Well, before I jump to that conclusion, it's worth wondering what people mean when they say the buzzword "Princeton education." Is there really anything unique about education at Princeton? I'm not sure that there is. The Admission Office webpage lists freshman seminars and the precept system as "two defining characteristics of a Princeton education." While beneficial, the idea of TAs and small courses are not unique; they are more of a variation on a theme.
Since I love it here so much, there is something deeply troubling about this conclusion. Surely there is something that makes all the money and time worth it. If there is anything Tigers take pride in, it is our way of thinking. What is a Princeton way of thinking? It's what I would call an establishment way of thinking: A propensity to work within the system rather than challenge the entire process.
This idea first occurred to me when a wealthy, silver-haired gentleman warned me not to let Princeton "brainwash you into group-think." When he said that, I didn't quite know how to react - the picture of the establishment himself had just called me another brick in the wall.
It would make sense for Princeton to breed this type of thinking. As the Admission Office likes to brag, many of the professors here are at the top of their fields. In other words, they represent the establishment opinions in their field. Of course, they often got to that position by questioning the established order. Yet, I have always been of the opinion that once people make it into the club, they tend to rest on their laurels. This is particularly true of academia, where the natural fear of tarnishing one's reputation can prevent a well-respected academic from taking a controversial stance.
We often suspect one another of being establishment thinkers. This is why almost everyone is called a "tool" at least once before graduating. Perhaps it is with good reason.
The culture at Princeton is also largely geared toward reproducing the establishment. To get into a bicker club, one must successfully master the art of networking. Formal events and other fancy affairs teach us how to conduct ourselves in the rarified settings that those of us who go on to prominent or lucrative jobs will likely frequent.
The evidence that we swallow these lessons whole abounds. For starters, we tend to enter the majors that we believe are best liked by law firms, investment banks and government bureaucrats. Of course, some departments will always be more popular than others simply because there are many more students interested in, say, economics than comparative literature. Yet, all it took was for the Major Choices initiative to tell students that "Hey, it's OK if you want to follow your passion and study philosophy" and presto - the size of the department increased dramatically.
Similarly, many graduates seem interested in joining establishment positions on Wall Street or in Washington, D.C., simply for the sake of joining the establishment. In 2006, nearly 13 percent of the graduating class joined what were then the top 16 firms in finance and consulting, and many more applied. Civic-minded students who are civically minded have also shown a propensity to engage in establishment thinking; among these students, the conversation often focuses exclusively on well-known options such as Teach For America that are well-regarded by employers.
There are certain advantages to receiving an establishment education. In a nation as stable as the United States, most change comes from working within the system rather than through revolution. Then again, change only comes when people think differently from those who already have power. So I guess I'll choose a major that will give me the best Princeton education I can get. Then I'll have to spend the rest of my time outside of class trying to forget it all.
Adam Bradlow is a sophomore from Potomac, Md., and a member of Wilson College. He can be reached at abradlow@princeton.edu.
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