A Note to Applicants about the "Preppy Northeast, LACs, and Privates"

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I feel the whole extremely preppy factor has been over-exaggerated on CC. I orginally-resided in Oakland,CA. If I had listened to that common review without visiting, every nearly every Northeastern LAC would be off my list.</p>

<p>I mean, visit the school and see for yourself. It will all depend on the crowd you are with, but judging clothing and income doesn't really indicate the mantality and level-headedness of the student body. </p>

<p>To address some school I often hear mentioned...people have continuously referred to LACs like Amherst, Wellesley, Colgate and elite privates likeEmory, and Stanford as preppy and rich. So what exactly does that mean...</p>

<p>I grew up at Stanford, and there is no overall tone of the student body on campus and if always depended on the people you associated with at where you were. In one-corner, the black greek life (Alpha's!) will dominate, while another side can be athletes on overdrive, another corner can be World Asia, and on the other end could be the J Crew, but then their are thousands between that don't even clique into a category except for individuality.</p>

<p>After growing up at Stanford, staying at Emory & Colgate, living by Wellesley, attending Amherst I can tell you that all the schools followed that general pattern and the notion of complete preppy, popped collar, rich white university was blown way out of proportion.</p>

<p>Just note that this pigeon-holed categorization does not tell you squat about the social climate of the campus. It can range from rich people be level-headed to self-centered egotistical to philanthropic to simply flaunting and throwing dollars in the sky.</p>

<p>You need to visit to judge. Don't eliminate based on this one quote. Being black-latino and, even the most diverse and best rated private institutions for African-Americans recieved this same "preppy" review. I say take these comments lightly and with a grain of salt.</p>

2

<p>Actually I have found that a lot of the northeastern LAC's are somewhat antiprep. Middlebury is known for being "granola" and some schools like Vassar and Wesleyan are quite Hippie. Other LAC's like Amherst are known for being more prep.</p>

<p>Bottom line, generealizations are nevre completely accurate and all of the schools are diferent in their own ways.</p>

3

<p>I go to Wellesley, and I rarely find "hippie." Lots of pearls, juicy, sevens, etc. People here have money and aren't afraid to show it.</p>

<p>People would also rather go shopping than hiking....</p>

4

<p>Being Latino, I can tell you first-hand that most immigrants do not know LACs, or even get the concept. Hence they discourage their children from attending a school that 'will give you little job prospects'. I can see how blacks and whites from lower socioeconomic status also have this mindset, the result is most liberal arts colleges are attended by well-to-do whites or well-to-do minorities. Thus the preppy stereotype.</p>

5

<p>Why do your parents feel that an LAC would "give you little job prospects?"</p>

6

<p>LAC's are said to give little job prospects because they offer few professional majors that are meant to train you for a specific job. Mostly they just make you really smart and you major in a "liberal art" such as English, language, philosophy, history etc.</p>

<p>Not to say that you can't get a job right out of a liberal arts school, but they usually don't train you for anything specific.</p>

7

<p>Camus23, is Wellesley preppy across the board? Were you at the Wellesley "Exquisite" Fashion Show? There were a good 5 to 600 Wellesley girls that I would deem not preppy, but homegrown and down to earth. Need to verify, then ask Ethos...</p>

<p>Disregarding them, Ethos, and the Asians, do you really each day think "wow, these ares some private schooled daddy's girls? Then what is your notion of preppy?</p>

8

<p>I also go to Wellesley and while there are women who wear pearls, sevens, heels, juicy, ect. to class, I would say that there are more women who are showing up to class still in sweatpants and t-shirts on a regular basis. It doesn't feel all that preppy to me.</p>

9

<p>As far as LAC's go, some people feel that its a luxury to be reading Camus, when their kids could be learning something practical like "exercise science" where they could go right out after graduation and start doing what they learned in college. Its just a different mindset. I'm big on liberal arts myself, but I meet parents at my kids' school who feel otherwise.</p>

10

<p>When I went to prep school (a hundred years ago) all of that juicy and heels business would;ve been considered kind of princess-y. Is that what Preppy is now? I thought it was jeans, popped collars and shetland sweaters, no?</p>

11

<p>
[quote]
LAC's are said to give little job prospects because they offer few professional majors that are meant to train you for a specific job. Mostly they just make you really smart and you major in a "liberal art" such as English, language, philosophy, history etc.</p>

<p>Not to say that you can't get a job right out of a liberal arts school, but they usually don't train you for anything specific.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>This is exactly how my parents feel when I tell them about a small, LAC in MA or something. I am still trying to convince them, but hey, I'm the one applying, so I can choose what I want. I just want them to adapt a different point of view. The same can be said for many other parents..</p>

<p>And is it just because someone is rich they are "preppy"? I thought something like A&Fitch described a preppy look. I need to brush up on my teenage labels.</p>

