<p>S’s friend goes to Macalester. People ask him how he likes going to school in Canada, or that they didn’t know he spoke French.</p>
<p>I vote for QM for first and the Bard college comments from I don’t remember who for seecond place.</p>
<p>And don’t worry about the bands of lesbians traveling in packs; they’ll quit recruiting as soon as they’ve gotten the toaster oven for their suite.
;)</p>
<p>mythmom - I think that’s funny only because when I was looking at colleges, I would say, “oh I’m looking at Carleton, Amherst, and Williams” and people really had no clue where any of them were. Quite amusing, especially when I live only a couple of hours away from both Amherst and Williams. Sounds like your son knows how to take it in stride. :)</p>
<p>Last weekend at a dinner party a good friend of mine made one of these gaffs. A few parents of Jrs were talking about SAT scores and my friend was telling them how well my S did on his SATs. When they asked me where my S was going in the Fall, I told them Univ. of Maryland, and my sweet, well-meaning friend interjected “but he got into some really great schools like Lehigh and Villanova.” (I know the drill – 
& nod!)</p>
<p>reeses – he does and doesn’t care at all. Good luck at Carleton. I know you’ll love it there.</p>
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<p>Reminds me of the time I told some one my brother was going to UCONN Stamford (with an “m”), and he thought I said Stanford. I literally had to repeat that he went to UCONN Stamford multiple times until he understood I was not talking about Stanford.</p>
<p>Northeastmom, that’s why I usually don’t add the LAC to my description of D’s college. “It’s a small school in the Northwest” is usually enough. If they ask another question I say “It’s a great school for her - very strong academics, lots of outdoor activities, friendly atmosphere, no football” Since that’s usually the opposite of what girls around here are looking for, that’s usually the end of the conversation.</p>
<p>Dragonmom, very clever response!</p>
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<p>Why is it that as SOON as someone hears women’s college, they get the urge to make a lesbian comment. Seriously? Do you think every girl there is a lesbian just waiting to recruit more lesbians? Are we going to major in lesbianism(or study of women and gender), join a sports team called the Fighting Lesbians, and then settle down in San Francisco? Also, the only music we can like is Melissa Etheridge, k.d. lang, and Tegan and Sara. On the weekends, we scare men and try to get them to hole up in caves so we won’t have to deal with them. Is this what the rest of the world thinks? Because from the way people talk to me, that’s apparently the only path you can follow at a women’s college.</p>
<p>I love how people try to correct our pronounciation of D’s college’s name. Elon University is pronounced EE-lon. Not eh-LAHN. Elan is a French word. </p>
<p>Seriously, once a kid has visited a college twice, is accepted and is attending there, please accept that the kid and their parent might know better than you how the name is pronounced.</p>
<p>Smiling and nodding…</p>
<p>But no one knows how to spell Rensselaer - even half the kids who apply!</p>
<p>Back when S1 was applying to schools I ran into a nosey parent from his old elementary school. She asked if S. had any colleges in mind, and I told her he had fallen in love with Tufts. She immediately blurted out, “But it’s so Jewish!” If she had anything else to say after that I don’t recall.</p>
<p>Well, at least it’s not overrun by roving bands of Jewish lesbians.</p>
<p>Sheeeesh</p>
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<p>Indeed! I’m not too far from there myself. I have been to Albany and Richmond plenty of times…though actually, I don’t think I’ve ever really gone to Pittsburg. But I will be heading to Pittsburgh 
</p>
<p>And if that isn’t confusing enough, we have both Richmond (a nearby city) and the Richmond (an area)!</p>
<p>One of my kids went to U of Arizona. We live on the east coast. I can’t admit how many times I heard, “Boy, she must REALLY hate you.” </p>
<p>Another kid was accepted to Wesleyan. “That’s all girls, right?” </p>
<p>Same kid was accepted to Bowdoin. “I told the parents of my kindergarteners’ classmate and they said it’s a really good school.” I guess it wasn’t enough when I said it was a good school. </p>
<p>Kid was accepted to Vassar. Ivy league alum relative: “Oh, I don’t like that school.” Me: “Why not?” Response: “Oh, I just don’t think it sounds like a very good school.” (What part doesn’t <em>sound</em> like a good school? The first syllable or the second?) </p>
<p>Kid got a B in a class at a state school. Same Ivy League Alum: “Oh, I guess they shouldn’t major in that. They must not be very good at it.” Me: “It’s a very hard subject.” IvyLeague Alum: “Yes, but a B at a state school is like a D or an F at a good school.”</p>
<p>But my favorites was when my kid said he wanted to study international relations and work for the government. Someone said, “Oh, I didn’t know you wanted to be poor.”</p>
<p>I will join the weather comments: she is going from CA to Chicago.
It is cold in Chicago …
Answer: really??</p>
<p>
Who breached security? You weren’t supposed to have been given the memo until you actually showed up on campus.</p>
<p>D (HS class of '09), going from California to Indiana, also got weather comments. I was amazed at how many apparently intelligent people said – as if this hadn’t occurred to us: “You know, it’s cold there.”</p>
<p>But perhaps because she chose an obscure LAC half a continent away, the most common reaction was:</p>
<p>“Oh.”</p>
<p>Them : So where is GA D going again?
Me: Amherst
Them: Blank stare
Me: It’s in MA
Them: Hmmm…never heard of it.
Me: It’s a small Liberal Arts College
Them: How small?
Me: About 1700 students
Them: Oh, a junior college.
Me: Uh…yeah.
Them: Couldn’t she get into UGA?</p>