens: In the New Butler buildings, there are kitchens around almost every corner. They’re small but  effective, with a big fridge, stove, oven, microwave and sink. There’s also a huge dining room with attached kitchen on the ground floor of Bloomberg, which is great if you want to cook a larger meal with a bunch of friends.

Computers: The main computer cluster is in the New Butler basement. There are about ten computers including a media Mac if you’re looking to do anything digital artsy, plus a scanner and a printer.

There’s also a computer cluster on the third floor of Bloomberg. And the printer in Wu Library is convenient when you’re on your way to class and don’t want to go to the basement. But remember to set up your laptop’s printer connection first, because it’s just a printing station, not a full cluster (although you can easily go to the Wilcox side and use J-Street).

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Congratulations! If you knew what you were doing when you signed up for housing, you made sure to mention your long-standing love of fireplaces and your strong desire to have three roommates. And now you’ve been handed a ticket to two years in Rockefeller College, home to Holder Hall and the Spoon turret rooms and easily the most desired residential college at Princeton. This is Princeton as presented in movies. But actually.

Besides “awesome,” what is it like to live there?

The résumé:

Laundry: Rocky offers basement laundry rooms in Witherspoon, Buyers, Holder and Campbell Halls. Holder Entryway 13, you’re right above the laundry room. If you’re living across the quad, you might find yourself taking a shortcut—and risk exposing yourself to the elements (you know, gently falling leaves)—instead of the long way through the basement. (ETA: No laundry in Campbell! At least not if you’re in Rocky. From Rocky ’14 in the comments: “Campbell’s split up into two sections: the Rocky side and the Mathey side. The Mathey-Campbell side has access to Joline’s laundry rooms through the basement, but the Rocky-Campbell side isn’t connected through the basement. So, unfortunately, no laundry in Rocky Campbell.”)

Kitchens: You can do your lonely Thanksgiving meal preparation or 2 am ramen eating in the basement kitchens of Witherspoon and Holder. The Holder kitchen area is also home to a TV lounge, and its booth-style dining tables are a popular study area. You’ll often find freshmen and sophomores grimly studying at the Witherspoon dining table, which can make cooking kind of awkward. That said, a list of foods I know for a fact have been cooked in Rocky’s kitchens: A stuffed pumpkin, maple syrup snow candy, seitan, and scones. A little tolerance of gross sinks and stains, and anything is possible.

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blairWith its gothic architecture and stately dining hall, Mathey (prounced ‘Maddie’) looks just like Hogwarts. That, and the fact that it boasts Blair Arch, the largest arch on campus and home to regular a capella concerts, means that Mathey is the most featured dorm in Princeton brochures. Mathey-ites also brag about their location right next to Nassau Street, Princeton-town’s main thoroughfare, lined with ritzy clothing stores and restaurants.

The resume:

Laundry: There are laundry rooms in Blair, Little, Hamilton, Joline, and Edwards. Because Mathey has some of the oldest buildings on campus, be prepared to walk 3-4 flights of stairs to do laundry. Otherwise, most of the facilities have enough machines to handle student demand (save weekend evenings).

Kitchens: There are kitchens in Blair, Little, Hamilton, Joline, and Edwards. The kitchens can get pretty nasty, though – and I don’t just mean unwashed dishes (Blair flooded last year). But if you can keep the space clean, kitchen access can be a wonderful thing: nothing brings together suitemates, on-the-rocks couples, and study buddies so much as a baking extravaganza. Keep an eye out for Mathey’s semi-regular cooking club in the Hamilton kitchen: previous menus have featured shrimp risotto, cheese fondue, and mushroom strudel.

Computers: There are printers in Blair, Little and Edwards. The main computer cluster is located in the Mathey-Rocky library, just under the dining hall.

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Hey 2015! If you’ve been spending your last days of summer freaking out in the shower caddy aisle of the Container Store or worried that you won’t be able to find the washing machines in your dorm, The Ink is here for you. In preparation for your arrival, we’ve compiled reviews of each of the six residential colleges to help give you a better sense of what to expect on the big move-in day.

So here it is: the first installment The Ink’s Residential College Review, in which we examine that much-maligned abode, Forbes College.


IMG_5105Most would argue that Forbes is at once the most hated and most beloved of the residential colleges. Depending on who you talk to, Forbes is either that sad, cinder-blocked building in a distant zip code or, alternatively, the best thing that ever happened to them.  For every mainland critic who argues that Forbes is socially removed from the main-campus scene, there are steadfast Forbesians who contend that their residential remoteness actually forges a more “close-knit community.” After two years of living in the 08540, it’s become clear to me that, polarized views aside, Forbes is what you make of it. Here are the facts—we’ll let you be the final judge.

The résumé:

Laundry: There are two laundry rooms, located on the lower levels of the Main Inn and in the Addition. A reasonable number of machines, but there’s often a wait at peak hours (i.e. never, ever attempt to launder on Sunday afternoons).

Kitchens: One kitchen in the Main Inn, one in the Addition. But beware—a tragedy of the commons-type situation developed this past year, which involved mountains of unwashed pots and pans, increasingly threatening e-mails from college administrators, and ultimately, a lock on the door.

Computers: There’s a cluster with about a dozen computers in the basement of the Main Inn. And one (cross-your-fingers, maybe, just maybe) functioning printer.

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Two weeks is how long it usually takes for me to settle into a new semester. Classes are finalized, we’re done with all our auditions, applications and initiations, and we start getting into a routine. Unfortunately, that routine typically consists of a sleep-around-3, breakfast-once-in-a-while, Small World-twice-a-day pattern with little space for all my post-Intersession “BE HEALTHY THIS SEMESTER!!” resolutions.

Good thing Princeton cares about maintaining the well-being of our minds and bodies, if not of our heavily burdened GPAs. There’s a whole range of fitness options available for incorporation into our schedules this semester, all of which are new, fun, and most importantly, FREE.

Mmm, nothing like a sun salutation in front of the Woody Woo fountain to start the day off right. (Photo from lululemon.com)

Mmm, nothing like a sun salutation in front of the Woody Woo fountain to start the day off right. (Photo from lululemon.com)

This week is Yoga Week, featuring workshops all week on topics ranging from breathing and eating to ”playing with prana (energy) in handstand, headstand and elbow stand.” You know, the basics. All Dillon yoga classes are also free this week. And if you discover an inner passion for the yogi’s lifestyle, the Yoga Club offers a staggering 6 free classes/week throughout the semester. If that’s not enough, Lululemon on Nassau also offers free yoga classes every Sunday morning. No experience or special equipment necessary — as the website says, just bring yourself.

If you’ve ever left a Disiac show in wistful regret for quitting ballet in 3rd grade, it’s not too late. The Lewis Center for the Arts recently started offering free ballet classes for all Princeton students. All levels are welcome, with beginner/intermediate classes on Saturdays, intermediate/advanced Mondays-Fridays, and advanced/pre-professional class on Saturday mornings.

Finally, for those who don’t want to break away from GTSL (S added for studying. Sorry, this is Princeton. We can’t just GTL our way through it), the USG is sponsoring free classes at Dillon all semester. Here’s the schedule:

Spinning: Mondays-Thursdays, 5:30 pm
BodyAttack: Wednesdays, 5:00-5:50 pm
Butts and Guts: Mondays, 6:00-6:50 pm
BodyPump: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 5:00-6:00 pm

No excuses for not being in shape when spring hits us this year, guys. Let’s goooo.