<p>Wow. I'm surprised to hear about people being afraid to send their kids to school in New England. There are so many different colleges in and around Boston- it's truly a wonderful city for students. There is the New England Conservatory of Music, The Museum School of Fine Art, Boston College, Boston Univ., Wellesley, Tufts, Simmons, Wheelock, The University of Massachusetts, many other small schools with various leanings such as special education, religious studies ....too many to list! The city is full of museums and places to hear music. Skiing is only an hour or so away and Cape Cod an hour south. Students can fly to Logan Airport and hop on the subway to get to college. Today was a glorious autumn day--football games and people out and about. There is crewing on the Charles River which runs thru the city! People are entitled to their own stereotypes but they may miss out on some wonderful schools.</p>
<p>Ha, ha, enjoy all your posts. I also think it's interesting to say that selective schools value and encourage diversity. There have been so many threads which have discussed just that on C.C., the increasing lack of diversity in many selective (expensive) colleges!!
Fear of New England.............I've been there many times, wonderful place, wonderful people. In general the population seems a little more well- educated.The type of places I go for recreation tend to be frequented by better educated people.(or at least, college educated people.)And I feel pretension there in New England.Someone keyed it right, a look down you nose attitude.I have a fear of this and my children becoming like that. I've been in the business world plenty and my experience is that depending on 'where' one went to college does not get you very far.(except maybe in academia) Risk taking, common sense, being shrewd and able to relate well with others are what help. And having a good positive academic experience even if it involves a preoccupation with the sport teams or parties are important to ones sense of well being, of putting education in perspective. (I know many would disagree!)
I remember once a converstion with a man about New England. He was a former professor and said it has everything to do with the folks who originally settled there. That these particular settlers, the ones who named may of the New England towns, were known to be rather hard driven folks, very sure of their convictions. And these orginal settlers have influenced the atmosphere of the area to this day! I find this interesting.
At any rate, now roast me!!!</p>
<p>Now roast me!!!</p>
<p>backhandgrip you say that 'where' one went to college does not get you very far but "risk taking" and being "able to relate well with others" does!! Perhaps you should listen to yourself. Do you call being afraid to send your kids to college in New England "risk taking." Do you call stereotying New Englands being able to relate well with others? Unbelievable! Remember, if it hadn't been for all those "hard driven" folks in New England, who fought the battles in Lexington and Concord, we very likely wouldn't be the USA.</p>
<p>A lot of folks are mentioning that their kids had regional preferences and mine did too. But when i answered NO to Backhandgrip's original post/question asking if regional stereotypes drove their choice of where to apply, I would still say no. None of their geographic preferences had to do with regional stereotypes. </p>
<p>For D1, her college had to have either a club or varsity alpine ski team. That ruled out most of the south and midwest (ie., Washington U looked good for her but the location would not do with regard to skiing). She did not want to go to school out west due to distance from home (VT). So, that pretty much meant New England or Middle Atlantic states for geographic reasons. </p>
<p>My other daughter did not want to go out west due to distance as well. She pretty much wanted east coast for that reason. Honestly most programs of note in her field are in the east. There are a couple in Florida and Oklahoma but that was too far and she limited her search to the east. It so happens however, that one of her top choices is in Michigan which she was willing to do for the program and it is a two hour plane ride away. Her list goes as far south as PA and as far west as Michigan. </p>
<p>This is simply about having a geographic preference or distance from home and not the same as stereotyping and saying one would not want to go to any school in X region for reasons other than distance but in grouping all said schools into some category. </p>
<p>BHG, I truly think the student body at selective colleges are extremely diverse.....look at their makeup stats....with URM, Asian, international students, and Causasian and it is very diverse (at least at schools my D looked at). </p>
<p>Marite, up here in VT, we have five seasons....fall, winter, mud season, spring, summer!</p>
<p>Susan</p>
<p>There are lots of schools in new england obviously, and it is great to explore other parts of country, but there are also many great schools in other parts of the country and just because someone chooses not to apply to any in New england does not necessarily mean that they have a predjudice against the area anymore than the decision to only apply to schools in new england means that the student is afraid to travel out side of where they grew up.</p>
