<p>I wasn’t thinking closed-minded at all.<br>
D just had an interview with a particular southern school where they couldn’t have been more gracious and nice to her, but it was quite evident that she would have stuck out like a sore thumb, and so she concluded it wasn’t the atmosphere for her. It didn’t make these folks closed-minded or not-nice people, it just meant that they inhabited a world in which she might have been extremely uncomfortable.</p>
<p><<it didn’t=“” make=“” these=“” folks=“” closed-minded=“” or=“” not-nice=“” people,=“” it=“” just=“” meant=“” that=“” they=“” inhabited=“” a=“” world=“” in=“” which=“” she=“” might=“” have=“” been=“” extremely=“” uncomfortable.=“”>></it></p>
<p>Just pointing out that this situation could occur with any student at any school in any location.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone, for your thoughts. My d has some of the same interests and concerns as the OP but she has two more years of hs before she has to make a decision. As a frugal family with a strong liberal student from the midwest it’s helpful to read your thoughts.</p>
<p>Just putting my two cents in here - </p>
<p>Anyone who has a child thinking about attending an SEC school should make very clear to their child that the SEC has a huge football tradition. Seriously. If you don’t like football (translated to mean SEC football), you are going to have trouble fitting in. My DS (raised watching Gator football) is attending school up north and sneaks off to his dorm room to watch SEC football. We are Gator fans, but watched together via the phone: the Georgia/LSU game, the Tennessee/Bama game, and the Bama/LSU game. Of course, I watched the UConn/Cinci game last weekend, too. Guess I’m just a college football fan. </p>
<p>Anyway, go on a tour of the college and get a feel for the place. That is going to be the biggest factor in deciding if Ole Miss is right for your DS. </p>
<p>To those who think SEC schools don’t rank - check out UF’s engineering programs. UF is tough to get into because entrance requirements go up each year. Just a few years ago it was the #1 public school for enrolling National Merit Scholars and National Achievement Scholars. And a special thanks to those UF profs who invented Gatorade.</p>
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<p>Yes, I imagine that would be helpful. Thank God my wife can’t!</p>
<p>[Segregationist</a> Tells Ole Miss President to Back Off Student Body - The Paper Trail (usnews.com)](<a href=“http://click.www-mail1.usnews.com/un40/c2.php?USNW/2277026/27346/H/N/V/http://www.usnews.com/blogs/paper-trail/2009/11/6/segregationist-tells-ole-miss-president-to-back-off-student-body.html]Segregationist”>http://click.www-mail1.usnews.com/un40/c2.php?USNW/2277026/27346/H/N/V/http://www.usnews.com/blogs/paper-trail/2009/11/6/segregationist-tells-ole-miss-president-to-back-off-student-body.html)</p>
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<p>You oughta talk to a poster named Hawkette :-).</p>
<p>Somebody call my name…</p>
<p>p’girl,
I don’t know how many SEC schools you’ve visited, but generally speaking I think colmom’s description is pretty accurate (and I love her story about watching the games together over the phone! 
). College sports have a wonderful way of bringing people together and connecting them over long distances. It’s a social benefit of some colleges that is not appreciated by many folks who might just find it enthralling. </p>
<p>To add to colmom’s comments, I agree that SEC sports (and not just football) are a big part of the undergraduate life on nearly all of these campuses. And the good news is that you don’t need to be an expert on the games to have a whopping good time! If you’ve ever attended games in places like The Grove at Ole Miss or seen the happenings in Tuscaloosa or Knoxville or Columbia or Baton Rouge or Athens or…., then you know what I’m talking about. There’s nothing else like it in collegiate life. The needle is off the Fun and Excitement Meter! </p>
<p>Part of the explanation for this passion is that all but one of the SEC schools are state flagships and there typically aren’t large numbers of OOS students on these campuses. Most of the kids grew up with these schools and read about/heard about them in the local media for all of their lives. The biggest exception to the SEC campus domination by athletics theme would be Vanderbilt where it’s probably a function of being much smaller in undergraduate size, having a large non-Southern student population and football teams that can struggle to inspire the student body. Still Vandy gets into the spirit of the SEC and offers a far more active athletic scene than anything at any of the Ivies. But I don’t think that there is much question that Vandy athletic passion pales in comparison to its SEC brethren, particularly in football.</p>
