@pizzagirl - I do not contend that purchasing expensive brands of clothing when cheaper brands will do is “snobby.” If that were so, I myself might be considered “snobby” and I hope (and believe) that I am anything but that!! I used clothing as an example of perceptions in keeping with the line of discussion that had developed about clothing at NU.
My own observations about NU are gleaned from having siblings who attended NU - and I have been on campus recently on several occasions. Again, my impression of the student body is one of high (positive) energy and sparkling wit. No “snobbery” registered on my radar whatsoever.
And…the clothing did not strike me as anything other than kids trying to stay warm…brand blind!
Oh I know prospect - I wasn’t saying YOU said expensive brands of clothing was snobby! I was using your post as a jumping-off point as I often do about the assumption that merely having / owning / wearing expensive clothing (jewelry, handbag, driving an expensive car, etc.) is “snobby” - that’s all!
Oh goodness. I’m sorry people. I really used the wrong word. Okay so CLARIFICATION. I do not care what any one wears at a college. Why would anyone?! You can wear something expensive or get something from the thrift shop I won’t give a crap.
My question was about the atmosphere. I thought I had clarified that in the description. I wanted to know if there was a high concentration of snobby/mean people there because I know at some schools that are more expensive it sometimes happens. Especially if the school is competitive.
Preppy was obviously the wrong word to use. Where I’m from it’s synonymous with snobby, but I guess some people have a different meaning for it? Meaning you dress nice? Sorry for the confusion.
Yeah, I visited, and it can be easy to get that impression. It’s probably a factor of how they fill the classes. A large amount of the seats are filled via Early Decision, and the applicants that are confident in applying ED (and confident that they can pay for NU) probably skew towards wealthier families. So it can look that way, but it’s really not.
You are correct, ED kids tend to be wealthier because you’re locked into whatever financial aid they give you, unless you can prove they’re really off or something has changed. I’m a non-wealthy ED kid, but I knew that I would get enough.
Take this indicator as you will: 40% of NU students are a part of Greek life
from: http://www.northwestern.edu/gogreek/
I wouldn’t say that preppy and Greek life are directly related…I can say, from meeting some students in person and getting the gist from the facebook page, there is a real mix of people. Yes, some want to enjoy Greek life and others will like a post regarding the Northwestern Quidditch team (I think that post got about 20 likes :D) Of course, there will be overlap.