<p>Any comments on how a kid from an affluent, progressive, highly-educated, NPR-listening NYC suburb would find life at Ole Miss? Picture a kid who has grown up largely surrounded by people who could have come from Woody Allen movies, from a town with a great library but no cheerleading program - a kid who is, nevertheless, infatuated by the warm weather, the beauty of the campus, the state flagship sports excitement, and a chance to experience a different slice of American life. </p>
<p>This is not an academically elite student, and the student is not motivated by academic reasons. In fact, I think what draws this kid to Ole Miss is that it might offer the state flagship experience to an out-of-stater with SATs around 500, per section -- which is certainly not the case closer to home, at Penn State, UDel, UVA, etc. </p>
<p>I'd like to hear about anyone similarly-situated (probably from suburbs of NYC, Boston, etc.) who went off to Ole Miss or another a state flagship in the deep South. Thanks.</p>
<p>Another state flagship to consider is West Va. You won’t get the warm weather but it has all the other requirements your son is looking for. Some West Virginia natives and many many east coasters.</p>
<p>S1 is a graduate of NC State University. One of his roommates (of three years) was from a suburb of Chicago. There were two other roommates both of whom were good friends of S1’s from high sch. The four of them shared an apt. They were like brothers They loved the Chicago guy and the Chicago guy loved NCSU. Chicago guy went back to Chicago after grad. to work in his family business. Five years after graduation and they all still keep in touch and get together a few times a year.</p>
<p>Woody Allen goes to Ole Miss??? Is the student like Woody Allen, or just the people around the student?</p>
<p>Oxford is a lovely college town, and the literary tradition there is famous and deep. The football culture there is astonishing and should be experienced at least once in a lifetime, if only to see it. </p>
<p>Is this a friendly, it’s so cool you do things differently here, type of kid, or a NYC is the center of the universe and everything else is kind of well… less than kind of kid. My experience of southerners is that if you are willing to be open to them, and if you don’t bring your attitude or judgements with you? They couldn’t be more welcoming.</p>
<p>If he’s a guy? The women down there are about as beautiful as it gets, too. </p>
<p>My D was raised in an affluent, highly educated suburb of Chicago. Not the east coast, but I grew up on the east coast and lived in Manhattan, and I think you could stick our town in Westchester County and it would fit right in. My D isn’t at Ole Miss, but she’s at Alabama and absolutely loves it. She had no problem whatsoever fitting in. One difference between Ole Miss and Alabama that might be significant, though, is the percentage of OOS students. There are kids from all over at Alabama, and my D’s friends are from many different states, some in the south and some not. I don’t think Mississippi has quite as much diversity. That said, I’m sure my D would be thriving regardless, and I’m sure she’d do just fine in Oxford as well.</p>
<p>If the kid himself is intrigued about it, and stays interested after he reads the description in the Fiske guide, sure. It’s not for everybody, but I think the people it’s not for will see that pretty quickly.</p>
<p>I’m an ultra liberal atheist Jew from coastal Southern California who attends the University of Oklahoma, a flagship in the “Buckle of the Bible Belt”. I’ve found most of the students to be pretty normal, and fairly similar to my more academic high school classmates. The only real problem I’ve had with OU’s conservatism is some students’ assumptions that every white domestic student is an evangelical Christian or just needs to hear the word of Christ to become one.</p>
<p>I think the state flagships of Bible Belt states are in general much more accepting than the state at large. A non insignificant portion of students specifically chose the school because it has the reputation of being the most liberal in the state, and thus more open to their lifestyles, sexual preferences, etc. As a result of these students, the student body at large tends to be much more accepting than those at other institutions in the state. One of my lesbian friends transferred from Oklahoma State University to OU because of the more tolerant atmosphere and does not regret the decision. </p>
<p>I think it’s really cool that your son is interested in Ole Miss. If he is at all concerned about being a northeasterner there, what about some of the state schools in Florida? Those tend to have more northeasterners. Also, Arizona State or University of Arizona. </p>
<p>I will also add that one thing I found jarring about transferring to a stereotypical big Southern state school was how utterly segregated the greek system seems to be. My sorority, which admittedly is not traditional, is one of the only ones in the school to have a non trivial number of minority students or students from outside the ethnic group it purports to serve. None of the UCs or Cal State greek systems that I know of are nearly as racially segregated. </p>
<p>We are from a Boston suburb, and my daughter attended University of South Carolina for a year.</p>
<p>Although it wasn’t her cup of tea, there are plenty of out-of-state students who enjoy their four years there.</p>
<p>In the case of South Carolina (and I’m guessing Old Miss falls in the same bucket), you would need to love to go Greek, love football and all that goes with those two things.</p>
<p>My youngest brother, who grew up on the west coast, went to Auburn University. We do have southern roots, so that may have made the difference, but this brother definitely was a fish out of water. He joined a fraternity and loved his time there, but he still talks about the cultural differences, and did not choose to remain in the area after graduation, in spite of a good job offer.</p>
<p>I think if he chooses Ole Miss as a social experiment, as a chance to get to see another culture, he’s going to regret it. Four years is a long time for a chance to experience a different side of Americana. He needs to adjust to the culture, as it is not going to adjust to him, and he’s not going to change things. If the other students wanted to be New Yorkers, they’d go to school in NY. They like it in the south. The sorority girls like wearing their Lilly Pulitzer dresses to football games, like getting dressed up for class, like formal dinners several times per week (and the food is not Kosher).</p>
<p>I’d consider how many aspects of the Ole Miss life would be different - religion, race, music interests, sports teams, financial- and how important each is to the student. I actually live in the south (now, but have lived in every area of the country except Texas) and I would have thought long and hard before sending my child to Ole Miss (she had NO interest in the southern big schools). She’s Chinese but doesn’t consider herself different. She wouldn’t understand when the sororities didn’t invite her to join, when boys couldn’t take her home to meet the parents. She doesn’t want to be special or different, just wants to go to school and not be a token anything. Some kids thrive on being unique or special, but mine does not.</p>
<p>^ Because “affluent, progressive, highly-educated, NPR-listening NYC suburb populated by people from Woody Allen movies” is code for “Jew” and all Jews eat kosher?</p>
<p>52% of Ole Miss students are from out of state, fyi. Alabama, Clemson, South Carolina and Auburn all have big OOS enrollments.</p>
<p>This New Yorker got his education in the South and loved it. Good weather, ultra cheap tuition, low cost of living, pretty girls (and lots of them), nice manners, dressing up for football games and other old school traditions. If you like those things, go for it. </p>
<p>For me, being in the South was like studying abroad – a much more of a broadening experience than if I’d stayed in the NE corridor. You’ll learn new things like how to tie a bow tie, drink bourbon and shag. </p>
<p>Just want to point out that the majority of students at Ole Miss, or any other big Southern flagship, are not members of a greek organization. It is very possible to have an active social life at these schools without going Greek.</p>
<p>I second the suggestion of the University of Arizona if the student ends up disliking Ole Miss but still wants a flagship experience in a warmer state. It’s also easier to reach from NYC if that makes a difference.</p>
<p>Which is so inactive that they didn’t even have services for Yom Kippur or Rosh Hashana. Of course this is largely irrelevant to the OP unless the child is a) Jewish and b) cares about Jewish life.</p>