For centuries, Princeton has been the political and economic elite that America hates. Princetonians dominate Wall Street, with alumni earning some of Wall Street’s highest salaries. Princeton is far overrepresented in the top 1 percent, where 23 percent of Princeton students end up at the age of 34. Princeton is overrepresented in Congress, too. It’s difficult to name a set of “elites,” and not find a Princeton graduate among them.
This is concerning, because exit polls from the November election demonstrate that Princeton students prioritize neither the working class nor economic issues — we are not just elites, but elitists.
Some Ivy League students with the same concerns about elitism, but perhaps higher faith in the potential for radical change, have called for elite university abolition. Short of this, it’s past time to try to reorient this institution into a tool against elitism by choosing to emphasize the working class and the middle class in our education and our careers.
I’ve noted before that Princeton’s student population is stupid rich — 44.4 percent of us come from the top 10 percent of American households in terms of income. And because of this, Princeton students — future elite decision-makers — are set to be out-of-touch with the average American’s experiences.
In election exit polls this year, students were asked to rate the issues that were “most important” in the 2024 election. 45 percent selected “strengthening the working class,” while just over 42 percent selected “the economy.” Only 28.9 percent of Princeton’s Harris voters, in particular, chose “the economy.” These ratings are wildly out-of-touch with the nation as a whole, where 90 percent of registered voters described the economy as an “extremely” or “very” important issue — and 66 percent selected wealth and income distribution.
Americans are experiencing genuine financial struggle — according to one statistic, over 65 percent of middle-class Americans feel like they are ‘struggling financially.’ Home prices have surged. Groceries are more expensive than ever. But it seems that Princeton students do not care about these struggles, either out of a lack of awareness, or genuine apathy.
Princeton is an engine that currently transforms a few thousand people per year, using incredible academic, career, and financial resources, into influential decision-makers. It should turn them into compassionate and public-minded ones, too. Princeton students can and should become allies of the working class.
We can start these efforts during our time at Princeton, through educating ourselves. We should take classes related to wealth and income inequalities, like Matthew Desmond’s “Poverty, by America” or “Affordable Housing in the United States.” Classes like these are often educational and practical — Desmond’s class has “fieldwork assignments” where students have the chance to learn from the experiences of real communities. With the course load needed to graduate, there’s lots of opportunities for electives — dedicate at least a couple towards the social or economic issues which most Americans face.
Outside of the classroom, there’s opportunities for everyone to get involved. For engineering-oriented people, there’s communities like Engineers Without Borders which work on worldwide infrastructure projects. For pre-meds, there’s tons of global health internships.
After graduation, we must emphasize serving working-class people in our careers. According to the Senior Survey 2024, a whole 34.8 percent of graduating seniors from the Class of 2024 described their postgraduate plans as not “in the nation’s service and the service of humanity.” Even then, it’s not guaranteed that the other 65.2 percent have the working class and middle class in mind.
Students were asked whether their postgraduate plans were “in the nation’s service.” 89 percent of people aspiring to work in the government/politics answered yes, but statistics show that the interests of the bottom 90 percent of Americans will have no statistical impact on these politicians’ decisions. This number was 75 percent for media and publishing, but with the billionaire ownership of media companies, what percentage of these people will speak for the American public, rather than the ultra-rich?
Ideally, Princetonians would not make up a vastly unrepresentative share of decision-makers — people who have not been insulated by the Orange Bubble would be in those roles. That being said, I’m not going to discourage you from starting a business or running for Congress — if you join the fight against elitism and privilege through your actions.
If you’re considering a political career, don’t be like Ted Cruz ’92, who limited his social circle at Harvard Law School to Harvard, Princeton, and Yale students. Connect with folks from outside the Ivies. As Princeton graduates, we will have an inherent privilege because of our degrees. We can’t eliminate that privilege, but we can choose to associate with and learn from a diverse group of people.
There are ways to serve the vast majority of humanity that are low- or middle-income from any set of interests. Those interested in the legal profession could consider being public defenders — a field with a shortage in some areas. Potential educators could look into public schools, where there is again a shortage. Each person can find their own unique path that is consistent with these values.
I do often contemplate whether or not Princeton should be abolished. In an article in the Yale Daily News titled “Abolish Yale,” columnist Caleb Dunson writes that “universities like Yale and Princeton operate under the assumption that only a small group of remarkable people can push humanity forward.” It’s a sentiment that our own president has espoused: Eisgruber told the Atlantic that “the idea of a place like Princeton is that you can identify young people who have extraordinary talent and will benefit from an intensive academic experience.”
It’s an unfair system, built on the uncomfortable idea that Princetonians are an exclusive class of special people who can go on to be condescending “saviors” of the working class.
But perhaps it is inevitable, at least for now, that Princeton will continue to exist, producing some sort of political and economic elite. We are obligated to tear down the walls of this elite, and work to make all people equal. At this moment, educating ourselves about the rest of the nation and world, to the extent that is possible given our insulated circumstances, is a path towards doing so.
Raf Basas (he/him/his) is a first-year student from Elk Grove, Calif. intending to major in English, Politics, or SPIA. He participated in FSI (a program for first-gen/low-income students), which is the best part about Princeton. He can be reached at rb4078[at]princeton.edu or @raf.basas on Instagram.
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