Princeton University Reviews

"My graduate program cares a lot about its students, which is demonstrated through events and support."

"This program is extremely hands off. Expect to figure things out for yourself. In the long run, that's probably helpful for developing personally and professionally, but it's very tough as a grad student. Princeton is not a great place to live, though it's reasonably close to Philadelphia and New York. There aren't many good social opportunities, though the department is very tight-knit."

"The program is rigorous and the instruction is excellent. The small size of the program means you get a lot of contact with your professors and advisor, and the department is very collaborative. The core classes are challenging but well-taught, and there is no qualifying exam."

"Princeton University is a wonderful place to pursue a graduate degree. Having also done graduate work at another university, I am continuously in awe of how well graduate students are treated here. I feel like a valued part of the academic community. My ideas and opinions are welcomed by the administration, faculty and other students. I have been able to do things here I never would have been able to do at other universities. Princeton provides amazing opportunities AND amazing funding. However, expectations of graduate students here are very high. This is both good and bad. Trying to meet these expectations can be very stressful, but it is also very good training for a future career in or beyond academia. Overall, I cannot recommend Princeton enough!"

"Good, collegial atmosphere, but like most graduate programs there is a strong sense of competitiveness with regard to work output or number of hours per week spent working. The prestige is good, and everyone is super smart."

"Pros: faculty and program. Cons: Princeton town."

"Amazing Program with great faculty. The only reservation: Princeton is socially somewhat awkward."

"Faculty are always willing to meet with grad students. There are substantial opportunities for interdisciplinary studies. Program is very flexible in terms of course options and areas of study but very structured in terms of providing concrete goals to complete each year. Having a car is important for those who wish to cook for themselves."

"The quantitative sequence is very demanding."

"The faculty members are very helpful, and most of them view you as their future colleague and they are there to help you build a career like yours. I feel very happy that there is someone who is looks at your scholarly work seriously."

"Pros: Great professors, great classes Cons: Don't push students enough to network/present at conferences, not in a big city"

"My undergraduate degree only affected my career as far as that it helped me get into an excellent medical school which helped me do very well in residency and get a position on the faculty of the medical school where I have worked for many years. Even though I did not end up using it in my career, it was a great experience during my undergraduate years to do cutting edge research in genetics (back before the days of gene mapping and cloning)and I wish that I had talked to more people and had the courage to pursue the area in which I had a more passionate interest (genetics) rather than choosing to pursue medicine because the job market was more certain at that time. I have come to believe that , if you are passionate about an interest, you can find a way to earn money with that interest and will enjoy your career a lot more. The other great thing about my undergraduate experience was going away to a college out of my state and meeting a lot of people there who had come from very different backgrounds than I had come from and having the chance to be exposed to different cultures and ways of thinking. My political views and moral values were influenced greatly by my relationships with other students and teachers. The greatest impact of going to a school like Princeton was the chance to become friends with a lot of very smart and talented people who constantly challenged me to reconsider my outlook on the world."

"Tell us about your college experience.It was absolutely the best choice for me. It had a ton of opportunities and I was surrounded by people who challenged me every day. The financial aid was really good too, so I graduated without any debt.Would you get the same degree if you could start over?I'm torn on this issue. I loved studying psychology because I was so interested in it, and I managed to find a good job even though it wasn't the most rigorous major. Sometimes I wonder whether I could have done even more if I had chosen something like computer science instead."

"Pros: Outstanding faculty, excellent neuroscience resources, brand new (absurdly expensive) building in 2014, mostly good peers, better-than-average graduate community, easy access to NYC, high prestige, impossibly beautiful campus, better-than-average stipend Cons: Not in a city (if that's a con for you--it isn't for me), not enough integration across social psych, cognitive psych, & neuroscience, heavy teaching load if you don't secure alternate funding (from Princeton, external fellowship or lab grant)."

"One of the top graduate programs in neuroscience!"

"The Master of Divinity at Princeton Theological Seminary is world-class; PTS is consistently ranked as top-tier by theologians and professors of theology and religion. The expense of this program is less than I expected, and yet, the cost is still prohibitive. PTS helps offset cost by offering scholarships, fellowships, and grants liberally where a student meets the criteria. The only cons to this program might be the competition for enrollment and the distance I must travel to study there."

"The "overall grade" is skewed on account of the high cost of living (especially in relation to what the town/region have to offer culturally, socially, etc.). Student housing is as one would expect, but is strangely as expensive as housing in large cities like DC, Boston, or NYC, which is frustrating because the university subsidizes the cost of student housing, so off campus housing cost in the town proper is quite prohibitive. In terms of faculty support, workload, competitiveness, etc., these all vary according to field, faculty members, etc. I would recommend communicating with students in the field for advice on specific advisers. I think compared with other graduate programs in the same field, this one really is stellar. You will be supported with a generous stipend and can access a lot of resources, and although the town itself isn't that great, there's beautiful nature to be enjoyed in the region, and if you need an escape, NYC is very easily accessible by train, and Philly isn't too hard to get to either. With that said, educate yourself about the job market, about academic culture and the particulars of the socialization process, and so on, but also know what is important to you of the above categories."

"Pros 1. Relatively small department compared to other top universities, but does not second to any when it comes to quality of education and competency of the faculty. 2. Most of the faculty is recognized and well known in their respective research areas for the high quality research they have produced. Research they produce get published in top tier CS conferences. 3. This is one of the top 10 CS graduate programs in the US according to US News offered by a prestigious Ivy league university. Cons 1. Even though CS department building is well equipped, the building or it's surroundings does not blend in with the rest of the beautiful Princeton university. 2. Princeton is an expensive place to live."

"Princeton, as a town, is small. The university is the central institution, and its social offerings tend to be directed at undergraduates. Some people find such an atmosphere kitschy, campus-centered, sheltered, and boring, while others find it beautiful, inviting, cozy, and livable--especially given the closeness of New York and Philadelphia as weekend getaways or post-generals homes. That being said, almost nothing is left to be desired of the Princeton graduate English program. It is a remarkably welcoming, drama-free environment (on the level of both students and faculty), and the quality of education it provides is without question one of the best in the nation. The department seems dedicated slightly more to teaching than big-name research, and I feel this benefits the grad students in the program."

"Excellent Program in Economics and Professors are very accesisble. If you are ready to work hard this is a great program. Cons: It seems that its placement is not that good compared to other top programs and I do not know exactly why is that."