Princeton has 8 suicides in 3 years

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Princeton alum and I'm horrified by these suicides. There weren't any when I was there (in the late 90s-early 2000s). I had a great time there and love going back to Reunions. So awful that what should be the best time of these kids' lives is hell for so many of them.

Interesting- I graduated in 97 and knew a couple of people who needed to live in some sort of a psychiatric program close to campus for a week or two while they were students. One of them died just two years after graduation by suicide.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

as an anthropology major, enjoyed his time there

With the right choice of major and classes it can be a good time.

Also eating clubs definitely aren’t for everyone but for some people they’re great.

For a lot of people Princeton is an environment where they can thrive but for a lot of others it can be a really really poor fit both academically and socially.

Possible to elaborate? Admitted REA as an English major. Social kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

as an anthropology major, enjoyed his time there

With the right choice of major and classes it can be a good time.

Also eating clubs definitely aren’t for everyone but for some people they’re great.

For a lot of people Princeton is an environment where they can thrive but for a lot of others it can be a really really poor fit both academically and socially.

Possible to elaborate? Admitted REA as an English major. Social kid.

No: The pp put it well I think. Great for some, less great for others. Probably true everywhere but more pronounced because expectations are higher? Saw two of my old college roommates this summer and we were talking about college, and both said Pton was not the right place for them. They think they should have gone to SLACS. But we all had an OK experience with good aspects.

[Anonymous]

Possible to elaborate? Admitted REA as an English major. Social kid.

I had friends who majored in history and absolutely loved it. Also I knew a lot of people who majored in sociology and found it very manageable.

As a general tip watch what legacy students and athletes tend to gravitate toward. They have better knowledge of what majors and classes are good from their parents or older teammates.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

students look younger than at most universities because there are comparatively fewer graduate students

Older in the sense of appearing jaded and tired - not chronological age.

Claudine Gay described it well in an interview for the Stanford student newspaper when she was in college:

“Princeton is cold, traditional and austere. Stanford has a much more nurturing, humane environment. Everybody at Princeton was already middle-aged. At Stanford people are working but still seem to be having a really good time.”

Former Stanford student here. Unfortunately, this isn’t true any more. Stanford is grim these days.

[Anonymous]

Very connected to Princeton currently and as an alum. There are plenty of happy and intellectually curious kids here now. There are also many struggling for a variety of reasons, many of which are not addressed in this thread. Yes, the university can improve in certain respects. It's also a broader cultural issue. Achievement culture is toxic. Many students get it. It would be nice if their parents did more to fight against cultural norms that are creating kids who view themselves as products. Products that are worthless if they don't excel. https://www.amazon.com/Never-Enough-Achievement-Culture-Toxic/dp/0593191862

[Anonymous]

I adored Princeton, but the fact that a black female gunner did not enjoy her one year there in 1988 surprises me not at all. It's been an incredible, joyful place for one of my kids; it would be a horrendous fit for one of my others.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This article talks about how WPI took a real hard look at itself, and made changes after a number of suicides.
Other schools could learn from them.




https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/22/magazine/worcester-polytechnic-institute-suicides.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Pk0.CYuQ.AAthuL6vq29U

NP. That was really good. Thanks for sharing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

students look younger than at most universities because there are comparatively fewer graduate students

Older in the sense of appearing jaded and tired - not chronological age.

Claudine Gay described it well in an interview for the Stanford student newspaper when she was in college:

“Princeton is cold, traditional and austere. Stanford has a much more nurturing, humane environment. Everybody at Princeton was already middle-aged. At Stanford people are working but still seem to be having a really good time.”

Claudine Gay is not someone with much credibility on any subject. Didn't have it as a student; doesn't have it now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Mrs Obama went to Princeton and was very unhappy. Her kids didn't apply there. One went to Harvard and other to U Mich/USC. Obviously if she wanted her girls to attend Princeton, college would've rolled a red carpet for them.

It's debatable whether Princeton would have rolled out the red carpet for both these kids.

Michelle Obama's niece (Craig Robinson's daughter) went to Princeton within the last decade and thrived. Obviously the entire family didn't turn up[ their noses at Princeton.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mrs Obama went to Princeton and was very unhappy. Her kids didn't apply there. One went to Harvard and other to U Mich/USC. Obviously if she wanted her girls to attend Princeton, college would've rolled a red carpet for them.

It's debatable whether Princeton would have rolled out the red carpet for both these kids.

Michelle Obama's niece (Craig Robinson's daughter) went to Princeton within the last decade and thrived. Obviously the entire family didn't turn up[ their noses at Princeton.

You've got to be kidding. Of course, Princeton would have rolled out the red carpet for the President's daughters. No questions asked.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mrs Obama went to Princeton and was very unhappy. Her kids didn't apply there. One went to Harvard and other to U Mich/USC. Obviously if she wanted her girls to attend Princeton, college would've rolled a red carpet for them.

It's debatable whether Princeton would have rolled out the red carpet for both these kids.

Michelle Obama's niece (Craig Robinson's daughter) went to Princeton within the last decade and thrived. Obviously the entire family didn't turn up[ their noses at Princeton.

You've got to be kidding. Of course, Princeton would have rolled out the red carpet for the President's daughters. No questions asked.

Maybe yes, maybe no.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Claudine Gay is not someone with much credibility on any subject. Didn't have it as a student; doesn't have it now.

Is that how you view all people in this world...if they're not credible 100% of the time, then they're never credible at all?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Claudine Gay is not someone with much credibility on any subject. Didn't have it as a student; doesn't have it now.

Is that how you view all people in this world...if they're not credible 100% of the time, then they're never credible at all?

DP. I reserve judgement on whether she is ever credible, but do I extrapolate anything from her opinion given as a college student who clearly didn't like Princeton for whatever reason, and thus transferred after one year? No.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This article talks about how WPI took a real hard look at itself, and made changes after a number of suicides.
Other schools could learn from them.




https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/22/magazine/worcester-polytechnic-institute-suicides.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Pk0.CYuQ.AAthuL6vq29U

NP. That was really good. Thanks for sharing.

That was quite a read. What a school!