<p>correction: michael kennedy -son of Robert Kennedy Sr</p>
<p>I think it's unfair to say preppies aren't familiar with tragedy. I once overheard a preppy tearfully explain to his friend that his favorite pink polo shirt had been washed so many times that the collar was too limp to stay up.</p>
<p>you guys take things way to literally. </p>
<p>and for what it's worth, I didn't even think of that term myself. I think it came from the Fiske guide describing one of the colleges listed above. Tourguide got it...</p>
<p>ok, now that I have a free minute...</p>
<p>you guys obviously didn't catch the fact that I was alluding to a way that people act. Preppy people really do act like they've never had anything tragic ever happen to them ... this has been affirmed for me at two separate private schools. I do not know about the health status of preppy person A's uncle Fletcher - but I've actually seen this one guy on my hall (named Collar Pop XXX) throw a fit because somebody pulled a joke on him and decided to steal his baby wipes. Yes, baby wipes ... toilet paper just didn't do the trick for him. The RA had to get involved and everything. To this kid, it was a tragedy. To everyone else, a joke.</p>
<p>Okay, so if a school is fit to wear the label "preppy," does that mean over half the kids there are preppy?</p>
<p>One of the more amusing definitions from URBAN DICTIONARY and currently ranked #12 as the best definition of a PREPPY</p>
<p>from the poster at URBAN:</p>
<p>"a lot of these people are right, but a lot are wrong...I'll set the record straight...this definition comes from a TRUE prep-one who has summered in Nantucket for 12 years, and who goes to a top New England boarding school. A prep is usually waspy, but doesn't have to be. Some of the peppiest people I know live "new money" communities like Potomac, MD and Chevy Chase, MD. Preppiness is not just a particular clothing style, it is a lifestyle as well (I know everyone on here says that, but it's true). A preppy guy wears Vineyard Vines boxers, belts, and ties, Patagonia and The North Face fleeces, Birkenstock clogs, Rainbow and Reef flip flops, J Crew pants and critter shorts, Ralph Lauren seersucker/embroidered pants, Brooks Brothers ties and blazers, Ralph Lauren polo and oxford shirts in literally every color, a favorite is lime green with a pink Polo player icon, CK Bradley/CJ Laing/J. McLaughlin/Maax ribbon/needle pointed belts, Tiffany and Co monogrammed money clips and belt buckles, North Face backpacks, Ralph Lauren chino shorts and cable knit cashmere sweaters, LOTS of Lacoste shirts and Lacoste rugbys, Ralph Lauren rugbys, L.L. Bean Boots and moccasins, and Lilly Pulitzer/CJ Laing ties and bathing suits (yeah they're bright and kind of fruity, but that’s the point). Also worn are Sperry topsiders and Barbour jackets. Aviator sunglasses complete the look. Preppy girls dress basically the same as the guys, with some more designer items, like Seven jeans and Gucci sunglasses/horse bit loafers. Preps don’t always pop their collars, as now absolutely everyone is doing it in a vain attempt to be truly preppy. Sweaters are still tied around the neck, but less frequently. Preps would never go to a mall, and if that is the only shopping center near by, then Neimans and Saks are ok. Americana Manhasset is the only acceptable “mall,” if you will.
