We asked the Class of 2022 to tell us about their lives beyond the classroom: they answered questions about drug use, daily routines, coffee habits, and sexual history. These questions offer us a window into the everyday lives of Princeton’s graduating class, helping us better understand the culture that drives our friends, teammates, and coworkers. Below, explore the data that Nassau Hall does not collect.
A majority of seniors indicated that they start their days at 9 a.m or later. Once awake, A.B. students tend to drink more coffee than B.S.E. students (an average of 5.5 cups a week versus 4). Over the course of a week, students in the natural sciences out-study their peers, reporting an average of 32.1 weekly hours of academics outside of class. Students in the humanities, conversely, worked just under 23 hours a week.
When breaking bread, co-op members were happiest with their dining plan selection — 97 percent indicated that they are “satisfied” or “somewhat satisfied” with their dining. University meal plan holders were the least satisfied with their dining plan — as were vegans.
Over one-third of senior respondents play Wordle, the daily web-based word game, every day. Approximately one-fourth of seniors never play. 21.9 percent of seniors have owned cryptocurrency, and most respondents (53.3 percent) have never called the Princeton University Department of Public Safety (PSAFE) for any reason.
Almost half of respondents participated in bicker. At 13.5 percent, Tower Club represented the largest portion of seniors responding to the survey while Cottage Club was the least-represented club at just 3.2 percent. 26.9 percent of respondents never joined any eating club.
The six bicker clubs come in pairs: students in one club were noticeably more likely to bicker one club than any other. For instance, 27.3 percent of Tiger Inn members bickered Ivy Club and 35 percent of Ivy members bickered Tiger Inn. This phenomenon holds true for Cap & Gown Club and Tower, and Cottage and Cannon Club. The last pair is the most extreme – nearly 44 percent of Cottage members also bickered Cannon.
Just under 60 percent of respondents have pursued mental health counseling or therapy, while 75 percent have considered it. Nearly half of seniors received treatment from the University’s Counseling and Psychological Services, compared with 35.1 percent who saw professionals outside of the campus system. 23.8 percent of respondents did both. A.B. students were more likely to have seen a therapist than their B.S.E. peers and a majority of students from all income brackets also sought counseling.
Rates of alcohol consumption in the senior class are above national figures, with just over half of respondents (50.5 percent) reporting that they drink at least once a week. 13.5 percent report that they never drink alcohol. 6.3 percent of legacy students abstain from alcohol entirely, compared to 14.8 percent of their non-legacy peers.
36.6 percent of respondents report that they ingest marijuana at least once a semester, 4.6 percent report using non-prescribed medication to aid in academic performance or concentration, and 7.7 percent indicated that they have experience with hard drugs.
69.6 percent of the class reported that they have had sex, and of that group, roughly half had sex for the first time while enrolled at the University. 100 percent of respondents from Tiger Inn reported having had sex, compared to 60 percent of those at Colonial Club. Over half of seniors reported being in a relationship of some variety — while 2.2 percent of respondents are engaged or married, and for another 6.6 percent, “it’s complicated.”
In a finding which holds consistent from the ‘Prince’ Frosh Survey, far more recruited athletes (85.7 percent) have had sex than their non-recruited peers (67.7 percent). However, while incoming A.B. first-years were more likely to have had sex than incoming B.S.E.s, the two degrees graduate in the same place — 69.6 percent and 69.7 percent, respectively.