<p>You guys give the best advice, so that's why i'm posting this here.</p>
<p>I applied to LACs in New ENgland and the Midwest. what about the environment is different in NE and the midwest. i've heard that at colby bates and bowdoin that there is more preppiness(sp?)/entitlement/richness, then at say carleton or macalester. are these allegations true? </p>
<p>i haven't visited the maine schools, and likely won't even if i get in because i have to be in school to prepare for IB tests (CRAP), but i would still like to consider them if i do get in.</p>
<p>I haven't been to Carleton or Macalester. But I have spent some time at Bates and know a number of kids who have attended. I would not characterize the environment as preppy. Even in Maine, I think Colby is considered the "preppiest" of the three; otoh, one of the artsiest/quirkiest kids I ever knew went there.</p>
<p>I think you should discount such broad stereotypes and visit any school that accepts you and continues to interest you before making a choice. Decide for yourself.</p>
<p>The only kid I know at Colby is about as unpreppy as you can get. The only kids I knew at Bowdoin were originally from the midwest. That said, I do think that people from the midwest tend to be somewhat less reserved than New Englanders.</p>
<p>I'm from Missouri. I've spent time in Washington, DC and at the University of Virginia.</p>
<p>I noticed a very distinct difference between the Midwest and the East Coast, but each had its benefits. I personally would not choose a school based solely on its geographic location because there are so many different types of people on every campus--if you want to surround yourself with prepsters, you can. If you want jocks, they're there too. Same goes for geeks, Greeks, and daddy's girls. </p>
<p>Do you plan on spending a lot of time off campus in whatever town is nearby? You could probably get a better feel for the area by going to the surrounding cities/towns/etc than you will on campus. College campuses are pretty atypical when you think of the grand scheme of things: it's pretty rare to find a group of 10,000-30,000 people, all generally the same age, and all actively pursuing one common goal (getting an education). The surrounding areas will tell you a lot more about what you're getting yourself into.</p>
<p>But for what it's worth, I chose Midwest. I do not regret my decision at all!</p>
<p>DC and UVA have nothing in common with New England, be it culture, weather or appearance. Indeed, in many ways, DC and UVA are further from either the midwest or New England than the midwest and New England are from each other. Take my word for it: grew up in the midwest, lived in New England for a long time and now live in DC.</p>
<p>That said, keep in mind that the culture of individual schools within a geographic region varies quite a bit too. For instance, Colgate (often considered new england) is quite different from Bates, just as Oberlin is quite different from Carleton.</p>
<p>Each region, and each college, has its charms. Focus on fit, not geography...</p>
<p>Just generally, to me there is a similarity in people from the Northeast corridor (including DC and the suburbs-particularly the Maryland suburbs) that tends to be different from people here in the Midwest.
Chicago is my adopted city and I am fond of the people here and Midwesterners generally. They seem more down-to-earth and less superficial and materialistic than Easterners are.
My DS and DD have gone "back east" to schools in New Hampshire and New Jersey. They come back to Chicago on visits and are ready to diss the place as "Midwestern" and not cool. They have been quick to become "Eastern Elitists", in my way of thinking. Oh well.
Campuses that draw a majority of their students from a particular region of the country can't help but reflect their region, IMO. That said, there are a range of schools that seem preppier than others and more "alternate" than others across regions. I think the OP is correct in his or her perceptions.</p>
<p>Wow, thank you all so much for your responses! </p>
<p>I would just like to clarify, that i know carleton and macalester and bowdoin, bates, and colby all have wonderful academic reputations. I am positive that i will receive a world class education at any of these schools. </p>
<p>I asked the question of the atmosphere of the schools to gague wether or not the New England schools could be a good social fit for me. I can't take time off this april to visit, i planned poorly in the fall when i should have visted all of the schools. </p>
<p>I am a very no frills type of gal. i wear no name jeans and t-shirts every day. i want to be in a school where my classmates (and friends!) would still accept me if i rolled out of bed, put on some sweats and went to class. i enjoy rolling down hills, walking, making snow angels, and reading. i want my future classmates to value their education, a lot. </p>
<p>Macalester came off the list today because i decided i didn't want to be in a city. </p>
<p>Thank you soo much for you insights! </p>
<p>I do have another, rather unrelated question that maybe you can answer. Both of my parents went to Carleton and i feel like being a legacy pushed me into the accept group. i'm scared that if i choose to go to carleton i will not be as prepared as other students are because they got in based solely on their merits. should i be worried?</p>
<p>No. You shouldn't be worried. Even though legacies are accepted at a higher rate, it is unusual, unless your family is very wealthy, for them to be significantly less qualified than other students.</p>
<p>kristin5792, could you please elaborate on the differences between the Midwest and DC? As I'm likely going to end up moving from my home in the former to college in the later, I personally would greatly appreciate it :)</p>
