Owning up to our prestige addiction

If there is one idea that Princetonians subscribe to most, it is prestige. In nearly all aspects of our lives — in our selection of courses, activities, social environments and career decisions — prestige can be a crucial and often decisive factor in the choices we make.

This phenomenon is hardly surprising. Many of us have long been indoctrinated to desire status and prominence. The mere fact that we attend Princeton says quite a bit about the degree to which we value this notion. Princeton, after all, is both the embodiment and provider of prestige. We might not have chosen Princeton entirely for its name; nevertheless, our affiliation with Princeton will grant us many privileges throughout our lives.

The danger is that we can easily lose ourselves in this relentless pursuit of prestige. Like any other consuming desire, our quest to come out "on top" socially can blind us to the truths of our present condition and affect the decisions we make.

These dangers are endemic here. For some of us, we seek prestige not only by coming to this school, but also in how we choose to live our Princeton lives.

As an underclassman, I was well aware that certain social particularities of this school either offended me or made me uncomfortable. Yet the allure of furthering my climb up Princeton's social hierarchy often overcame whatever feelings of discomfort I had. Thus, though there were specific environments in certain eating clubs that I did not feel at ease in, I willingly participated, hoping that in doing so I would achieve social success at Princeton. Simply put, I was drawn by the status associated with certain reputations at Princeton and was sold on obtaining them for myself.

In similar ways, the seductive powers of prestige also blind us to the quality of our own education. Many of us believe that since we are at a foremost academic institution we must also be receiving the best education available. But do we ever really stop to examine that claim?

In a poignant piece published in the current issue of The Atlantic Monthly titled "Lost in the Meritocracy," Walter Kirn '83 recounts his own experiences as an undergraduate at Princeton and the intellectual emptiness he felt during his time here. In an interview, Kirn said, "I studied . . . at Princeton in the early eighties in what I consider a period of high obscurity. Professors and students ran around discussing the works of critics and philosophers that I doubt they'd read or understood."

The hollowness of Princeton's highbrow intellectualism that Kirn experienced is a central theme of his piece. Kirn recalls how much his energies were focused on achieving a level of intellectual status. In his undergraduate years, Kirn found himself repeatedly criticizing the classics, deconstructing theories and repudiating great authors, all in the name of intellectualism, without having read the material firsthand. At the end, Kirn found that his education was perfect for fellowship application interviews but did not reflect true learning.

The experience that Kirn captures in his work still exists, to varying degrees, today. For many students, a Princeton education is but a steppingstone towards our next privileged posting. Princeton alumni, after all, tend to saturate the upper echelons of the corporate and political world. But does our relentless pursuit of prestige ultimately snuff out other more important and meaningful goals?

I find myself frequently asking these questions as I consider my future plans. How much does prestige really play into what I choose to do next year? Are there positions that are below me as a Princeton graduate? Would I really be happier in a position that looks impressive to others, or am I overlooking something that is more important?

If anything, after four years of Princeton, I now need to be humbled before I find myself completely consumed by a desire for status. However, if there's one detriment to a Princeton education, it is that it becomes awfully difficult to change course and resist the temptations of prestige. Kyle Meng is a civil and environmental engineering major from Chappaqua, N.Y. He can be reached at kmeng@princeton.edu.