<p>On today’s college scene, when nationally ranked, selective schools like to recruit students from diverse ethnic backgrounds to diversify their respective student bodies, yes, I was surprised. And hopefully I’ll never get fatalistic enough about stereotypes to simply expect things to be bad.</p>
<p>I seriously considered applying to SBC, but I decided that it was far too conservative for me. It is a typical southern college, not a typical women’s college.</p>
<p>Or a typical southern women’s college.</p>
<p>Oh goodness gracious. I just love “do gooders” out to change the world and colleges they deem lacking in diversity.</p>
<p>If the Board of Trustees wanted to change Sweet Briar, they would do so.</p>
<p>If its not for you, then don’t go there. Its steeped in tradition and if you don’t agree with that tradition, that is your prerogative, but not your right to “change” it.</p>
<p>We’ve had 40 years or more of change and some of it has been successful and some of it has been a disaster. </p>
<p>Sweet Briar, Hollins, Randolph College (which did change and go co-ed), are steeped in tradition. They are not Wellesley nor Smith College and don’t pretend to be. </p>
<p>Uppity Yankees come south and presume that anything remotely conservative and southern and traditional is evil and wrong and needs to be changed. Wrong. </p>
<p>We don’t come up to your schools and presume to change your traditions, no matter how strange we may find your traditions or values. </p>
<p>And yes, I know there are plenty of progressive liberals in the south who have been catalysts for change. </p>
<p>There are plenty of so called liberal colleges in the south to choose from. </p>
<p>But please leave the last vestiges of southern charm and tradition alone. Thank you.</p>
<p>What the heck? I’m no “uppity Yankee”—I’m from Tennessee! I’m just more of a Smith person than a Sweet Briar person. It was my intention to leave “southern charm” alone by not going to Sweet Briar.</p>
<p>What makes Sweet Briar so unique and fun are the traditions. Many girls do participate in them, but not everyone does; you are not required to participate in them, obviously. I don’t understand why these traditions would bother someone so much even though one is not required to participate. Also, Sweet Briar is not that rural; I can be in Charlottesville within 50 minutes and Lynchburg within 15. Many social opportunities are available, including UVa, Hampden-Sydney, Lynchburg College, and Virginia Military Institute, to name a few. As a current student at SBC, I find that the student body is quite diverse; though there are more white girls than other races, the student’s interests are extremely diverse. Unfortunately, the “finishing school” reputation has stayed with SBC. It is not a “finishing school” and women do not try to get their “MRS” degrees here; we are committed to our studies and love learning. I would strongly suggest not believing the stereotypes or rumors that are heard and visit our campus.</p>
<p>And responding to the comment that some girls are over-weight/acne ridden…coming from an all girls’ boarding school to Sweet Briar, I revel in the fact that men were, and are, not around all of the time. It allows one to focus on studies and other endeavors rather than spending potentially large amounts of time focusing on being presentable for the opposite sex. Some girls are naturally larger in size or have difficult acne; it doesn’t mean they are completely disregarding their physical appearance. Girls feel like they can be themselves here.</p>
<p>We visited, and as with all our visits I filled out a report here. It’s a beautiful and isolated campus. My D however really disliked it and didn’t apply. It just didn’t fit what she was looking for.</p>