<p>Cobrat,
I think your friends (who are significantly younger than I) are/were in the minority. The school has been very laid back and pretty “crunchy granola” for a while. Sure ther at Vassar. There are some preppies, but they are, IMO, in the minority. I keep in touch as I do alum interviews (just did one and have another scheduled). That is NOT the reputation or experience of most of the coeds (male or female).</p>
<p>One of my good friends is what I call a “preppie reactionary”. She would wear her prep school blazer and HS ring with jeans and tshirts. She now lives on a farm in Wyoming and raises dogs and cattle.</p>
<p>I was just relaying what I heard from Vassar alums who graduated from the late '90s till the mid-'00s. Moreover…even they wouldn’t say that every Vassar classmate was snobby…but there was enough of them to negatively impact some of their social experiences there when they attended. Hopefully, things have changed for the better…</p>
<p>Other than that account, they’d agree with Vassar having similarities to all of the schools you listed except the possible exception of Reed. </p>
<p>To them and from what I’ve seen from Reedies I’ve known…Reed is far too academically intense and the polar-opposite of laid-back. Reedies tend to be much more work hard/play hard…at insanely intense levels than what I’ve heard about Brown or other schools on that list.</p>
<p>How many grads/alums are you speaking of, cobrat? That is just so odd, and is not consistent with the experience of most at Vassar. Maybe (?) it was snobby in the 50s, but certainly not in recent decades.</p>
<p>And schools can be academically intense with a laid back student body as well. I would describe Rice that way.</p>
<p>I described the experiences of several Vassar alums who were all on full/near-full FA-scholarships, attended public schools in poor rural/urban areas, and all happened to be female. None of the male Vassar alums had those issues. </p>
<p>As for schools being academically intense with a laid-back student body…agree with you regarding Rice. </p>
<p>Am skeptical about Reed as every Reedie I’ve known from high school or work tended to fit the work hard/play hard at insane levels…much closer to students at places like UChicago, MIT, etc. </p>
<p>None of the Reedies I’ve known/worked with could be remotely described as laid-back types.</p>
<p>performersmom: Well, pretty much everything about it, not too big you’re just a face in the crowd, not too small you know everyone after 2 weeks. I think Providence is a perfect location, not too big of a city, but big enough that you don’t get bored, Also, close enough to NYC and Boston. + there’s other colleges in the same town, which is good.</p>
<p>I visited originally when I was 10, maybe 9, and I LOVED the campus, which is weird considering, back then, I hated everything older than me (including my sister).
I like the fact that, despite the excellent academics, people still seem to remember to have fun. I love that it’s very cold in the winter, and super hot in the summer, reminds me of SA.</p>
<p>I also love the open curriculum, but that’s a +, when we visited, we were just driving from NYC to Boston, and I made my parents go. I didn’t know about the new curriculum, and when they started talking about it on the tour, it made me fall in love with the school even more !!</p>
<p>How many is “several” cobrat? Is it possible that they may have felt that way at any school they attended? I am defending Vassar becuse that simply sounds quite askew from the vast majority of experiences at Vassar. Sounds more like what one might say about an experience at a school with a greek presence (just as an example-- not making a comment on sororities).</p>
<p>Asked my S about this the other day - he is a Vassar senior on financial aid from a socio-economically mixed public high school. He says not an issue or the predominant culture at all, but that there are some (not a majority by any means) young women who either went to NY prep schools or who are “NY crazed” (his words) and go shopping in NYC often, who are very fashion conscious. He says no one ever knows or cares who is on financial aid, though obviously there are significant differences in people’s experiences/opportunities for things like travel. He now has 4 housemates and has not a clue if any of the others are on financial aid.</p>
<p>Thanks, 2ndtimearound. That makes perfect sense. Yes there are a few preppies, and there are students who jump on the train to NYC (some to shop, some to go to the museums). Your description of your son’s experience is consistent with mine and what I have heard from others. Not saying cobrats few friends didnt feel what they did- I just believe it is unusual and not the norm.</p>
<p>On being judged for fashion choices/not being able to afford high-end fashionable clothes from those preppie NYC shopping trips…heck no in the case of Oberlin and other schools like it. </p>
<p>If anything, the campus culture at my alma mater in the mid-late '90s was such that openly talking about going on such trips would open one up to being judged as “a shallow materialistic person”. Moreover, being judgmental about other’s non-conformist* fashion choices tends to earn one a harsh rebuke…saw that quite a few times within the first few months in college. </p>
<p>Granted, my Obie alum friends and I did hear that hipsterism is really big at our alma mater. However, there’s still the idea that what you wear/how you wear it is the concern of the wearer and no one else’s…unless it is to compliment them on their non-conventionality. </p>
<p>Some of the more curmudgeonly among us have also expressed concern this “hipster trend” is a sign that recent Obie grads/current students are “becoming too square” for their own good. ;)</p>
<ul>
<li>By the standards of mainstream upper/upper-middle class fashion norms…especially those epitomized by NYC high-end fashions.</li>
</ul>
<p>Doubt there are too many fashionistas at Hampshire either, but surely there are other schools where there may be a small subsection of females who are into fashion. </p>
<p>Whatever your friends perceved, that is unfortunate, but it is also very very far from the norm, and to imply otherwise would be unfair, as it is simply not correct.</p>
<p>“Hi. I am currently a freshman in hs, or the equivalent.”
Honey, it is WAY too early to try and “narrow down” your list of colleges. Seriously! You dont even know what country you will be living in next year, or what their educational system is like, etc, etc. Acceptances to top US colleges[ like Brown] , especially for International students, is highly competitive, and is only likely to get more and more competitive as time goes on. When you have your grades from the next 2 years of HS AND your SAT scores- THAT is the time to ask for help with coming up with a more definitive list of colleges to apply to- not now.</p>
<p>Brown has an accepting, balance of life vibe. Some schools I think are similar (but not exact) are Pomona (in Cali), Vassar, Middlebury and William and Mary.</p>
<p>My top choice was Brown and I must say W&M is nothing like Brown. While it is similar in size and academic rigor, the students are not what I would call laid back! Most people are very sweet though! I think that the biggest difference is location! While the east coast is great, the life styles of the people in New York or Providence is very different than the sleep, residential area of Williamsburg, VA…</p>
<p>FWIW, Brown offers its alumni free college counseling for their kids. The Brown person we met with for my D suggested Oberlin, Lewis and Clark in Oregon and McGill as “like Brown.”</p>