<p>So yes, I agree with colmom that it could be hard for someone to just ignore the visibility of sports at one of these schools, but that doesn’t automatically mean that everyone must participate in order to feel accepted. Think about other colleges with bigtime football reps like Ohio State and U Michigan. Even if they didn’t go to the games, I doubt that many kids on these campuses wouldn’t know on Monday how their school fared in football on the prior Saturday. Not everybody at Ohio State or U Michigan is into sports or football, but they’re still welcomed as part of the student body and they can find their own place on campus and IMO the same would be true at the SEC schools, including Ole Miss.</p>
<p><<and the=“” good=“” news=“” is=“” that=“” you=“” don’t=“” need=“” to=“” be=“” an=“” expert=“” on=“” games=“” have=“” a=“” whopping=“” time!=“” if=“” you’ve=“” ever=“” attended=“” in=“” places=“” like=“” grove=“” at=“” ole=“” miss=“” or=“” seen=“” happenings=“” tuscaloosa=“” knoxville=“” columbia=“” baton=“” rouge=“” athens=“” or….,=“” then=“” know=“” what=“” i’m=“” talking=“” about.=“” there’s=“” nothing=“” else=“” it=“” collegiate=“” life.=“” needle=“” off=“” fun=“” and=“” excitement=“” meter!=“”>></and></p>
<p>I always LOVED going to LSU and Ole Miss football games! They were so much fun. I’ve also been to a TX A&M game (on the alumni side) and that was fun, too. Difference was…I remember having flasks of rum at the Ole Miss/LSU games…but not so at A&M. ;)</p>
<p>One of the reasons my son wants to go to a school with a good, strong marching band program (which usually goes hand-in-hand with a good football program) is that he loves the excitement that surrounds “game day”. Even at his high school, he enjoys being part of a group that is so involved in promoting school spirit and school pride.</p>
<p>For some kids, going to football games during the four years of college is only the beginning. There is an expectation that the team will be followed as an adult for the next forty years. Picking the team therefore becomes an intrinsic part of picking the school, at least as important as any other factor to be considered. We aren’t even in the SEC. The schools we follow are part of the Big 12, ACC, Big East, and Big Ten.</p>
<p>Well, to mantori.suzuki’s question about Ole Miss, I guess he and his son have to determine whether a very strong social expectation that football must be followed and cared about passionately are positives or negatives. Or whether a student body who chose their school for the excitement of following the team and secondarily the academics is a student body he wants to be part of. </p>
<p>Somehow I suspect that wasn’t exactly <em>quite</em> what he was looking for to reassure him about Ole Miss – it seemed just to reinforce the whole stereotype he’s concerned about.</p>
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<p>I have zero dog in the Ole Miss fight. It’s just sort of sad that the responses to mantori.suzuki’s questions weren’t, “Oh, Ole Miss really has a strong student body when it comes to xxxxx …” or “They have some really neat undiscovered programs in xxxxx” or “They offer some neat opportunities in xxxxx”, but they were “oh, you should go there! It’s totes fun at the games!” His son isn’t some slacker, you know. He’s a highly qualified, intelligent, serious student. The Chinese program may indeed be a highly reputable and excellent one, but you aren’t doing the school any favors by talking about how fun the football games are.</p>
<p>I think you are very wrong, Pizzagirl.</p>
<p>I think we showed that the Chinese program and the International program are actually quite good. We didn’t talk about other areas because they didn’t fit into what the OP was asking. I have heard there are some exciting things going on in their engineering program - but that didn’t seem to fit the discussion.</p>
<p>Very honestly - I realize that college is about learning - but there is so much more. It’s a chance to experience new things and to meet people from different backgrounds. And to be part of a campus that has such pride and such school spirit is infectious. And - while it may be hard for folks from the elite NE to understand - MANY of the students who attend Ole Miss represent some of the cream of the crop in terms of southern families. I know many very wealthy, well-connected, established old New Orleans and Mississippi families who have generations of Ole Miss grads. </p>
<p>And while we’re talking (or complaining) about the football program - let’s remember that Ole Miss was where Archie Manning and his sons went! Well, at least 2 out of the 3 sons, not sure about all of them. (I almost wiped out the whole clan many years ago - but that’s another story!)</p>
<p>Because we lived overseas, my son had NO CLUE about high school football. He thought it was stupid when we would visit friends in Houston and all the kids would talk about was football (HS football is VERY big here). He still doesn’t really care about football -but he LOVES the way the band and cheerleaders and dance team add to the excitement of the game. He actually hates it when our team makes a touchdown because he doesn’t like the song they have to play each time - but he knows which songs the fans respond to and he gets a thrill out of playing those. And he loves representing the school by wearing the band uniform.</p>
