Time at college is just what you make of it

As most alumni do, I visited my "alma mater" while at home on winter break. I strutted about the halls of my high school, having mature conversations with old teachers about the status of their lives and shrieking wildly when catching sight of an old friend. And as alumni are prone to do, I attempted to convince others to do what I do now: Go to Princeton.

"Why?" one senior asked.

"Princeton focuses mainly on undergraduates, and practically everyone who goes there loves it. The campus is safe ... "

My friend interrupted, snorting loudly. "You only want me to go Princeton because you go there."

I stared at her in disbelief. She had completely ignored all of the empirical evidence pointing to the superiority of Princeton and called my argument specious. Outraged, I cried, "That's absolutely not true! I didn't like Princeton at first; in fact, I almost hated it! But now, I enjoy myself, and I know you would too ... "

"Whatever," she laughed.

Nearly half a year later, I still have been unable to shrug off the unease this conversation caused me. When I first arrived at Princeton, I was quite honestly less than thrilled with my surroundings. Needless to say, I had difficultly adjusting. But now, I find Princeton to be rather agreeable. I even enjoy trudging up the three flights of stairs to my room in an admittedly architecturally lacking brown-brick building. Has Princeton truly won me over, or have I simply given up the fight and become complacent with my surroundings?

To be fair, Princeton is not a bad school. Despite administrators' indifference to U.S. News & World Reports rankings, Princeton still stands at number one, occasionally and graciously sharing its ranking. Year after year, alumni flood the campus, shamelessly covering every available inch of themselves with orange and black. Some of the most eminent scholars of the world happily deign to teach introductory level courses for undergraduates.

But there still exist quite a few facts neither contained within the pages of the University's carefully preserved guidebook nor shown on any Orange Key tour. Large discrepancies exist between the quality of certain courses and professors. Academic advisers do not always provide their students with the best advice; sometimes, they simply aren't informed enough to provide anything more than a signature. Though undergraduates do walk out of the FitzRandolph Gates having obtained a true liberal arts education, some walk out without ever having taken an actual math course offered by the math department or a literature course beyond their writing seminar. Most walk out without ever studying abroad or actually encountering a culture entirely different from theirs firsthand.

While the residential colleges make every effort to reach out to underclassmen, and most residential college advisors throw the occasional study break, some students still fall through the safety net, encountering more difficulties than necessary upon arrival at Princeton.

Despite those unpleasant truths, most students still believe they "made the right choice" when they picked Princeton to be their undergraduate institution.

Perhaps people simply have such high expectations before attending Princeton that they force their Princeton experience to be so enjoyable. They've heard so many good stories from friends, family and the website, that once they set foot onto the promised land, they feel obligated to a certain degree to recreate those stories so that they, too, might be able to share endless tales of triumphs with others.

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Or perhaps people do initially see failings or shortcomings in this institution. The tales they've been told don't completely live up to the reality. But over time, they slowly begin to ignore or even forgive those failings. After all, Princeton is home to most students for only four precious years. Why bother wasting any energy or time pointing out faults?

But perhaps my friend's questioning of the quality of Princeton was entirely irrelevant. Perhaps Princeton is perfect, and those who cannot or will not admire its perfection are simply foolish or blind.

Despite the tremendous strides Princeton has made in more than two centuries, I highly doubt the last claim. To a certain degree, college is what you personally make of it. Some people come and force their wildest dreams to come true. Others tweak their standards and remain satisfied with their situation. But just because it appears that everyone at Princeton is enjoying themselves does not guarantee that Princeton is for everyone. Anna Huang is a sophomore from Westlake, Ohio. She can be reached at ajh@princeton.edu.