To the Members of the Class of 2012
It gives me great pleasure to welcome the Class of 2012 to Princeton. As you embark on the new academic year, I would like to share some personal observations about the best ways of taking advantage of the opportunities for learning and personal growth that this remarkable institution offers.
Remember, first, that you are here to learn. You have the extraordinary luxury of four years in which to develop your mind — to grow in your ability to think analytically and read critically, to write clearly and speak persuasively, to develop and test hypotheses, and to fashion and sustain convincing interpretations or proofs. Enjoy this learning to the fullest. Choose your courses — and, later, your field of concentration — because the work engages your imagination and interest and expands your intellectual horizons. Resist outside pressures to choose areas of study on the basis of presumed practical utility. Your choices ought to be guided by your own intellectual passion and curiosity. One can develop the mind through many different kinds of studies, some obviously practical, some whose utility may be more obscure. Within the constraints of satisfying requirements and fulfilling prerequisites, loving a subject is the best possible reason for selecting an area of study.
My second piece of advice is to think carefully about the best ways to take
advantage of the remarkable teaching that Princeton offers. Be discriminating
not only in the subjects you choose to study but in the
courses — and, ultimately, the area of
concentration — in which you enroll. You
will undoubtedly sign up for a number of large lecture courses — and rightly so, for their size reflects
their popularity and the quality of the teaching you will find there. But
remember that departments and programs also offer many small courses of
extremely high quality and that those courses may offer you a very attractive
and different kind of interaction with established faculty that will greatly
enrich your learning. The same
applies to the selection of an area of concentration. The largest departments
offer excellent courses and fine teaching, but so do the smallest, and there
you may find much more intensive contact with faculty than in departments with
large numbers of concentrators.
My third piece of advice is to take full advantage of the special commitment
of the Princeton faculty to undergraduate education. Go see your teachers
during their office hours, whether to pursue a question left unresolved in
class, or to ask for special help, or to seek advice about future studies.
Invite your teachers to lunch or dinner in your residential college. Get to
know the faculty fellows whom you may see from time to time in the college
dining room. Many times faculty will reach out to you, but to profit fully from
the opportunities here for faculty-student contact, you will need to make many
of the overtures. Do not be discouraged if a particular faculty member appears
to be rushed or preoccupied. Contact with faculty outside the classroom can be
one of the richest parts of your experience
at Princeton.
Finally, never underestimate how important learning outside the classroom can be to your education. That learning comes from getting to know other people — roommates, friends, residential college advisers (RCAs), college masters, college deans, directors of studies, directors of student life, and so many others. It comes from extracurricular activities and community service. It comes from the many intellectual and cultural events in your residential college and in the larger University. It is important to make time for all of these kinds of learning, for they will enrich your experience here in ways that you will value for the rest of your life.
I wish you all the best for a wonderful year.
Nancy Weiss Malkiel
Dean of the College