<p>All of these prejudices sound weirdly superficial to me as criteria for choosing a college. My son has had to narrow his choices dramatically because so few places offer the major he wants. I'm sure he would be only too happy to have the luxury of prefering one kind of weather or politics over another, but we've got to worry about academic programs and money. And even the money will probably have to go out the window, as he knows he'll have to go into debt, most likely, to have any chance of getting what he wants. Are we just living in a different universe?</p>
<p>Ctymom, your son's situation is similar to my D2's situation. She did not get to weigh "Location" that much in her search criteria but had to go where the programs in her field are offered. She did limit geography to one side of the country due to distance from home, but each specific location is not necessarily one she really wants but has to go where that program is offered. </p>
<p>By the way, my first kid also would only go to schools that had her major area of interest and that limited it somewhat but not nearly as much as D2's search. D1 could have a 'size of school' as a criteria and D2 could not because again, there are just a limited amt. of schools that offer the specialized degree she wants.</p>
<p>hopefully most people select colleges based on their field of interest, but sometimes it comes down to a choice of two appropriate schools in two geographically different reasons. At least that's better than ruling out a particular part of the country out of fear.</p>
<p>Curmudgeon -</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Depending on the Texan in question, being from Texas can be cool pretty much anywhere.</p></li>
<li><p>We have four seasons here in SoCal: Drought, Wildfire, Flash Flood, and Earthquake.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Speaking of ruling out parts of the country out of fear, I had a TA at a summer program who flatly refused to come and visit me because she was afraid of NC! That was weird, too, I thought. Fear as a motivator--or, more precisely, inhibitor-- is generally odd to my way of thinking.</p>
<p>"Beware NE schools. They have only 2 seasons and maybe one half: fall, endless winter, and spring that goes by so fast you don't see the flowers bloom before it's time to go home."</p>
<p>Down here we have only 2 seasons and maybe one half, too: spring, endless summer and a autumn that goes by so fast you don't see the leaves change before it's time for them to fall (and football season is finally over).</p>
<p>It is quite possible that the people in New England I was most in contact with just happened to be of the VERY well educated sort. I mean, if name dropping is important, so where does it end? So you work at Harvard, so also, this coffee you use is therefore superior,- it has to be, because you were educated and work at Harvard, -and the nuts you buy at the health food store, these are only the best money can buy also, because they have to be, becuase you work at Harvard . I could just see my family suffering from some kind of inferiority complex because we bought a pair of shoes from K- mart.</p>
<p>Oh, we have 4 seasons here .</p>
<p>I have a great story to tell and this seems like the appropriate thread for it. My daughter's AP Euro teacher, J., a Smith alumnus herself, had a daughter heading off to Smith about 10 years ago. The mother was originally from Texas, her daughter had been raised in California. When they received the roommate notice in the mail, the roommate was from a farm in Northern Vermont and her parents were potters.</p>
<p>This set off all sorts of alarms in J's mind. What type of hippie New England weirdo was her daughter going to be rooming with? She remembered very well what type of people went off to Vermont to become potters when SHE was at Smith in the 60's. So, she arranged for her and her daughter to arrive two days early in Boston. They rented a station wagon and, using the excuse that they would be "helping" the room mate by taking some of her stuff to school for her, headed north to "check out the girl and her family." As J. told me "If she was going to be a problem for my daughter I was going to be at the housing office first thing in the morning using all of my alumni pull to get her switched." It was after dark when they arrived in Boston and got on the road. The trip seemed to take forever, down lots of dark lonely farm roads. </p>
<p>At last, they arrived. The parents seemed very nice, quite like their next door neighbors at home in fact. The two girls went off to talk in the bedroom. The roommate's mother looked at J. and asked if she'd like a glass of wine after her long trip. Sure, said J. The mother came back with the wine and the roommate's parents and J. sat down in the very comfortable, middle class livingroom and just kind of looked at each other for a moment. "We're so RELIEVED to meet you and see that you're NORMAL!" the roommate's mother finally blurted out. "When we heard you were from California, we were so worried! We just didn't know what to expect!"</p>
<p>THe folks I know from NY do admit that one of the first questions they ask upon meeting a new aquaintance is "so, who are your people?". In the west, we are more likely to ask where someone is from, or what do they do. We also had the impression that behavior and attire are more formal "back east", friends from lexington, give the impression that we all act and dress like the Beverly Hillbillies even though they try and hide it.
