<p>This is probably the Manhattanite-to-Manhattanite version of "Who Are Your People?"---pegging you to a socio-economic stratum and/or genetic stratum (brains).</p>
<p>Also used in other cities with a high percentage of private schools; ie St Louis.</p>
<p>Curmudgeon:</p>
<p>Three references for his search: 1. USNWR 2. Rand McNally. 3. Expedia. Really.</p>
<p>Unsolicited recruiting mail was Immediately round filed, without review. Solicited information by email only.</p>
<p>He's beginning to think about grad school. Any CC like sites for grad work?</p>
<p>My husband and I had a very strong regional bias. We live in So Calif and said to our kids that they can go anywhere that is NOT within 300 miles of our house. We think there is a definite So Cal bubble and we want our kids to experience something different at least for 4 years.</p>
<p>My D wants a LAC or smaller school, and there really aren't any that are her style in northern Calif. Oxy, Pomona, etc would all be great but are all too close to home. </p>
<p>She's applying in midwest, north east & Va. Most of the schools in the south were too large or had too much of a party school atmopshere. NOTE: If I am missing a nice, southern D 3 LAC or small Univ (under 5000) without a drinking culture, I'd sure like to know about it!!</p>
<p>I was a Calif kid who went to New England. I could not WAIT to get away from home. I picked only schools that were as far as possible from my hometown and still in the USA. I did not even apply to a UC backup. </p>
<p>I loved New England. I loved the weather. The weather complaint always amazes me because the rotten weather is really a problem when you are digging out your own driveways, buying your own heating oil, etc. In college, it's simply wear the right coat & boots on your three block walk to class! How hard can that be? </p>
<p>I did encounter the 'snooty' aspect but I actually thought it was culturally fascinating. Growing up in Ca, I never identified last names with ethnicities, religions, ststus, or wealth. My New England roommate could tell you who was a Rockefeller cousin by marriage, or whose Dad ran Lazard Freres, or whatever... I mean, she was 18 and she knew all this pedigree stuff I had never heard of.</p>
<p>This is a way of thinking in New Eng prep school circles, and I think understanding the oddities of regional mentality and the culture is as valid as experiencing any foreign culture... Plus, this was not (for me) a barrier to having a great time in school and making great friendships. i think in a prestigious school there is a great social leveling that takes place because you are all "the same" intellecutally.</p>
<p>Mattmom, you are correct that only one senator from VT is a Democrat. But as to not lead anyone to think the rest are Republicans, here is the breakdown:
Senator Leahy: Democrat
Senator Jeffords: Independent
Congressman Sanders: Independent</p>
<p>By the way, I have never heard "who are your people" in my 23 years in VT and my 6 in Boston.</p>
<p>Susan</p>
<p>I heard "who are your people" a few times when we first moved to the Main Line 15 years ago, but only at places like the Union League, Merion Cricket Club and similar Philadelphia area institutions--and even then, only from real museum-quality bluebloods. You don't hear anything like that anymore though, not even at those places. But I agree with SBMom, rubbing elbows with the snooty set was (and still is) fascinating, and at times useful.</p>
<p>If the weather is below freezing, even a three block walk is a problem to me! Add to that the lack of daylight & I'm glad I live in Florida. (I can say that now that hurricane season is about over.)</p>
<p>SBMOM;Yeah, that's it, the New England snootiness is actually part of their character, it's part of their make up, it's regional. I would worry it would lead to a keep up with the Jones academic cycle.</p>
<p>Two kids, the first two, did go to school far away and I encoraged it. I talked about how could you not experience another part of this big beautiful country. And what happened? They LIKED it there. And they STAYED there.And now, I have to go visit THEM.And I will not be able to see my grandchildren on a daily/weekly schedule.It's become a problem. And now an entire new philosophy has developed among my husband and myself and that is the second two have to go to college CLOSER to home.My husvband wants to have my sons home for Eagles Games and to rake leaves or shovel snow.Quite frankly I feel sons 3 and 4 will be shortchanged. I think it's very good to go away, far away to college. And I think Reed and Florida Tech, etc., look like a heavenly places. But it's not going to happen THIS time.We are getting older and logistics are too difficult. (and expensive)</p>
<p>Love all your comments. Read them all.</p>
<p>BHG:
Speaking of Eagles games, I can't believe I just saw Donovan do what he did (line up behind the Guard instead of the Center with 20 seconds left in the 1st half, at Washington's 30 yd line.) Ouch.</p>
<p>Ha, Ha, saw that!</p>
<p>That was funny! But, geez with all those guys bending over like that I'm suprised it doesn't happen more often. E-A-G-L-E-S! My DH is just leaving the game and on his way to pick up daughter at friends house after their long drive back from IL. Silly kids left last night around 9:30pm, drove through the night, stopped at PSU to visit friends and finally (!) she's coming home! And back to our regionally scheduled topic......</p>
<p>DDK....the article about the status of women used things such as employment opportunities for women, average yearly salaries, # of women with advanced college degrees, # of women in managerial positions or who owned their own businesses on the plus side. On the minus side were things like # of women living at the poverty level, # of women unemployed or underemployed, # of women with lower levels of education.</p>
<p>carolyn, thanks for the roommate story. I think all of us, no matter where in this country our children go to college will be able to appreciate that one. And, looking at it like that, it all comes down to individual people not whole territories anyway. Many of the students who go to a college are not from that particular part of the country anyway. The person who mentioned that most of the students who attend a given school are from that geographical area was not entirely correct. The biggest group that attends Harvard is from the Mid-Atlantic area, not New England. It depends on the school.</p>
