Ice Cavern Studios

Well, Reunions is coming and I guess I'm getting a bit reflective. I was talking to Nicole tonight, and the topic of what it means to be a Princeton student or alum. From time to time, I have thought about it, but I think this is the first time that I have finally begun to see the whole full aspect of the meaning of attending Princeton.

The first part about what it means to go to Princeton is the work. I'm not going to lie. Princeton is hard. If academic work were mountain climbing, Princeton would be like having to scale Mt. Everest with a large monkey on your back. I know some people think that where they went to college was tough. I'm not saying it was easy, but it wasn't this. Princeton is a swift kick to the crotch every day. With spiked boots. It's not fun.

At the same time, people love it here. There is a love for this university the likes of which I have never seen before. Now, I'm from Ohio, and I've worked at the University of Michigan. These are places where school pride is huge, and it still doesn't compare to what I've seen here in this tiny plot of land in New Jersey. To understand, people often use alumnai giving as a way of showing love for a school. It makes sense, if you love a place, why not give them money to keep it going. Princeton, gets more money from alumnai than anyone else. 67% of alumnai love this place so much, they give back.

The second major part is Tradition. I use a capital T there because Tradition is a serious thing at this university. The P-Rade. Reunions. Beer Jackets. Cane Spree. There are traditions as old as most universities. Talk about what you want, but things like the Naked Mile do not compare to Reunions, where people come back to dress up in obnoxious cloths for the sake of tradition. I want to see a tradition that has students so entrenched, they won't exit a gate. Half of the things we do here are about tradition. Often, we do things only because they have been done due to tradition.

The next major part is Family. Everyone who attends Princeton becomes part of a family. The Princeton Family. This family, often referred to as the old boys network, is a serious thing. All of the connections, all of the little advantages that come up, it's all part of keeping things in the family. Whether it be jobs, oppertunities, or even people to date; the idea of keeping things in Princeton is a major thing. Is it exclusive, yes. Is it fair to those not here, yes. But it's part of Princeton. Elitism is just part of the Princeton game. It is an elite university. It doesn't mean that everyone else sucks (well, Harvard, Yale and Penn do), but it means that we are very much about being associated with Princeton.

The final part is having to deal with what it means to go to Princeton. THe thing about going to Princeton is that it is very alienating. Much of one's time away from Princeton is spent trying to, not trying to cover up going to Princeton, but trying to get people to make a huge fuss about it. I've had people go, “Ooooh, you go to Princeton” so many times, I've lost track of them all. To be honest, most of the time, I hope people don't find out. I'm not ashamed to go here, I just don't want to have to deal with people who don't get it.

The thing about it is, most people never do get what it means to go here. 95% of the people who understand what it means to go here, went here. I often don't even try to explain it to people anymore. When I try to discuss reunions, or how tough things are, I usually just go, “you'd have to go here to understand.” And that's really alienating. You can't talk about the experience, because no one would really get it.

I think this is why Reunions and the various Alumnai Associations are so important. You crave being around other Princetonians so you can interact with people who have this understanding. It's a matter of seeing that you weren't the only person who had to go through hell and back. It's about knowing that every person in the P-Rade is a tough SOB, because they graduated from there. It's about knowing that they're family.

I think the hardest thing about this is knowing that this particular post is not doing Princeton justice. It's more complictated than I've made it sound. There are subtle nuances that I'm not able to capture. I also know that this probably just sounds like an elitist post. I guess I'm damned if I do, and damned if I don't. *shrugs*

Life and Times

So I'm done. Finished. Finito. God this feels good. It seems like just a short time ago that I was a freshman. Man, just four years ago, I was graduating from High School. Now, in just over a week, I'm going to be graduating from Princeton University.

So, last Thursday was my last final. What was the class? Rock and Roll. I know, I know, doesn't sound tough, but it actually required a little bit of review. I wanted to finish strong, so I was definetly getting my rock on. I felt good about the exam (the first identification was Jimi Hendrix's Purple Haze).