One thing that irritates me is when snotty Abercrombie wannabe preps call themselves preppy just because they wear a trashy shirt and like pink shorts. That stuff can make someone look put together, but it’s not preppy. Favorite prep activities include hunting, tailgating, playing tennis/lacrosse/sailing/s quash/field hockey. Another prep pastime includes getting drunk on the vodka from Daddy’s liquor cabinet or sneaking some at the club. Preps summer in Maine, Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard, and sometimes travel abroad. Preppy colleges include Princeton, Yale, Harvard, Dartmouth, Trinity, Colorado College, Bowdoin, etc. Preps grow up and marry other female preps who are like them. Preps are really nice, get to know some and you’ll see. They are never snobby, the snobby people are the fake preps who blast rap and drive around in heinous “tricked out” cars and wear Abercrombie, the skankiest brand at the mall. So go to a Dave Matthews or OAR concert, take a trip to Nantucket, or just walk down the street, and you will encounter some really nice preppy people."</p>
<p>same old, same old:</p>
<p>I think for a school to be preppy a guy would have to be able to walk across campus with his collar popped without leaving a trail of snickering non-preppies in his wake.</p>
<p>...or beaten up</p>
<p>... or asked on a date by other males</p>
<p>Thanks guys. Once again, the Ivy Leaguers take the high road.</p>
<p>Personally, does the prep factor influence your college decisions?</p>
<p>it sort of did for me...</p>
<p>one of the several reasons why I transfered out of my previous university was because it was full of spoiled (defining spoiled with the word "entitlement" stuck in there) white preppy kids whose only concern was about partying. There were other reasons as to why I left, but this certainly was one of them. At Cornell, there are certainly preppy kids here as well, though they seem to be much less abundant. </p>
<p>My brother has decided not to apply to Vanderbilt partially because of the "Vandy Image." </p>
<p>It can certainly have its effects on people. I dont suggest basing an entire college decision on the number of "preppy" people there, though it may be something important to consider for some. Preppy people won't affect your academic experience, but they can certainly affect your social experience.</p>
<p>My S considers himself open minded, but can hardly tolerate the thought of dating a girl wearing pearls. Not sure what turns him off so much, but I imagine he thinks preppy = high maintenance. He wants to go to school for a long time and would like the company of a girl without going bankrupt. </p>
<p>What amazes me is that the popped collar could still be fashionable. That was the style around 1980. Could it have gone out and came back? I've never seen Gwenyth Paltrow, Ben Afflect, Johnny Depp, or other such trendsetter wearing popped collars. I don't get out much, but would have suspected preppy was out.</p>
<p>I go to Vandy and nobody pops their collar --- that fad went out three years ago. Also -- "Preps", as a whole, are very friendly. They are well-articulate and respectful at least in my expierence.</p>
<p>I agree with you, having to go to a school full of well-groomed, well-dressed, good-looking, articulate, well-educated, polite students is not as bad as these posters make it out to be.</p>
<p>It must be swell going to go a school "full of" well-groomed, well-dressed, good-looking, articulate, well-educated, polite students if you are. So would the students that are still working on their education (and confidence) who are not good-looking or well-dressed be out of place?</p>
<p>Yeah, the preppy factor has influenced me in my college search, but pretty much the opposite of how other people in this thread have been influenced. If a college does not have a significant number of preppy people, it probably won't be a good fit for me.
I'm applying to Colgate, Vanderbilt, W&L, Villanova, and others. Crossed Trinity off the list bc it's in such a bad area, and others like Middlebury that would be great are too cold for me.</p>
<p>I'm not preppy per se (although some non-preps might think I am) but my HS is very very preppy and the area I live in is very preppy. The preppy people I know are much friendlier than most.. it's basically the non-preppy people who try to act like they are that give the genuine preps that bad reputation.</p>
<p>I visited schools like Wesleyan (because I'm a legacy) and people were not friendly at alll. Maybe it was because I was wearing a polo shirt? My collar was not up (nor is it ever) and I was wearing jeans too, so it's not like I looked that out of place. Besides that, people were basically staring at me the whole time I was there for I don't know what reason...</p>
<p>Also.. I don't know what genuinely preppy people still pop their collars but they're certainly not around here. The only people I've seen pop their collars lately are the Hollister/AF/AE wearing, obnoxious kids.</p>
<p>I guess a few easy questions at least for girls might help determine the "preppy factor": Do the majority of the girls spend time getting ready to go to class? Fussing with clothes, applying makeup,.. or do they roll out of bed and pick up the nearest pair of jeans and sweatshirt and out the door they go.</p>
<p>All 3 of my kids are very preppy, and so are their parents...Maybe it is because we live year round on Cape Cod and mom went to Babson and Dad went to prep school...And all 3 work their tails off in school and community service and have had plenty of bad things happen to them. Big deal... Don't knock it until you try it! I happen to think it looks traditional, clean cut and classic. I've seen a lot worse ways to dress! D1 goes to Conn Coll and fits right in..</p>