College: Princeton University

Background: Valedictorian of high school graduating class of 1997, singer, songwriter, actor

Major: Music

Hobbies: Singing for the male a cappelo groups Midnight Voices and the Nassoons, and in a band called The Great Noon, disk jockeying, writing, observing, growing, and sharing positive experiences with friends

Favorite things: Music, his girlfriend, an occasional chocolate bar, The Grateful Dead

Goals: Write books, be in a rock band, compose music, explore the world intellectually to the fullest possible extent

What are Paul's favorite aspects of college?

"The students are what keep me going at college. I love to be around different people and hear their own perspectives on life."

"I love the careful balance every college student must find in order to mix pleasure and a carefree attitude with the seriousness and responsibility of school work."

-What is Paul's least favorite aspect of college?

"Everything at Princeton is really essay oriented. All the work I do, or papers I write, I feel as though I am only doing it for exactly one person and if he or she doesn't like what I have to say then it affects my grades. I mean, as students, we work really hard all year long and learn all this stuff and all we have to show for it at the end of the semester is four letters on a piece of paper. I think the whole system is pretty crappy. But, that's the way its always been done so I guess it's a necessary party of the system in our current society."

-Why is Paul a music major?

"I really would like to write books as well as music, but I wasn't cut out for being an English major. Honestly, I felt some of the classes to be tedious and boring. I had no intention of being a music major and at first was signed up to be a computer science major. But, I enjoy music and find that studying it is quite challenging as well as rewarding. I have to admit though that a lot of it is spoon fed. I mean, part of my studying requires lounging around and just listening to music. How easy!"

"Music theory was my favorite class and a lot of it had to do with my professor. He and I really connected and he was an amazing musician. He composed electric guitar opera concertos. A lot of classes depend on the professors, so my advice to anyone just coming into college is to scope out the best professors before picking your schedules."

-How does Paul like living with a roommate?

"It's pretty much what you make out of the situation. If you learn early on in the year to communicate your objectives and find out your roommate's objectives; then everything works out fine. You really need to be liberal with your space and time and think of your roommate more as a replacement for your brothers and sisters rather than some stranger sharing a room with you. Remember that he or she is the closest person to you at school and that you are both going through the same difficulties. If you realize you're experiencing similar stresses, it's nice to be able to share that misery rather than make each other miserable."

-What is Paul's best advice for new college students?

"I think that going to all of your classes is a major part of developing a good work ethic at school. My advice is to add up all your hours of class per semester and divide it by the tuition you're paying. Once you figure out that each hour of class is worth a couple hundred dollars, you may decide to start going more often."

"I realize this advice can be easier said than done. It's true that developing a good work ethic takes some effort, but it's worth it once you realize that finding a good balance between work and play results in good grades and having a good time."

"I think everyone should pick an area and concentrate on it. It doesn't matter what it is either. It could be artistic or athletic or social or whatever, ranging from writing to partying. As long as you have something you really enjoy doing and can work on improving, it is beneficial to yourself and society."

-Is the transition hard from high school to college?

"I guess I'm not really the best one to be asking about this because most of the people that I talk to say the transition is pretty hard. But for me it was really easy. I had found my long-awaited-for freedom and was able to make the most of my time. Just remember to be who you want to be and not what you think you're supposed to be.

"When you get to college, it is the first time you really realize how much you're taken care of at home. You have to find time to eat and do laundry and be completely independent. At home a lot of stuff is done for you."

"The key is to find yourself a niche where your friends are like you or are like the person you would like to be. Don't just find people you are comfortable with, but if you want to be a better worker then find friends that are really good at studying hard. Don't be afraid to take some chances and meet all different sorts of people."

So, what is Paul doing now?

-This summer Paul built a cabin with his brother in the woods along the Delaware River. He likes to hide behind the big tall Oaks and develop his artistic voice all by himself.

-His current project is to write a book about an average fellow who goes on an M&M picnic (a little picnic to sit and talk and eat M&M's) with a girl and has a wonderful time. He loses her and goes on a long search for this beautiful goddess-like figure and along the way.... -For money, Paul digitizes music and works at a music library.

-Paul's goal for the summer is to represent himself as an artist.

My favorite quote of Paul's - "I would like to sing in a rock and roll band and write books. I think I can do it, because after all, you can do anything you put your mind to."