<p>As a parent who has gone through the rigors of helping our daughter apply to BS's--and has learned so much from parents and students on this discussion board--there is one question that is still puzzling. </p>
<p>What is the meaning of "prep"?</p>
<p>This term has been used in both a positive and negative connotation. In fact, we began reconsidering schools we had applied to because of this label (used in a negative way).</p>
<p>I read statements like..."This school is great, but really preppy."
...or "Only preps go there"... or "It's preppy...but in a good way."</p>
<p>ALL OPINIONS WELCOME! Please include specific examples of schools commonly talked about on this board. Thanks!</p>
<p>“Prep” obviously comes from preparatory school. From what I understand, Love Story, by Eric Segal, was where it was first used to describe wealthy students:
Love Story </p>
<p>"In the fall of my senior year, I got into the habit of studying at the Radcliffe library.
Not just to eye the cheese, although I admit that I liked to look. The place was quiet,
nobody knew me, and the reserve books were less in demand. The day before one of
my history hour exams, I still hadn’t gotten around to reading first book on the list, an
endemic Harvard disease, I ambled over to the reserve desk to get one of the tomes
that would bail me out on the morrow. There were two girls working there. One a tall
tennis-anyone type, the other a bespectacled mouse type. I opted for Minnie Four-
Eyes.
“Do you have The Waning of the Middle Ages!”
She shot a glance up at me.
“Do you have your own library?” she asked.
“Listen, Harvard is allowed to use the Radcliffe library.”
“I’m not talking legality, Preppie, I’m talking ethics. You guys have five
million books. We have a few lousy thousand.”
Christ, a superior-being type! The kind who think since the ratio of Radcliffe
to Harvard is five to one, the girls must be five times as smart. I normally cut these
types to ribbons, but just then I badly needed that goddamn book.
“Listen, I need that goddamn book.”
“Wouldja please watch your profanity, Preppie?”
“What makes you so sure I went to prep school?”
“You look stupid and rich,” she said, removing her glasses.
“You’re wrong,” I protested. “I’m actually smart and poor.”
“Oh, no, Preppie. I’m smart and poor.” She was staring straight at me. Her
eyes were brown. Okay, maybe I look rich, but I wouldn’t let some ‘Cliffie—even
one with pretty eyes—call me dumb.
“What the hell makes you so smart?” I asked.
“I wouldn’t go for coffee with you,” she answered.
“Listen—I wouldn’t ask you.”
“That,” she replied, “is what makes you stupid.” </p>
<p>“Preppy” seems to describe the culture of a school–a collective groupthink that comes from the priorities of the students going to a particular school. It’s something beyond statistics–SAT scores, curriculum, matriculation, but maybe has relevance because it speaks to the influences that will surround our kids for the next four years. </p>
<p>apples, I do not think prep is all clothes… For many people, who do not live in “preppy” areas define prep like this… We used to live in Boston (but no “prep” experiences for me, my parents had a combined income of like 22k) and I can tell you the “preps” were usually the fun people…</p>
<p>From what I can tell, preppy people come from families where education is valued. They do not wear super, tight and revealing clothes (I am not condemning wearing “summery” clothes, just some kids in my school literally try to get the most revealing clothes)…</p>
<p>Urban Dictionary offers both a colloquial and a New England view on “prep”.</p>
<p>seriously you are talking about what prep used to be referred to as.
North Jersey Private Day schools are known for their preppiness so seriously don’t question me on preppiness. My school actually has customized vineyard vines bags. Like nothing really beats that.</p>
<p>Preppiness is something you grow up with. I know it is more than clothes even though it is a very important part. It is seriously a life style. I have grown up with it my whole life. So if you want me to go into a long description about preppiness, let me know. I could write an essay on it.</p>