Preppy/Wealthy-Stereotyped Schools

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hi everyone,</p>

<p>I'm thinking of applying to, among other schools, SMU (Southern Methodist University) and Vanderbilt. </p>

<p>I come from a New England boarding school and my family is affluent, but I don't really like the idea of a college atmosphere that is dominated by wealth and status. </p>

<p>These schools in particular seem to carry that stereotype. Are they really like that? And for these and similar schools (UVA, GWU, GU, etc), how much of a big deal is it really?</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

2

<p>I don't know about Vanderbilt, but stay away from SMU if you're trying to avoid snobby, rich, and superficial students.</p>

3

<p>from what i've heard vandy is very very preppy and wealthy. the southern kind of preppy. same goes to UVA but it's not as bad, more diverse. GWU also has very wealthy students as it is one of the most expensive schools in the country. all of the people i know that go there/going there are rich, snobby kids. if you want a more socio-economically diverse atmosphere look for schools that are generous with financial aid. are you trying to get out of new england?</p>

4

<p>Where I live (Atlanta suburb), Vandy is viewed as a haven for rich, preppy, snobby students. The term "Vander*****" is often used. But honestly, there are people you'll like at any schools. Although UVa is better about this.</p>

5

<p>Two of the measures that are frequently used to judge issues of wealth in the student body are the % of Pell grantees in the student body and the % of students that applied for financial aid. The stereotypes of several of the schools that you mention are, in relation to other Top 50 colleges, moderately supported by the data. However, colleges like Columbia, Wash U, and even Harvard and Yale would appear to have smaller numbers on their campuses. </p>

<p>% of Pell Grantees in student body , College</p>

<p>30% , UCSD
30% , UC Davis
29% , UCLA
27% , UC Berkeley
25% , UC Irvine<br>
25% , UC Santa Barbara
19% , Syracuse
19% , U Texas
19% , U Florida
17% , NYU (06-07)
17% , U Michigan
16% , Case Western
16% , U Rochester
16% , USC
16% , Rensselaer
15% , U Illinois
14% , Dartmouth
14% , Cornell
14% , U North Carolina
14% , SOUTHERN METHODIST
13% , MIT
13% , Caltech
13% , Georgia Tech
12% , Brandeis
12% , Stanford
11% , Emory<br>
11% , VANDERBILT
11% , Columbia
11% , U Chicago
10% , Carnegie Mellon
10% , Northwestern
10% , Brown
10% , Rice
10% , U Wisconsin<br>
9% , Notre Dame
9% , Duke
9% , U Penn
9% , Boston Coll
9% , Johns Hopkins
8% , Lehigh
8% , GEORGETOWN
8% , Tufts
8% , Yale
8% , Princeton
8% , GEORGE WASHINGTON
7% , Wake Forest
7% , W&M
7% , U VIRGINIA
6% , Harvard
5% , Wash U
na , Tulane
na , Penn State
na , U Washington</p>

<p>% of student body that applied for financial aid , College</p>

<p>85% , Rensselaer
77% , Case Western
74% , U Rochester
71% , Syracuse
71% , MIT
69% , NYU (06-07)
69% , Caltech
69% , UC Irvine<br>
69% , UC Davis
66% , UCSD
65% , Notre Dame
65% , UC Santa Barbara
63% , Cornell
63% , U Chicago
61% , Brandeis
61% , Northwestern
61% , Georgia Tech
60% , Dartmouth
60% , U Michigan
60% , U Illinois
59% , UC Berkeley
58% , Lehigh
56% , UCLA
55% , U North Carolina
54% , Carnegie Mellon
54% , VANDERBILT
54% , Stanford
53% , USC
53% , U Texas
52% , Johns Hopkins
52% , Princeton
51% , Rice
50% , Emory<br>
49% , Wake Forest
49% , Boston Coll
49% , Tufts
48% , U Wisconsin<br>
48% , U Florida
47% , Duke
47% , U Penn
47% , Brown
47% , W&M
47% , GEORGE WASHINGTON
46% , GEORGETOWN
45% , Harvard
44% , SOUTHERN METHODIST
42% , Yale
42% , U VIRGINIA
39% , Wash U
37% , Columbia
na , Tulane
na , Penn State
na , U Washington</p>

6

<p>sgtpepper08 - yeah, I am trying to avoid New England a little, partly because I've lived in CT my whole life, partly climate, etc.</p>

7

<p>thank you hawkette- very interesting! Sorry if this is stupid but, what is a Pell grant?</p>

