Colleges with a similar "preppy" feel to Harvard and Princeton

DEFINITELY Boston College. It’s gorgeous, too

Wake Forest is extremely preppy/fratty

Political stances of the students (in general) don’t really tend to affect me, but schools like Vassar and Reed probably reach the spectrum of “too liberal” without the preppy vibe (i.e. hippy granola types…California without the nice weather). I’m probably more of a libertarian/independent, but can tolerate anyone from a communist to a fascist. That’s kind of what is attractive about schools like Amherst, PTon, H, Dartmouth, etc. Essentially, they’re Berkeley but more expensive.

Would anyone classify Providence as a “safety” school for most? I believe they have ~65% acceptance rate.

Providence is a safety for an A- student. It is not a safety for a B+ student. Coming from the right Catholic high school might make it a safety for more students.

Providence is a preppy school for sure.

Bates is very liberal, arty, and has exactly ZERO frats and sororities. They are very tolerant of LGBT. They are super Eco-friendly, going so far as to allegedly fine studetns who don’t recycle properly. They were one of the first colleges to admit women and African Americans. They have a much higher percentage of students with FA than nearby Bowdoin and Colby, both of which are preppy. Maybe at one time Bates was preppy, but having visited and done a ton of research, I definitely do not think it is a largely preppy school at all. If it was, my kid wouldn’t have applied there:-)

Yes, there are a lot of white kids there, but that is partly because it is all the way up in Lewiston, Maine. And they work very hard to attract URM and international kids. In fact, our tour guide was Pakistani, and he loves it there. Bates also works to have a good relationship with the significant Somalian community.

This is getting into semantics, but @codemachine what is your definition of preppy?

I have to vehemently disagree with the poster who maintains that hockey is an indicator of preppiness.

In my mind, a preppy school:

-Has a large amount of students from preparatory high schools (specifically Hill, Andover, Exeter, if possible)
-Located in New England (not mandatory, but I have noticed that schools with similar preppiness to the Ivies are located close to Ivies, or have a New England vibe to them)
-Preferably, a good debate team (not a preppy indicator just something I’m interested in)
-Undergraduate focus (if possible)
-Basically a school a Bush or Kennedy would consider (if not to go to Harvard or Yale)

This definition is personal and just what comes to mind. It’s not to elevate social status (if that’s what you thought by the last ‘-’), but just a type of college I think about when I think of “college”, not a state school.

Good definition @codemachine. Perhaps the only criteria on your list that Bates has is an excellent debate team, and undergrad focus, (but that is true of every LAC in the country.) If you peruse niche or Uni go (websites which CC will obscure if I write the names properly) you can read excellent and honest student reviews about the colleges you are interested in. In fact, I was just on Uni go looking at Bates, and the word that came up the most by far was hippy, followed closely by granola, ha! Bates is NOT a preppy school, even if it is in New England.

I think you should look at Quinnipiac as a good safety or match, depending on your grades. You will surely get fantastic merit aid. And also, has Trinity College in CT been mentioned yet? VERY preppy, but also a good school with nice football player tour guides:-)

@GnocchiB Really? In the east hockey is very much associated with elite private high schools and accordingly preppy eastern colleges. Exceptions sure…

Many of the schools perennially found on the prep lists are in the South- Elon, Sewanee, Hampden-Sydney, College of Charleston, UVA, Vanderbilt, Washington and Lee, Duke, William and Mary. Virginia and the Carolinas seem to be the hot spot for preppiness. Many of the northern schools have done away with frats and sororities.

I have a daughter at Bates with friends at COC and Washington and Lee. She would say both of those schools are considerably more preppy than her school.

Bates has a strong debate team and a lot of kids from prep schools but as Lindagaf points out, has a very egalitarian history. I’d say it’s less preppy than Colby or Bowdoin, which themselves are not overly preppy, although all three are well respected in the prep school world, as are all the NESCACs. If you’re look specifically at NE LACs I’d say Trinity is reputed to be among the preppiest.

