The clubs, which are located on or next to Prospect Avenue, primarily serve as dining halls for upperclassmen; during their last two years at Princeton, the majority of students take their meals on the Street. The clubs are more than just places to eat, though. They are smaller communities within the larger Princeton social scene, places where students hang out with their friends or study during the week. The clubs are also the center of Princeton’s party scene. On Thursday and Saturday nights, most clubs on the street are open, either to members and their guests or to any student with a Princeton University ID, featuring live music, DJs and theme parties.
Many students worry about how they will fit into the eating club system if they come to Princeton. Students concerned about finding a place for themselves on the Street should know that the eating clubs represent a wide variety of different groups on campus and that, though some are selective in their membership, there is always enough room in the clubs for everyone that wants to join. Though it can sometimes be difficult for underclassmen to gain access to the clubs, the friendships that you will form with upperclassmen through ordinary campus life will likely form the basis of your experiences on the Street.
The Street is certainly not perfect. The selective, or bicker, clubs have to reject many students that wish to join, leading to hurt feelings and often impeding friends from eating together. People tend to join clubs with their closest friends, sometimes encouraging homogeneity rather than diversity. The cost of being in an eating club is also generally high, significantly exceeding the financial aid credit offered by the University in some cases. Furthermore, parties at the street typically involve alcohol, which can make some students feel uncomfortable.
Keeping these concerns in mind, the eating club system as a whole is an enormous asset to the Princeton community that offers a safe and fun place for students to interact. Both students who join clubs and those that do not see the Street as contributing to social life at Princeton, and both groups find ways to make the Street work for them. In the clubs, many students find the opportunity to be a part of a strong community that can become one of the most important parts of their time at Princeton.
And of course, the best way to find out more about them is to come next year and see for yourself.
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