8

<p>Vanderbilt is VERY preppy, partly because it is outrageously expensive.</p>

9

<p>From the US Dept of Education:</p>

<p>The Federal Pell Grant Program provides need-based grants to low-income undergraduate and certain postbaccalaureate students to promote access to postsecondary education. Students may use their grants at any one of approximately 5,400 participating postsecondary institutions. Grant amounts are dependent on: the student's expected family contribution (EFC) (see below); the cost of attendance (as determined by the institution); the student's enrollment status (full-time or part-time); and whether the student attends for a full academic year or less. Students may not receive Federal Pell Grant funds from more than one school at a time. Financial need is determined by the U.S. Department of Education using a standard formula, established by Congress, to evaluate the financial information reported on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and to determine the family EFC. The fundamental elements in this standard formula are the student's income (and assets if the student is independent), the parents' income and assets (if the student is dependent), the family's household size, and the number of family members (excluding parents) attending postsecondary institutions. The EFC is the sum of: (1) a percentage of net income (remaining income after subtracting allowances for basic living expenses and taxes) and (2) a percentage of net assets (assets remaining after subtracting an asset protection allowance). Different assessment rates and allowances are used for dependent students, independent students without dependents, and independent students with dependents. After filing a FAFSA, the student receives a Student Aid Report (SAR), or the institution receives an Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR), which notifies the student if he or she is eligible for a Federal Pell Grant and provides the student's EFC.</p>

10

<p>Isn't CT famous for being a rich, "I have a sailboat", elite state?
SMU CAN get that bad, I have a cousin that goes there( and 'friends' and what not) and my aunt used to teach there . Not everyone is preppy, but the area in which SMU is at (University Park(and Highland Park)...a separate city but when you mail the letter it has to be addressed as 'Dallas') are the wealthiest areas in the DFW metropolitan area.
SMU is a good school... but it has an outrageous price tag, and many of the students ARE preppy and rich... My cousin just finished having a wedding... the cost was like 100k... for a wedding...
Not everyone there is all prepped up, I might put in an application... but the Credentials at UTD (a school that you probably haven't even heard of) are better.... UTD is more selective, and had more of its student make top 10 in their high school classes... more ethnically diverse too...yet not much of a name...
SMU is overly stereotyped, but rightfully so. It's not 'that bad'... but it is 'that bad'.... if you know what I mean... it was intended to be a school where rich people could meet rich people (i think)... but its floating away from that... This might be the new USC in a couple of decades...</p>

11

<p>Preppy vs. Wealthy...which would you most like to avoid?
If you're trying to avoid New England or Southern preppy, then avoid the NESCAC schools and UVA, Washington and Lee, Davidson -- try NYU, GWU, BU etc. because these schools are NOT PREPPY they are WEALTHY student bodies
If you're trying to avoid wealthy students AND you still want a top university...good luck with that :)</p>

12

<p>Again, I am not sure statistics give such a complete picture. Schools like Darmtouth, Michigan, Notre Dame, Princeton, USC and Vaderbilt are fairly "preppy" but the stats above would suggest otherwise.</p>

13

<p>You can find a niche outside that culture at GWU. It's true that shopping and clubbing in Georgetown or Dupont are popular activities, but being in the center city allows you to pursue any number of possibilities. There's no unifying campus activities (like southern football games) that reaffirm the college's preppy status.</p>

14

<p>
[quote]
Vanderbilt is VERY preppy, partly because it is outrageously expensive.

[/quote]
It's only fair to mention that they give great financial aid though. I think they're ranked 11th on U.S. News's Great Schools, Great Prices list.</p>

15

<p>Villanova and Boston College come to mind. Also Pepperdine, U San Diego, Loyola Marymount, Princeton, etc. etc. etc. Princeton most likely the least rich just because of the great FA it gives out....but the eating clubs and such make it uber preppy.</p>

16

<p>I found a better way to describe how a lot of people look at Vanderbilt:</p>

<p>YouTube</a> - FuquaVision - Vandy Partay (Vanderbilt Owen) Tea Partay</p>

<p>lol</p>

17

<p>my point is, a ton of colleges have these stereotypes, but not everyone there fits that description. All of those schools you listed are great, and I'm sure you could find your niche there.</p>

18

<p>^ I agree. Like I said before, there are cool people at any college. One of my very good best friends is going to Vanderbilt... I'm sure she'll find her niche there as well.</p>

19

<p>And anyway, since you come from a boarding school, you'll understand when you visit that schools like USC, Notre Dame, BC aren't truly preppy, they're just wealthy. In very truth, almost no schools are left that are majority preppy because the "way it used to be" where boarding schools sent everyone to HYP or Amherst etc. is no longer and obviously every top-50 LAC/University is not composed entirely of prep school grads.</p>