12

<p>Nyriki, you might try to find a LAC that has a very strong mentor and internship program. It shouldn't be hard. Show your parents what you've found. A liberal arts education combined with good internship participation is a great first resume. Example: my husband works in sports. He said he wouldn't hire someone with any sort of specialised sports management degree. He said he only hires liberal arts degrees because he feels they have proven writing and critical thinking skills...even for sports! Good luck! (ps I got my first job in investment banking specifically because I'd done an internship in banking senior year.....with a psychology degree!)</p>

13

<p>Also, explain to your parents that top LACs are among the best in graduating student into top grad programs.</p>

<p>By any chance, which LACs are you looking at?</p>

14

<p>Regarding job prospects at LACs, look at their websites. Most of them say something about where their graduates get jobs. I think you would be surprised at the companies they end up in. Many company recruiters know that these kids are taught how to think critically and would be an asset to them. It is a very narrow thinking that college should prepare you for a specific job upon graduation. What if that industry has a major change due to macro external factors? What are you skilled to do then? Read books about what is going on in the world (I will recommend Thomas Friedman's "The World is Flat") and you will realize that your professional life will go through many changes and the best way to be prepared for that is a broad education. The critical thinking skills that prepare you for nothing specific will allow you the flexibility to handle a wide range of possibilities.</p>

15

<p>"LAC's are said to give little job prospects because they offer few professional majors that are meant to train you for a specific job. Mostly they just make you really smart and you major in a "liberal art" such as English, language, philosophy, history etc."</p>

<p>Uh, you might explain to your parents that HYP etc. also "offer few professional majors that are meant to train you for a specific job." Sure, some Ivy/Ivy-like schools have business programs (Wharton etc.), and some have engineering (Columbia, JHU, of course MIT, CalTech). But mostly what Ivy/Ivy-like schools offer to undergraduates is -- a liberal arts education.</p>

16

<p>
[quote]
Nyriki, you might try to find a LAC that has a very strong mentor and internship program. It shouldn't be hard. Show your parents what you've found. A liberal arts education combined with good internship participation is a great first resume. Example: my husband works in sports. He said he wouldn't hire someone with any sort of specialised sports management degree. He said he only hires liberal arts degrees because he feels they have proven writing and critical thinking skills...even for sports! Good luck! (ps I got my first job in investment banking specifically because I'd done an internship in banking senior year.....with a psychology degree!)

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Ah, thank you, I'll be sure to mention that. I guess I have to do some more reseach on the internship programs that some of the colleges on my list offer.</p>

<p>Cre8tive1: If you directed that question at me, I am looking at such school like Wesleyan, Dickinson College, and Macelester. Maybe Wellesley College too. :)</p>

17

<p>Nyriki, other schools you might want to consider are Bates and Oberlin. Just curious, why is Dickinson on your list.</p>

18

<p>Well, I'm guessing if Wesleyan and Wellesley are her prospects, then Dickinson would be a very nice match-safety for anyone looking at those schools. Great sciences.</p>

<p>If you're looking at Wellesley, for instance, you can make your case for them to your parents.</p>

<p>1st) Few schools with some many people in high places, have an alumni network as strong and outgoing as Wellesley. You can even ask the Harvard Alum Office about which network they aspire towards.</p>

<p>2nd) If you're looking at graduate school in business or medicine, only a dozen or so school can do better in getting you there than Wellesley, great preparation. In graduating future businesswomen and economists, I'd say, Wellesley cannot be beat. If all else fails in convincing them, use "Hilary Clinton is a Wellesley Girl" as a last resort. (Wellesley girls, don't slap me for that, I know there's much more to your school then that.)</p>

<p>3rd) Tell your parents that Wesleyan reports that approx. 80% of their graduates pursue graduate or professional school within 5 years of graduating.</p>

<p>4th) When it comes to Macalester, that's a hard shell to crack with cross-armed parents that have never heard of the school.</p>

<p>But, bottom line, after all this talking to your parents, if you want to attend a top liberal arts college...it's your education, not theirs. And I'm sure daddy wouldn't decline the hefty financial aid offerings that most all of the Top 20 LACs offer.</p>

19

<p>
[quote]
Well, I'm guessing if Wesleyan and Wellesley are her prospects, then Dickinson would be a very nice match-safety for anyone looking at those schools.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Exactly. Also, I heard they have a pretty good study abroad program.</p>

<p>Alan: Were you thinking that I added Dickinson to my prospective list just because they decided to take a stand and drop out of the U.S News ranking? :) Nah.</p>

<p>Thank you for the advice, cre8tive. I very much appreciate it! :D</p>

20

<p>I would agree with Wesdad. The main distinguishing features of an LAC is no graduate school and smaller class sizes. How is that all limiting in the job market? Unless someone is specifically interested in studying engineering or business, going to Middlebury, Colgate, Wesleyan, Bowdoin is going to be just as helpful as Vanderbilt, JHU, Emory, WUSTL as far as general job prospects are concerned.</p>