Lacrosse, field hockey, crew, fencing, yes. Hockey, not so much. There are plenty of blue collar hockey teams out there. Those kids just don’t play through school.

Colgate
Bucknell
Dartmouth

Cornell has an excellent history department. It has its preppies. But Cornell has everything, every conceivable type.

Tulane is not at all preppy.

I’m trying to do more research into Amherst, as it has piqued my interest. I understand that it is a liberal arts college, but how does it compare to Harvard, Princeton, Cornell, etc. in terms of preppiness and even prestige? Would you say their neck-and-neck, or is Amherst a more reasonable goal ED to a student ranked 20-30 than Princeton SCEA?

Class rank is a minor consideration on its own. Many high schools don’t even release rankings.

What are your stats? GPA and test scores

Well, that’s an interesting story. ATM, I hold a 3.93 UW, ~4.2 W as a sophomore. I am currently taking an advanced chemistry course known for its rigor and there is a chance I could end the year with a ‘C’, leaving me with ~3.8 UW and ~4.0 W? Historically, although a ‘C’ could be a death sentence, my school does a good job of emphasizing that I should not be discriminated against because I kept course rigor and stayed with the class. There is also a good chance I will take the SAT II Subject Test in Chem to try and counteract to show that I learned the right way, despite attaining a grade that is “average”. I also would have another year to get that GPA up, hoping for a 3.9 UW, assuming I do get a ‘C’, which I am trying to avoid at all costs.

The kids who tend to rank in the top 10 or 20 are science kids and can get into top Ivies easily (3 of my senior friends ranked 2, 6, and 15 were accepted to Princeton as BME concentrators) and do well in that course, but as you know, I am more geared towards Govt and History. Rank is based on W GPA, and that is the only one reported to colleges. Needless to say, my school takes care of me.

The only “test score” I have is a 1080 on the latest PSAT (eh, I know) but I still have another year + the SAT and SAT II’s.

I think the most attractive part of my application will be my EC’s, particularly with dedication. My school has been in talks to “abolish” our ranking system, which I don’t mind. It’s just one more meaningless number that shows how you compare to people with dissimilar interests in different classes.

@codemachine , no one gets into an Ivy easily. No one. I think you should consider the ACT. The SAT is new and untested. No one can even tutor you properly on it yet, as only College Board actually knows what will really be on the test. Maybe your school has always done SAT, but I guarantee you next year MANY more kids will take ACT. The ACT is not easier, but at least it is a known quantity right now. If yiu are looking at Amherst, Williams, HYP, etc…you want to get 32 or higher on your ACT ideally. Many kids perform much better on one test or the other. Do not assume your SAT score will get you into those schools. I strongly urge you to take a practice ACT test. You can find a free one if you go on the blog called Prep Scholar. They have free links to real ACT tests. Do one over this long weekend, and start prepping this summer. Your junior year will be busy.
Good ECs are important at top schools, but without the grades and test scores, you won’t even get to the gate. Consider a tutor or extra help for your chem class, you have the rest of the school year to bring that grade up.

I don’t have an opposition to the ACT, but I have heard that some colleges prefer the SAT, although I agree about it being untested and with possible flaws. Is there any truth to the fact that the SAT could be considered a more accurate measure than the ACT?

I’m not counting on a ‘C’, I’m just saying it’s possible. I have many friends in NHS who have offered to help, so I’ll be asking them definitely. I will definitely look into it. Thanks!

No, that’s a myth. It may have been true 25 years ago, when the ACT was the midwestern test for large state schools and the SAT was the test for coastal privates, but no longer.

That’s good to know, @Pizzagirl. Which has a more generous curve, would you say?

Based on my observations on tours last year I’d say Univ. of Richmond, UVA, Wake Forest and Elon were preppy. William and Mary is not preppy - it’s more quirky and a little nerdy, in a good way.

Haven’t visited but have heard Washington and Lee and Hampton Sydney are known for being preppy as well.