Berkley Center

The first question the older curious gentlemen asked me was “What’s the difference between you and them?” Confused by the question I asked the gentleman, who was an aide to the Mayor, to explain what he meant. He said that the Princeton University Preparatory Program graduates more than 95 percent of its students from high school and almost 90 percent go on to 4-year colleges and universities. Trenton Central High School, on the other hand, graduates less than half of its students from high school and sends only 15 percent to 4-year colleges and universities. So what’s the difference between you and them?

With all the seriousness and sincerity one could muster I said “ten miles.” Ten miles is the difference between the students that are fortunate enough to make the journey from Trenton to Princeton as participants in the 3-year preparatory program. At the end of the ten miles is where we can see why there is a drastic difference in success rates. In Trenton, I sat in classes with 30 to 35 students. In Princeton, I learned in state of the art classrooms with 15 engaged students, a professor, and 2 teaching assistants. My incoming freshmen class in Trenton was over 1,500 kids. Only 200 were academically eligible to apply for PUPP. The program spends $10,000 for every student who participates so only 15 students were accepted. In Trenton, I had to share books with other students but in Princeton we were given supplies and materials to conduct experiments at home. At Princeton we attended famous plays and operas and in Trenton students were still cautious about attending sporting events because of a shooting after a basketball game a year before. In Princeton, we traveled the country on a college tour and in Trenton the school brought the local community college and Army in to discuss future plans for its most successful students.

As one of my mentors eloquently put it, “In Princeton students are educated to use summer as a verb and noun but in Trenton it’s just the season after spring.” The difference between me and them is that I was lucky enough to receive an excellent education through the program. Ten miles is the distance that separates the two worlds with one showing the potential that comes with a quality education and the other illuminating the pain of a substandard education.