However I think there are more differences between rural and urban, than in specific parts of the country</p>
<p>Tossing the whole of New England because you imagine a Texan inferiority plague is... silly, BHG--and you don't seem like the silly sort.</p>
<p>I lived and worked in NYC for ten years and the MOST successful (went on to be famous) colleague I knew did his undergrad architecture at University of Houston. Nobody cared that he was Texan, for Pete's sake. There are all kinds of Texans in New York City where--I have to say--I was NEVER asked "Who are your people?" Goodness! The rumours!</p>
<p>My S met a bunch of crazy Texans in his Beijing program this summer. Loved 'em. The Texans figured large in all his "Wild Nights in Beijing" stories. It appears they are all going back to China this summer. Texas kids seem like an adaptable group, a go-along, get-along kind of group. They seem to be able find the 'beach' in New York or China, lol.</p>
<p>Anyway, it depends on the kid. Does your kid like cities--major cultural life as Mini calls it? Well, you cannot beat the Northeast for world class city life--be it Boston or New York or even Philly. Texas might do a lot of things right, but they don't have a city like Boston or New York--not by a long shot. </p>
<p>What a great opportunity for a kid from Texas to experience that electricity and make his own beach! :)</p>
<p>ps Boston is the reason H trumps all the other Ivies, IMHO. New Haven, suburban New Jersey or Cambridge?? Get outta here! there is NO comparison.</p>
<p>OK, so who among people here encouraging BHG to give the Northeast a chance would send their kid to Texas for college without a second thought? Just curious if all those giving BHG advice have been actively encouraging their own kids to look at schools in Texas...or Missisippi...or Wyoming to experience a different part of the country. :)</p>
<br>
<blockquote> <p>But 62% outside the Southeast. (all those "free" states - LOL!)</p> </blockquote>
<br>
<p>Probably closer to 50%. You are forgetting that Virginia, DC, and Maryland suburbs are counted in the Mid-Atlantic.</p>
<p>I think it is almost universal that the largest group of students at any school comes from the surrounding regions. So the largest group at Stanford comes from California. The largest group at a New England school comes from New England/New York. The largest group at a Phila. school comes from the mid-atlantic stretching from NY to DC. The largest group may not be a majority at the nationally ranked schools, but there is almost always a strong regional flavor.</p>
<p>Of course, things tilt a bit to the Northeast and California because thats where the largest concentrations of appropriate socio-economic populations are centered. In other words, California is a large group at Phila. schools, simply because there are so many people in California.</p>
<br>
<blockquote> <p>OK, so who among the Northeasterners here would send their kid to Texas for college without a second thought? Cheers? How about you? </p> </blockquote>
<br>
<p>Not Texas specifically, although I did rave to my daughter about Austin. Unfortunately, the U of Texas was far, far bigger than my daughter's interest -- and, frankly, I don't think going to somebody else's State University is much of a bargain, either from an admissions standpoint OR financially. The only Texas school that might have interested her was Rice and, I couldn't in any good conscience, give her rave reviews of Houston. I felt that both Nashville and Atlanta would be more attractive cities to live for four years. It wasn't Texas; it was Houston.</p>
<p>We did invest quite a bit travelling to schools in North Carolina, Virginia, and Georgia, several of which were on her final list.</p>
<p>Did not give serious consideration to California schools, purely from a logistical standpoint. It's faster to fly to London from Boston than to LA or San Fran, so it didn't make sense unless there was something in a school that could not be found within 1500 miles of home.</p>
<p>She ruled out a number of mid-western schools with her criteria that the weather not be WORSE than we have here north of Boston.</p>
<p>Carolyn--That story is a hoot. S is in VT as I write.</p>
<p>Correction to the NE seasons: there is summer. The students who get to experience it are those who come for summer school and learn that there is no air conditioning in the dorms. As for spring, not only is it short, but most students are holed up in libraries at the time. By the time they come out for some fresh air, lilac season is over.</p>