Q: How is economics at Princeton like? I hear that it’s a pretty large department (about 200/300 undergrads), is there interaction with the professors and do you still learn as much? Do you like the core/ distribution requirements? Is it easy to explore a lot of different courses at Princeton, as I’m not sure yet what I want to major in.
Are most people nice, friendly, collaborative, do they do problem sets together? Is it generally competitive, or are most people willing to share resources and learn and help each other out? Are students happy at Princeton?
Also, could I ask about summer internship opportunities (especially for internationals)? I hear that it’s easier to get summer internships at MIT or Stanford than at Princeton, is it true?
A: I’ve loved my time at Princeton so far! It would be extremely difficult to compress my 2.5 years down to just a few sentences, but Princeton has really provided both unique experiences and an extremely comprehensive academic profile.
In terms of experiences, Princeton takes a laissez-faire approach–they let (and encourage) students to do anything and everything (just don’t do anything stupid or toooo dangerous). Princeton let me (and provided funding for) my summer internship last year where I helped build a library for an impoverished community in Ghana. Princeton has extremely generous funding opportunities for students to pursue such experiences, and I believe that this component is a unique and important part of student life at Princeton.
In terms of academics, Princeton has really broadened my perspective. I was a top student at my high school; for example, I took 15 classes at Purdue University during my junior and senior years of high school before even starting at Princeton. I thought that I would be ready for Princeton, but of course I got a rude surprise. Princeton forced me to work hard, get out of my comfort zone, and to think in a more logical and critical fashion.
Also, for the first time I was taking courses from professors who really knew their stuff, unlike my high school teachers who often seemed to just talk without really understanding what they were saying. These professors are truly inspiring in class. After taking several courses in the humanities, I started to understand that the humanities weren’t just some wishy-washy nonsense designed for students who couldn’t do math–they actually have a legitimate role to play in a robust academic environment. The humanities encourage a more holistic and comprehensive approach to thinking and problem solving than does the natural sciences or engineering, and it is this approach that I think is a unique hallmark of the Princeton graduate.
In this sense, I have come to truly respect the distribution requirements that Princeton places on students. While initially I thought these requirements were an undue burden, I have come to appreciate the while and holistic background that I have gotten from taking these courses. Princeton is a true believer in the virtues of a liberal arts education, and after 2.5 years I can verify that this type of education indeed works. Also, those professors who teach courses that satisfy the distribution requirements work really hard to make their courses high-quality; two of the best classes I took at Princeton were AST 203 and REL 222, both courses which were designed to satisfy distribution requirements. I actually think that the REL 222 professor is the best orator I have ever heard–he beats Obama hands down!
There are, of course, some downsides at Princeton. First among them is that Princeton prefers depth to breadth; that is, students generally only take four courses a semester (rarely five), for a total of eight courses a year. This contrasts with Stanford, where students take four courses each quarter, meaning a total of 12 a year. At Princeton, courses are more intense and probe the subject matter more deeply. I believe that Princeton’s approach builds stronger problem solving skills in students. But on the other hand, students at other universities do get take more courses and get a broader perspective in many different fields.
This relates a little to your question about exploring around. In general, there is enough flexibility within majors that basically what you do in your freshman year doesn’t matter (most majors only require 10-15 courses in order to earn your degree; the other courses you take are your own choice). If you were able to get some requirements out of the way for your major in your freshman year, then great. Otherwise don’t sweat it. Starting sophomore year, however, students have a pretty good idea about the one or two departments they may major in; students are expected to start meeting course requirements for their majors in their sophomore years.
I believe that Princeton’s system, while not as flexible as Stanford’s, still presents students enough flexibility to explore fields outside their primary academic interests. Indeed, this kind of academic exploration is a critical feature of Princeton.
A lot of the questions you ask about economics (especially about course requirements) are answered in the Undergraduate Announcement, but I’ll try to answer your questions the best I can. Economics is among the most versatile of majors at Princeton. Many econ majors complete certificates in other departments, while also meeting their distribution requirements. There is no cause for worry that majoring in economics will restrict your academic freedom. In fact, I believe that econ might be too lenient–specifically, I wish that they would require more math for their students than they actually do. I believe that all good economists have a strong grasp in math.
In short, Princeton is among the top three economics departments in the world (how you rank the schools within the top three depends on who you talk to, but the other two schools include Stanford and Harvard), and in my opinion has the best undergraduate program in economics in the world. Remember that the 2008 Nobel Laureate in Economics (Paul Krugman) is a Princeton professor, and that the head of the US Federal Reserve had to step down from chairing Princeton’s econ department in order to take the job. Obama’s budget chief also majored in economics at Princeton before earning his PhD from the LSE.
The department is quite large, maybe around 150 undergraduate students a year (maybe a little fewer). While that seems large at Princeton, at most schools having 150 students in a major would be quite small. Even with 150 students, I believe that the department is able to provide students with ample face-to-face time. The department has quite a few faculty members and can definitely provide the collaborative environment that students need.
Now let me address your concern about internships. This is the first time that I’m hearing this concern, and let me tell you straight up that I think it’s a ridiculously uninformed and debasing rumor. I’m not considered an international student because I went to school in the US, but my friends who are at Princeton from India and China have had no trouble finding internship positions. Indeed, I believe that Princeton students–compared to students at other universities like MIT–have the easiest time getting into extremely competitive internships at companies like Goldman Sachs and McKinsey. Princeton has the strongest alumni network in finance and consulting, and this makes it easier for Princeton graduates to get jobs and internships.
Even at technology firms in Silicon Valley, Princeton has a strong showing (though behind Stanford). Take, for example, the the CEOs of Google and Amazon are both Princeton graduates.
Rest assured that attending Princeton will help you, not hurt you, in searching for internships and jobs.
At Princeton, we keep saying “I need to work harder so that I can get an A.” We never say “I won’t help you because then you’ll steal my grade” or anything like that. This is the difference between healthy competition and unhealthy competition. Healthy competition pushes students to do better; unhealthy competition means that students start backstabbing one another. I can’t speak to the competitive cultures of Stanford or MIT, but I can tell you that at Princeton we have a good dose of *healthy* competition. It would also be impossible to do well at Princeton without working together with friends and classmates on projects and problem sets.
I’m not sure how to best answer the question of happiness because I don’t know enough about other schools to effectively compare/contrast how happy students are there and how happy students are at Princeton. In general, students at engineering and math intensive universities (like MIT and Stanford) report that they feel more stress and are less happy. And according to polls and surveys, Princeton students are pretty happy compared to peers at other universities. However, I think that this is really a personal call, and it really depends on what you want and expect for a school.
