Reply to Multi-generation Princeton double-legacy. DC doesn't want to go there...help

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]My argument isn't absurd at all. It's both common sense and consistent with the clear preference that dual admits have for Harvard and Yale over Princeton as well as the greater number of applications that Columbia and several other Ivies also receive.  The selective eating clubs are a scourge that reinforce the school's country-club reputation.  They'd be long gone but for the older alumni who'd cease to donate if the administration did away with Bicker.[/quote]

"scourge"???  You must really be bitter about getting hosed back in the day.  Given how much fun you seem, you probably would have gotten rejected from whatever selective organization -- finals club, fraternity/sorority, etc -- you would have tried to join if you happened to attend somewhere else.  If you had simply signed into Charter, everything could have worked out fine.

Plus, even if you were right that Princeton is somehow falling behind its peers, it is quite a stretch to say that Princeton's demise is the result of selective eating clubs.[/quote]

Not bitter at all - after visiting Cottage and Ivy just a few times, I was sure that they weren't clubs that would welcome me as a member, and the feeling was mutual.  That doesn't change the fact that the selective eating clubs are anachronisms that discourage many bright students from applying to Princeton or from accepting admissions offers.  Just about every recent president would have liked to disband them, but the resistance from some alumni is too strong.  It doesn't mean Princeton isn't a good university, but when I later visited Yale - to which I had not applied - it was striking how much more open it felt in comparison.  If OP's kid has picked up on this, it's no surprise he isn't anxious to bleed orange and black.[/quote]

I felt no more at home at Cottage and Ivy than you did.  I just didn't let their presence on campus detract from my enjoyment of (a) my eating club and (b) the university altogether.

You are obviously entitled to your opinion.  But, it is very much a minority opinion.  The alumni -- which include recent alumni -- overwhelming view the eating clubs as a positive aspect of campus life.  Those that don't want to join one of the selective eating clubs simply join one of the many others that have the same beautiful building, the same (and often better) food, and the same parties and other social events.[/quote]

We are talking past each other. I don't doubt that many alumni liked their eating clubs, whether selective or sign-in. These are people who by definition decided to go there. I am addressing aspects of Princeton that discourage other bright kids from applying to or attending the school, and more inclusive residential colleges at other top universities.[/quote]

I know I'm just a random sample, but I decided not to apply to Princeton soecifically because of the eating club thing. Definitely a turn-off if you're not into snobbery as a recreational activity.[/quote]

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