Upon arrival at Princeton, each student is assigned to an ongoing research project under the supervision of a faculty member whose interests seem compatible with those of the student as presented in the student's career statement. As the end of the first year, a student, is free to request reassignment to a different project, and the department will make every attempt to accommodate such a request within the budgets and needs of the various research areas. The work loads associated with the assistantship are such that they do not interfere with a full-time graduate program. In fact, duties required by a research assistantship generally form the basis for the student's thesis. The University provides housing for the majority of graduate students within walking or biking distance of campus.
Rents are reasonable.
The booklet Housing and Cost of Living for Graduate Students describes housing options in detail and is available from the assistant dean of the Graduate School.