<p>DC is a midatlantic state, a place where the north meets the south. Saying that, there are big differences even within the region between NoVA and Maryland/Montgomery County. Maryland tends to be more liberal politically, and more oriented to the north, whereas NoVa is truly the gateway to Virginia proper, a true southern state.</p>
<p>Based on my observations, working 2 blocks from the white house, in DC you are far more likely during the summer to run into interns from Duke, Vandy, UVA, Clemson, Wake Forest and such than interns from the Yales, U Mich etc. Women and men both tend to dress up.</p>
<p>While the college scene is not an exact parallel, Georgetown tends to be very preppy (you can pick out the coeds a block away). GWU students tend to be a bit more diverse. (their campus is starts two blocks from my office )</p>
<p>DC is not a great college town in the traditional sense, but offers unparalleled opportunity for kids interested in things related to government, politics and global issues, given the huge number of NGOs and the World Bank here, among others.</p>
<p>How this contrasts with the Midwest is hard to say, because the midwest itself is quite diverse - how do you compare Chicago to Minneapolis to Iowa?</p>
<p>woohoo, Maine is an extremely down to earth place. This is the land of LL Bean, not the land of Prada. I can't begin to tell you how different it is here from the NYC metropolitan area, for example. Materialistic? Hah! This is one of the least materialistic, most independent-minded areas you can imagine. I live about 20 miles from both Bates and Bowdoin.</p>
<p>I have been told by an independent college counselor (who is a Bowdoin grad) and by a school GC that they view Bates as favoring a somewhat quirkier type of student than Bowdoin, and accomodating a wider range of people. I know many graduates of both schools, spanning several generations (people in their 80s down to twenty-somethings), and I would find it hard to make a generalization about either set of grads, other than to say that they are all bright and many of them are very socially aware and active in their communities. In terms of kids I know who are attending or have applied, I'd say that the more impressive group chose Bowdoin--but that's a small sample. </p>
<p>Physically, I prefer the appearance and location of Bowdoin. Bowdoin is in Brunswick, which is a lovely NE town. Bates is more redbrick, and is located in Lewiston/Auburn, a "twin cities" pair of faded mill towns. Bates' location doesn't do much for me.</p>
<p>Colby, I really don't know much about, except that I have always thought of it as being perhaps a bit lower in the pecking order than the other two. I've never been to Waterville.</p>
<p>Maine? Plenty down-to-earth with lots of people with modest, even seasonal incomes. Bowdoin, Bates and Colby? Not so much. Check out the percentage of students whose families pay full freight approaching $50,000 each year.
According to USN&WR, 57% at Bowdoin, 63% at Bates, and 65% at Colby.</p>
<p>danas, you said that there was a similarity among people all along the "northeast corridor." I'd suggest that someone from a Maryland suburb is a lot more likely to be similar to someone from Birmingham, Michigan that they are like someone from Yarmouth, Maine.</p>
<p>woohoo, one thing the president of Carleton has always told incoming students is that they belong at Carleton - meaning they accept students who will thrive academically there. There's no question Carleton is a laid-back, relaxed kind of place. I'm pretty sure my daughter has rolled out of bed wearing sweats and fuzzy slippers to class. When she visited, she told me that she could have worked to fit in at any of the colleges where she was accepted, but Carleton fit her as she is.</p>
<p>"Maine? Plenty down-to-earth with lots of people with modest, even seasonal incomes. Bowdoin, Bates and Colby? Not so much. "</p>
<p>THis is exactly what kind of pushes me away from Maine (schools). My mom said the same thing to me when i decided to apply in NE. </p>
<p>Eeeekk!! this whole deciding where to go to college is so difficult! i feel like this is some massive decision and i won't know if i chose correctly until next year! although, maybe it is for nothing, i haven't been accepted to bowdoin, bates, or colby yet. </p>
<p>the lesson of the story is: don't apply to ten schools. stupid decision on my part. </p>
<p>Thanks again, your advice is much appreciated.</p>
<p>woohoo, I went to Wellesley, which some people think of as an enclave of pearl-wearing rich girls, and most of us rolled out of bed in the morning, picked up whatever was lying on the floor, put it on, and went to class. (And yeah, many of us t-shirts and jeans-wearing sloths were upper-middle-class.) We went to the dining hall in slippers and so on. We had a tea in each dorm living room on Wednesday afternoons. It was a very nice ritual--and most people sat on the floor in their jeans</p>
<p>Now, if you looked at BU back in those days, you'd see comparatively dressed up girls wearing makeup. (Had to look good for the boys?) In Back Bay, they called the day BU students arrived "Cadillac Sunday." </p>
<p>But which school has more of a reputation for being hoity-toity?</p>
<p>Carleton costs just as much as Bowdoin, and Carleton is a) need aware, and b) to my knowledge gives less financial aid. Which place do you think is going to have the more financially-diverse student body? Frankly, you won't find many kids whose parents are seasonal blueberry pickers at ANY elite LAC. In terms of the Maine schools, I have the feeling that Bates might be more of a fit for you. If I had to choose between Bates and Carleton, I'd pick Carleton. </p>
<p>I would really take the stereotypes with a LARGE grain of salt. If you do get in and have to make a choice, VISIT. :) Good luck!</p>