<p>Interesting thread. I always thought the question "Who are your people?" was southern in origin. Heard it all my life growing up in FL (where family history goes back to the 1860's) and from family members in South GA and North GA. Regional differences are enjoyable. Being adventurous, I ventured forth many, many years ago from my sunny home by the water to Atlanta (very separate and different from South GA and North GA which I was acquainted with) and haven't looked back since. I now make sure I do the shopping for the snow blower so that it is a good fit (I do the majority of snow blowing). The region the college is located in has not been a main consideration for my children. Hopefully, they have a broader outlook than I did.</p>
<p>There actually were a few schools in, for example, Minnesota which appealed to my daughter, but we made an agreement that she would go to college within driving distance from Maryland, and there are more than enough that satisfy that requirement. I'll tell y'all a funny story though---she said she wanted to apply to Brown. I told her I wasn't wild about that idea since Massachusetts was as far north as I could see driving; I wasn't ever going to drive as far north as Rhode Island. So, we looked at a map..... I'm sure everybody besides me can figure out what was wrong with my assertion...</p>
<p>Both of my oldest said "not in Texas, not touching Texas." I think it has less to do with regional bias, and more to do with the fact that our high school is huge and sends large amounts of students to many of the in-state schools. The students tend to cling together and thus the experience becomes more of an extention of high school.</p>
<p>I'm really late to this discussion, but I'm going to throw in my 2 cents worth....</p>
<p>I just spent the weekend at the Tour de Tucson in Tucson, Arizona, staying not far from the U of Az campus (enormous, ugly campus, friendly students, home to the only Starbucks in that part of AZ). My DH and I were part of the Team-in-Training group from Washington-Alaska. There were 700 TNT people from all over the country (raised 2.3 MILLION for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, too). One of the other people and I were watching the dancers on the dance floor (at the celebration party after the ride) and trying to pick out where they were from, purely by how they dressed and acted. (To verify, you could follow them back to their table and look at their signs.) We were right almost every time.</p>
<p>After a while, we wondered aloud how people could tell we were from Seattle: quickly, the answer came back from the other side of the table. "Hard to tell, after all, it's too warm for fleece."</p>
<p>I moved away from New England over 12 years ago. The biggest problem I had when moving was having to slow down my speech. EVERYONE said "you must be from the east coast, you talk so fast." Now I go back and feel like I'm boring everyone by talking so slowly. </p>
<p>I have one D at Reed--Pacific Northwest--and one S at MIT. There are real differences between having a kid who drives home on a whim (she has a car) and one who gets strep and is 3000 miles and a $400 plane flight away. It'd be even harder if we didn't have lots of east coast relatives and friends. </p>
<p>When my D was looking, she limited her search to the northeast (PA and north) and the PNW; my son limited his to CalTech and MIT. My D cared a lot about geography--I couldn't persuade her to look at the U of Chicago--and my son cared little.</p>
<p>Boy, I'm very late, but this is fascinating.</p>
<p>First of all, curmudg, you my DD and yours have many similarities of plans, backgrounds, etc (I'm glad mine is one year ahead, becuase your girl will some formidable competition next year, good luck) - she will not take a car, but that's not as much of an issue for her, because she does not like to drive too much. Our problem will be if she goes to Davidson, its just close enough that taking a car makes some sense, but far enough away (tough one day, or 2 day drive, plus going through Atl) to make us worried about her making the drive. I don't think folks up north can appreciate the importance of the transport issue, there is no low cost carrier into our airport, and any flight, other than to Atl, takes at least 3-4 hours out of the day. A fare of $350 or less is a bargain.</p>
<p>Most kids don't go far away for school for a number of very good reasons - cost, maturity/comfort issues, programs and provinciality. Face it, folks we are all much more provincial than we would like to admit, with definite attitudes and prejudices, some based in reality, some not. DD wants exactly what curmudg's D wants - go away (much like Margaret MEad in Samoa) observe the quaint and interesting tribespeople in their own setting, and come home to the South for med school and a lifetime of dinner party conversation about the odd customs of the Yankees when I lived in __________ while going to school. Now I worry that she'll never come home, but she's just beginning to see the ramifications of this decision (What if I meet someone I want to maryy who's from "up there"?)</p>
<br>
<p>Thumper1......how do they measure the status of women in southern states?.....IMHO, women are viewed very differently "down here" as opposed to "up north"......My husband and I both find it disturbing as we have one daughter.. </p>
<br>
<p>BUT this past week there was an article in the newspapers re: the status of women in states (including DC). SC was 50/51 in the area of women's issues....not a very impressive showing (only Mississippi was lower). Her comment "do I really want to go to college in a state where women fare so poorly?" A good question!!<</p>
<p>As a lifelong Southerner, 2nd generation college grad (who Dad was a coal miner and all other antecedents were dirt farmers with the occasional horse thief thrown in) who managed to graduate from med school and get to put in stints as president of our state specialty society and hospital medical staff - I find this laughable (and a little insulting). Yes statistics will show that women are paid poorly everywhere, you can get statistics to say almost anything you want them to say, and education, wages etc are a definite problem in the the South - BUT Thumper, I can assure you your daughter will not be overly repressed or her prospects ruined, although she will be called "ma'am", and young men will open doors for her and open car doors, and if they have come to my house to pick up my daughter, they have to come to the door to say hello and be sized up by her Dad!