<p>It is very obvious that you have a bias against the south. Great - stay away - you won’t like it (no matter what). But that doesn’t mean others won’t. College gives students an opportunity to experience new viewpoints, new traditions, and new cultural norms. If you’re open to that - great. If not, then stay with what’s comfortable. It’s really very simple</p>
<p>^^^ Well said, Grcxx3.</p>
<p>To me - choosing to go to a college in different part of the US is very much like choosing to live overseas. </p>
<p>Those who are open-minded enough to get excited about the idea of experiencing different cultures, traditions, food, styles of dress, entertainment, driving patterns, work ethics, etc (even if they are VERY different from what you’re used to) - love it. Those who want it to be just like _______ (fill in the bland for home), hate it. </p>
<p>Oh yeah - and a sense of humor is CRITICAL!!! Without it - you’re toast! ;)</p>
<p>Gathering together Pizzagirl’s posts from this thread, it’s clear she has an agenda. She thinks she’s doing us a favor by subtly putting this school in its “place”. Unfortunately for her, Ole Miss is what it is and doesn’t need to live up to jack. The real issue is you can tell she is looking for people to agree with her anti-Ole Miss culture. Someone was jealous of the cheerleaders in h.s. Chances are that she will return to viciously fight for her life against me, Grcxx3, and whoever else, but there’s nothing to defend. We see it in her posts. Just ignore 'em.</p>
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<p>LOL! Same for me at the Gator games when I went there as an undergrad. Occasionally, it was MY sock that got nominated as the mode of transportation for the flask. Always a moment of tension as I passed through the gates into the stadium. Couldn’t get away with it these days. There’s a reason UF shows up on the “Biggest Party Schools” list each year - usually at the top spot. I don’t know about Ole Miss, but you’d best be into football or the UF campus on game day Saturdays can be unbearable. It is completely taken over by tailgators. </p>
<p>I know there are great football traditions all over the U.S. My point is that SEC football is a universe unto itself. We watch each other’s games, cheer for each other unless you’re playing our home team, etc. Heck, non-SEC cities like Jacksonville, FL, and Atlanta, GA, host big SEC games that are now traditional games for those cities. EVERYONE likes getting in on the fun in the south. (Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating, but SEC football is a big deal, and someone thinking of attending Ole Miss should be prepared for game-day Saturdays on campus. It’s just a reality of going to an SEC school.)</p>
<p>And, yes, sports in general are a big deal in the SEC. Maybe it’s the warm weather, maybe it’s just tradition. I can’t say for sure. Of course, schools all across the U.S. have great sports teams. You don’t have to be into sports to attend an SEC school, but it helps when it comes to making friends quickly. </p>
<p>Just for informational purposes - John Grisham got his law degree at Ole Miss.</p>
<p>I agree about the SEC. I went to a Big 10 school and lived (still do) my school’s basketball team. Then I lived in Texas for 28 years and I thought Big 12 (espec Texas-OU) was a huge, spirited rivalry. When I moved to Tennessee I discovered that I didn’t have a clue what a great athletic conference was all about. I have a daughter in grad school at Vanderbilt, but I cheer for Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia… I just love it all.</p>
<p><<and, yes,=“” sports=“” in=“” general=“” are=“” a=“” big=“” deal=“” the=“” sec.=“” maybe=“” it’s=“” warm=“” weather,=“” just=“” tradition.=“” i=“” can’t=“” say=“” for=“” sure.=“”>></and,></p>
<p>The thing about great football traditions - whether it’s Ole Miss, LSU, Penn State, Notre Dame, Ohio. or USC - it allows EVERYONE to be part of the “team!” It goes beyond all social, economic, and academic boundaries. It unifies the students in a way nothing (other than maybe Duke basketball) can.</p>
<p>I have been on several SEC campuses…UGa, UF, Auburn, Vandy, Bama, USCarolina, UTenn, LSU, and…just today…Miss St. I haven’t been on Ole Miss’ campus.</p>
<p>Miss St had a different feeling than what I’ve felt on the other listed campuses. It clearly had a more “southern” feel. I don’t know if Ole Miss would have a similar feel.</p>
<p>As for SEC football… it’s contagious. When DS1 went to Bama, he didn’t have any real interest in college football (he’s the quiet studious type). But…it didn’t take him long to become happily addicted. I’m glad he has that entertainment outlet. :)</p>
<p>As for those who seem firmly against southern schools…oh well. It’s funny though, the same people who insist that southern schools aren’t “diverse” (which - in my mind - diverse should mean “looks like America”) seem to prefer schools that aren’t perfectly “diverse” either, because those schools have a disproportionate number of their own ethnic and/or political group (high numbers that don’t reflect their true population in America.) But, that doesn’t stop them from insisting that their favorite schools are “diverse” and “better.” LOL</p>