Yo, Pre-frosh! Don't Know What to Buy? Look Here!

Ah, spring.  Shakespeare once penned that spring is here "when daisies pied, and violets blue, And lady-smocks all silver-white, Do paint the meadows with delight." Lovely, isn't it? But, see, here at Princeton the signs of spring revolve not around daisies and violets and all things allergy-inducing but rather around the following: weird bugs, skaters, and ... the pre-frosh. With college admissions decisions coming out in about a month, confused looking high schoolers are starting to wander around our lovely campus in droves.  And they bring with them -- in addition to print-out maps of the campus and Hunter boots -- the desire to stock up on Princeton apparel.

To proudly wear to school the day after admissions decisions come out or to be tossed into the bottom of a litter box or the family cage of gerbils -- no matter the future fate of these articles of clothing, to the Princeton clothing stores, they say!

According to Donna Diederich, sales clerk at Landau's, it's easy to identify the pre-frosh. "They usually purchase more than one of an item -- two sweatshirts or two t-shirts and something for the parent."

"You can really tell by the level of enthusiasm," she continued. "They are usually very, very enthusiatic and they usually have parents with them, who are beaming brighter than the sun."

So, in honor of our favorite people for whom obnoxious orange clothing is a novelty, let's tally the permutations of Princetonness that can be clad on a human body.

We've got your headwear:

Aaaand your belt:

And you'll definitely be needing a sweater!

Your ... toesocks!

And, naturally, your tail.

While it is amusing to see the pre-frosh clad from head-to-toe in orange, well, at least the Harvard sweatshirt that they came to campus in is now at the bottom of an overly packed suitcase. [Why do they do that?  It's like selling your soul and displaying it for the world to see, or something.]

Photos courtesy of Landau's and the Official Princeton University Store.