Bad manners are very frowned upon down here, as is brusqueness - those are the things that get "Yankees" bad names.
I also thought "Who's your people?" was a Southern thing, although not in an oneupmanship sense - we still genuinely operate as if everyone is related to someone you know, and it is important to figure out that relationship.</p>
<p>"Who's your people?" may be a southern thing, but certainly in New England and Philadelphia they care a lot about how long you've been in the country--from the Mayflower or at least the Revolution--and how you got your money. (I still remember meeting DH's mom for the first time: took her less than 5 minutes to get to the part about being DAR!)</p>
<p>I got such a chuckle from the "Who's your people/" because it brought back so many menories of my father who would ask it of any guy who came to the house (there are 6 girls in my family so we hard the phrase a lot). I still joke about it with my friends as we all have parents from the south although we were all born and raised in NYC.</p>
<p>My daughter is having a wonderful time in New England, she just loves the laid back approach to life, and knowing that the 'biggest crime" was someone staling a carton of cigarettes and a turkey breast. She said they keep trying to convert her into becoming a SOX/Patriots fan, but she is sticking with the Yankees/Jets.</p>
<p>However, </p>
<p>You Know Youre from NYC When:</p>
<p>1.You're 35 years old and don't have a driver's license..
2.You ride in a subway car with no air conditioning just because there are seats available. You and the other three passengers look at each other and know you have pure grit.
3. You take the train home and you know exactly where on The platform the doors will open that will leave you right in front of the exit stairway.
4. You know what a "regular" coffee is
5.It's not Manhattan, it's the "City".
6.You get upset that a cabbie is obeying all the rules of the road
7.You're willing to take in strange people as roommates simply to help pay the rent.
8. There is no North and South. It's uptown or downtown.
9. If you're really from New York you have absolutely no concept of where North and South are.
10.You cross the street anywhere but on the corners and you yell at cars for not respecting the fact.
11.You move 8,000 miles away, spend 10 years learning the Local language and people still know you're from Brooklyn the minute you open your mouth.
12.You return after 10 years and the first foods you want are a "real" pizza and "real" bagel.
13.A 500 square foot apartment is large.
14.Your co-worker commutes 45 minutes by train to a 2,000 square foot house in the suburbs that was the same price as that same 500 square foot apartment of yours that takes only 35 minutes to get to and you think he's a sucker.
15. You know the differences between all the different Ray's Pizzas.
16.You are not under the mistaken impression that any human being would be able to actually understand a P.A. announcement on the subway.
17.You know who Dr. Z is.
18.You have at least 50 menus in your apartment, two thirds of which you have neither ordered from nor even heard of.
19.You wouldn't bother ordering pizza in any other city.
20.You know that off - the - shelf insecticides are just laughing gas to the superior roaches cohabitating with you in the 500 square foot apartment.
21.You get ready to order dinner every night and must choose from the 4 major food groups: Chinese, Italian, Mexican or Indian.
22.You're not in the least bit interested in going to Times Square on New Year's Eve.
23.Your internal is permanently set to know when Alternate Side of the Street parking regulations are in effect.
24.You know what a bodega is.
25.You know how to fold the New York Times in half, vertically, so that you can read it on the subway or bus without knocking off other passenger's hats.
26.Someone bumps into you, and you check for your wallet.
27. You don't even notice the nice lady walking down the road having a perfectly normal conversation with her self.
28.You pay "only" $230 a month to park your car.
29.You cringe at hearing people pronounce Houston St. like the city in Texas
30.The presidential visit is a major traffic jam, not an honor.
31.Film crews on your block annoy you, not excite you. (They take up all the parking spaces!)
32.You can nap on the subway and never miss your stop.
33.You look forward to riding the subway to read the next installment of "Marisol and Julio".
34.The deli guy gives you a straw with any beverage you buy, even if it is beer. </p>
<p>that's why I love NY</p>
<p>Yes, "Who's your people?" is the Southern version of "So...where is your family from?" in old Philly-speak.</p>