For some, Princeton is not just a university, it's home

Many students will call Princeton their second home after a few weeks, months or years at the University. However, other students have always called Princeton home. The University boasts students from each of the 50 states and 60 foreign countries. This means that while some have to travel days by plane to arrive on campus, others are only a five-minute car ride away.

For high school students going through the college application process, college is an opportunity to become more independent by being away from home. Therefore it may seem a bit odd that some Princetonians chose to go to a university in their hometown.

Some students who are also Princeton residents admitted they initially had doubts, but like Courtney Armstrong '05, chose to enroll. "Finally I realized that you shouldn't discount the best university just because it's in your backyard," she said.

In fact, Princeton-area students often had the benefit of sampling the learning community on campus. Carolina Danspeckgruber '08 originally did not want to come to Princeton, but taking a class at the University changed her mind.

In fact, many other Princeton-resident students found that it wasn't too difficult to make school seem emotionally far away from home. Many communicate with their family over the phone and via email even though their parents have the option of dropping by every day. Ariel Klainerman '07 explained, "I tend to keep communication to a minimum, since [my mother is] so close, [and] I don't want it to feel like I'm at home."

In fact, most students would be jealous of the perks of their Princeton-resident classmates. Instead of being at the mercy of Dining Services, Heidi Lam '08 said, "I can go home for dinner and eat really good Chinese food." Many other Princeton-resident students recount that they can always drop by for dinner or gain access to a car.

Armstrong likes the benefit of having support nearby. "It's also nice to have a member of the family close by to fall back on if I'm stressed."

More importantly, parents can be counted on to run errands, like Matt Susan '07's mother, who delivered a large-screen television to his suite earlier this year.

Many students also find the general college atmosphere to be different from life as a resident.

"[The University] is pretty insular. I find that I hang around with my friends on campus, just as I would if I went to any other school," Wayne Austin '05 explained.

However, the large number of other students from the Princeton area can be a challenge. Theodore Ellis '08 noted that with 19 other Princetonians from his class at Princeton High School alone, there are dozens of people on campus who might remember you from preschool.

While this wasn't a problem for him, "a lot of people try to reinvent themselves in college, but that's nearly impossible if you come from Princeton High School," Ellis said.

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After college, most Princeton-resident Princetonians hope to leave and experience life away from Princeton. However, Armstrong jokes, "I currently have plans to work in Plainsboro [after graduation]. I just can't seem to get out of this state."