We send a bunch of kids to Colgate every year (and all the other Patriot League schools) from our preppy, rich, white, liberal school. All seem to enjoy it just fine.
1 Like
Yes, the puckered lip kiss face selfies and bikini pics are posted by the accepted students to all colleges. Does anyone else find this totally strange and somewhat narcissistic? I would have been horrified showing bikini pictures of myself to a bunch of strangers when I was a teen. Maybe we can post pictures of parents of accepted students in bikinis and speedos - that would horrify the teens- lol.
18 Likes
This generation is used to taking selfies of themselves dozens if not hundreds of times a day for Snapchat and other social media sites. I think it has made them desensitized to sharing things that our generation would never have been comfortable having some junior processing technician at the labs that processed our film photos see.
7 Likes
Lol so true! You had to wait days and then realize you got doubles of terrible pictures.
3 Likes
Very true. Itās still really weird and narcissistic.
2 Likes
I donāt understand why they post sexy bikini shots in roommate ads on Instagram. It seems like they are looking for a hook up not a roommate.
5 Likes
Argh. I joined a few of the Instagram colllege X Class of 2025 and on some of the posts, I had to check in with my Millennial sister and Gen Z D24. āAm I old or is this not the first impression that someone should make?!ā I wanted to make sure I wasnāt slut shaming any young women but geez. Impressions are still important in the social setting and professional setting. Luckily, the various generations reaffirmed to this Gen Xer that my threshold for what is appropriate first impression is still legit, yet, still open-minded.
9 Likes
I have to confess checking out one school on Instagram. I have a girl too so was not shocked by the bikini photos or puckered lips, though mine does not post those (on the account I follow). I was surprised how many kids wanted to post bathroom photos. Like here is an extra shot of my friend and I goofing off in a public restroom?
1 Like
And then there were two. I think we have it narrowed down to Santa Clara and Colgate. We might be able to find out how serious my son really is about computer science in the next two weeks.
19 Likes
Iāve learned from D21 that I have no clue what pictures are cool to post. I went through it with D19 so I knew there were a lot of bikini and bathroom photos. But this year there are all sorts of new weird photos. The one I really didnāt get was the convenience store photo. My D was showing me some of the pictures she might post and there were some of her inside a convenience store standing in front of the drink cooler and some of her sitting on a curb in the parking lot in front of the bank. I asked why she would pick those, they are so random. Apparently as usual I donāt know what Iām talking about because since then I have seen other girls post similar pictures. 
6 Likes
I have been told by my daughter that I am not allowed to post any photos of her on my social media without her permission, even if I donāt tag her. Clearly I am not picking the right stuff. My son doesnāt really do Facebook so he hasnāt shut me down yet.
3 Likes
Hah, she doesnāt mind if I post once in a while but if she knows I am going to post something she usually asks to approve it first. I donāt tag either girl because they donāt really use FB, they only made accounts for the college roommate search.
Fwiw, Iām in the Northeast & colgate has a pretty preppy reputation. Definitely a fundamentally conservative institution, but many universities are. That said, I know several left of center young adults who are happy there. But it does track much more conservative than, say, Hamilton and it is not that diverse.
I know very little about UCSC, but 100% remote would be a deal breaker for me even the possibility.
As for SCU, Iāll tell you next week after we visit. But my fear is that it has a tech-bro feel.
2 Likes
LOL ātech-broā
What is a tech bro feel?
Iāve been fascinated by the Instagram pages. Looks like a dating site, except for girls only because I rarely see boys post. My didnāt D21 ask me to, but I told her I would back off on browsing in case she decides to post herself. There is a point where I donāt want to know too much. The g string bikini photos make me sad. I feel like on a roommate searching page you donāt need to be almost naked.
12 Likes
Itās amazing to me how difficult the college pricing models make the choices - someone is doing a āgoodā job there LOL - the number-crunching enrollment management consultants? We have some clear āwinnersā on price but that come up short in other ways, and now we weigh the differences in value vs cost, even though there is the privilege that all the choices are, technically, affordable. And thereās no single, obvious, correct choice - it all depends on the individual perspective. Annoyed, 15 days to go! Or is it 16ā¦ who here thinks they will be literally depositing on May 1 ?
Snowy made the comment and it struck me as funny. But I am assuming Silicon-Valley-bro, which I probably cannot adequately guess or describe.
Iām one of THOSE, who havenāt joined IG or FB, but do you find thatās the case with the schools our kids are looking at here on the West Coast? D showed me a little of her college choice and I didnāt see anything like bikini shots, but I didnāt get an extensive look.
We saw SCU pre-pandemic on a school day. I would guess more laid back Californian vibe than Colgate. Very happy and friendly students. Very comfortable and supportive. Not sure how tech-bro in the Engineering School so let me know what you think. My h went to Colgate so itās difficult for me to compare. Iād imagine itās a bit more formal and diverse geographically (not racially). Perhaps the students are a bit more academic-minded? I think my son could swing either way - moderately athletic, not a skateboarder or preppy, but more outdoorsy. SCU is the clear winner for CS so he needs to think about major. Natural science he might be better off at Colgate.
UCSC figured out that they had better put out a statement so emailed still not guaranteeing housing but freshman would have some priority. Itās still pretty vague but they said they will tell you by late May and they talk about triples so must be leaning toward pretty full capacity. UCSC definitely has an overall tolerance vibe that I personally like.