After that, it was to campus, and then my room to take care of some stuff before picking up my beer jacket. For those of you don't go to Princeton, a beer jacket is a long standing tradition here at Princeton.

Essentially, a beer jacket is a jacket that the senior class designs and then wears at the end of their senior year. It started back in the day when seniors used to design beer suits to drink in, as to not get their cloths dirty. So now, every year, the senior class creates a beer jacket and they are given to all of the seniors.

Now, I know that the jacket might be seen as a bit hidious. But that's kind of the point. The beer jacket is supposed to be two things. A proper carrier of a six pack of beer (via the pockets); and it's supposed to be so tacky it can only be worn in Princeton. It's part of the fun.

So Thursday, after taking my last final, I picked up my jacket, and at that moment, I really felt like I was there. It was great. Picking up the beer jackets was also a treat, just to see the seniors converge on one place and to see them all just kind of chill.

So I finished finals. I finished reading period. I finishe my last semester. God this feels good. Now on to reunions and graduation.

Life and Times

I'm DONE. Capital DONE. No more school. That is all, I'll post more later.

Life and Times

Wow, it’s the last week of my senior year, and I’m just finding time to write to my blog on Wednesday. When people tell you your fleeting moments of Senior year are easy, they are lying. I have not had any “easy” times this week. Just a lot of work. *shrugs*

To begin, I have been working on my graphics final project for the past couple of days. Graphics has been long, it’s had really sucky moments, and it’s had good moments. This project has been a little of both to this point. I have spent a shit-ton of time working on this project over the past couple of days, including my last all-nighter as an undergraduate. Nothing says fun like being in the MechE machine shop for over eleven hours. But, not all has sucked. For the first time in my life, my code produces something that isn’t on screen, but in the physical world. When I can get digital images of the final object, I’ll put it on the site.

So I have two more days of school. Today, and tomorrow. That’s it. Then I’m Done (note the capital D). I’m soooo looking forward to this being done. The past couple of weeks have reminded me that I’m glad about this. It’s really funny. Right after I get very sentimental about leaving, I’m promptly reminded about how much I’m ready to go. Usually this prompting comes from either papers, tests, or projects.

For example, last Thursday night was the Computer Science Department Senior Banquet. It was awesome. I spent the evening talking with other senior CS majors and professors. I was reminded of how awesome the department and the people of the department Princeton are. I was reminded again when Milton and I were walking to the street. I was going to Campus to get study materials, he was going to Ivy for the DiSiac – BodyHype keg race. On our way there, we ran into DiSiac, who invited me to go. That was cool (especially since I did tech work for them for just one week). Unfortunately, I had a final the next day. So I didn’t go out. I didn’t party. I just went and looked over history. Yay….

So I’m ready to go. I won’t be in about four days, when I’m actually finished. But until then, I’m ready to go. Like, ready to go, NOW.

In other news, my summer is beginning to take shape. Or at least the plans are. As you can see from my schedule, it’s going to be a fun and busy summer. And yes, that start date is correct. I’m heading off to Seattle on the 6th. That’s a bit scary. That’s like saying, “My adult life begins…HERE.” A little unnerving, but hey, it’s a part of life.

Ok, that’s enough for now. I have to study for my final tomorrow. I want to finish strong. At least it’s for Rock ‘n Roll so I’m going to be ok. But I need to study, regardless. Alright everyone, I’m out.

Life and Times

And my last Dean's Date is over. It's weird, though, this has been the hardest Dean's Date for me. Mainly because I was only partially into the papers I was writing and being a senior, I'm just tired of it all. At least it's over.

I did go out, however, and actually had a pretty decent time. Nicole didn't go out because she had an exam the next day at 8:30, but i still had a fun time without her. I spent most of my time at Campus, although I did make appearances at two other clubs. I even broke dance for a bit. It was a fitting last Dean's Date.

So I'm almost done. I'm getting excitied for getting my own place and kind of just being me. I'm looking forward to work. Sigh…how sad is it when you look forward to working. Anyway, i'm out. Gonna try to find a way to get tired so I can sleep. Later all.

Life and Times