Residential Colleges
Life at Princeton begins in the residential college. All first- and second-year students live in one of six colleges: Butler, Forbes, Mathey, Rockefeller, Whitman or Wilson. Butler, Mathey and Whitman are four-year residential colleges, which cater to a select number of juniors and seniors as well as underclassmen.
As a first-year, you will be assigned randomly to one of these colleges -- each is actually a cluster of dorms -- which are designed to feel like smaller schools within the University. There are approximately 500 students per college, and each college is staffed by a professor, who serves as the college master; a residential dean and a director of studies, who are responsible for helping students with academic questions; a director of student life, who organizes social activities; a college administrator, who coordinates the whole operation; and a college secretary, who is the one smiling at you when you walk into the office. The director of studies also assigns every first-year an academic adviser, who helps you choose your courses. This whole group has been put together to provide more personalized support to students who might otherwise get lost -- and they're usually pretty good at what they do.
The colleges serve as social hubs for the first two years of Princeton life. Every college has its own dining hall, as well as recreational facilities (TV rooms, lounges, game rooms and small theaters). Each of the colleges also has one or two extra amenities, which range from beach volleyball courts, ping-pong tables and dance studios to darkrooms, pottery studios and miniature movie theaters. Every college also has a student council that hosts fun study breaks, plans large events (which usually feature free T-shirts) and organizes partially subsidized trips to athletic events, Broadway plays and amusement parks. All that and you get a "home" dining hall where, after a few months, you will recognize most of the faces.
Rockefeller ("Rocky")
Welcome to the Ivy League utopia the catalog promised. You eat in a cafeteria that you swear is actually a medieval banquet hall, and live in the heart of campus amidst majestic gothic arches and towers. The drawback is that the buildings in Rocky are getting pretty old (when Witherspoon was built, indoor plumbing was an exciting novelty). While your window may not close quite right, and you may meet bugs bigger than your dog back home, take comfort: odds are very good your dorm is going on Princeton's next glossy brochure.
Mathey ("Mad-dee")
The architecture of Mathey is just as beautiful as in Rocky, and the location is even better. The Mathey courtyard and connecting "Alexander Beach" are the primary outdoor hangout spots on campus. Mathey and Rocky have a lot in common -- including a shared library and theater, and adjoining dining halls. The most well-known spot in Mathey is Blair Arch, the biggest arch on campus and home to innumerable a cappella arch sings.
Wilson
There's no easy way to describe Wilson. The buildings all look different from one another, and the rooms come in a variety of shapes and sizes. While the college may be a little short on personality, it has arguably the best location on campus, with its quad backing directly onto the Frist Campus Center. It also has some of the best recreational facilities on campus, including a dance studio, music room and pottery studio. Not only that, but if you make enough friends and get a good room draw time, you can draw into the college's array of suites next year, which includes some of the biggest rooms on campus. The Wilcox dining hall and servery were renovated in 2009 and provide a warm, restaurant-like atmosphere.
Butler
Those of you lucky enough to be assigned to Butler will be living in the newest dorms on campus, which opened in fall 2009. The new buildings are home to some of the largest bedrooms on campus, along with an outdoor amphitheater and Studio 34, a late-night cafe. Butlerites dine in a recently renovated servery that is shared with Wilson College.
Forbes ("The Inn")
You'd better bring a canteen to school if you live in Forbes, because getting any place on campus is a serious hike. Believe it or not, you're not even in the same zip code as the rest of campus! Before you panic, realize Forbes is less than 10 minutes from Nassau Hall on foot, even at a leisurely stroll. Princeton's not that big of a campus.
There are, however, many advantages to living here. For starters, Forbes has a reputation for the best Sunday brunches, so friends from other colleges will come visit. Also, much of the college used to be an inn, and many of the rooms have wall-to-wall carpeting, big windows and private bathrooms. Forbes residents also claim that living further from main campus makes them a closer-knit bunch than other underclassmen.
Whitman
Whitman, which opened in 2007, is the second newest of the residential colleges. The architecture is wonderfully gothic, and it has a theater, a dance practice room, studios, classrooms, a huge dining hall and none of the 200-year-old inconveniences of Mathey and Rocky. Plus, it’s gorgeous. Can’t really go wrong.
