<p>I am wondering which colleges have the most atmosphere of prestige and tradition. When I think of college traditions (nice campus, fancy buildings, special rites of passage, etc.) I think most of places like Princeton or maybe Yale. I was wondering which colleges have the atmosphere of lots of legacy and tradition, especially ones which carry on to newer students</p>
<p>From what ive gathered so far, USC has alot. I'm going there and I've gotten tons of stuff like that from them</p>
<p>If you're willing to look substantially below the top tier and don't mind a lack of diversity, look into Texas A&M. It is very rich in tradition.</p>
<p>Princeton, Vanderbilt</p>
<p>Dartmouth is practically synonymous with tradition. Check out a whole wikipedia article on it: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dartmouth_College_traditions%5B/url%5D">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dartmouth_College_traditions</a></p>
<p>Washington and Lee</p>
<p>Most Ivy League schools have senses of tradition, other private schools like Stanford and Duke probably do moreso because of sports as they are younger</p>
<p>I'm surprised no one has mentioned it, but Notre Dame has incredible traditions and school spirit. It's also an awesome school.</p>
<p>Princeton. Its alumni have a cult-like (in the best way possible) devotion to Old Nassau.</p>
<p>I'd say Yale 'cause of the secret groups there. Oxford is another one...</p>
<p>Berkeley's Bowles Hall alone has enough traditions to get a mention here. Other than Ivy League schools, any large but decent public/private school will have enough tradition to be mentioned.</p>
<p>Service Academies.</p>
<p>Texas A&M University hands down, no competition
PS I am going to Princeton, they have GREAT traditions and very loyal alumni...but A&M has the most tradition, end of question</p>
<p>In no particular order:</p>
<p>Brown University
College of William & Mary
Columbia University
Cornell University
Dartmouth College
Georgetown University
Harvard University
Princeton University
United States Military Academy
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
University of Notre Dame
University of Pennsylvania
University of Virginia
Yale University</p>
<p>I can't really speak for other colleges, but I can tell you about UVa. We're absolutely steeped in tradition. </p>
<p>For example, we call our campus "grounds", and instead of freshmen or sophomores, etc, we're first-years, second-years, etc, because Thomas Jefferson believed learning was a lifelong process and that nobody should ever have the distinction of being a "senior". The historic lawn rooms, designed by Jefferson himself, are reserved for select fourth-years who've made the greatest contribution to the school. We don't call our professors "Professor", we call them Mr. and Ms. out of respect for Mr. Jefferson who refused to be called by a title.</p>
<p>We have a ton of secret societies, mainly IMP, the Z society, and most famously, the 7 Society, which every year gives a gift of $7777.77 to the incoming first-years. When I toured, my tour guide told a story about how he really wanted to be tapped by the 7 society, and one day he found an envelope taped to his door that told him to go to Kroeger's at 7PM and look beyond a case of 7-up in aisle 7, but he refused to tell us what he found there and wouldn't tell us if he'd been tapped. (The 7 society only reveals its members upon their deaths, when a bell is rung 7 times across grounds.) </p>
<p>Another of our famous traditions is streaking the lawn, which you can see someone doing practically every night. The idea is to get all the way down the lawn to the Homer statue and looking through it to try to see the Rotunda and then run back. </p>
<p>Let's see...we also like to dress up for football games, a uniquely Southern tradition, though some people prefer the Sea of Orange which is the body-paint type of fantaticism. Now the bookstore sells orange sundresses and orange ties so you can do both, which I like. :) We sing the Good Ol' Song at every touchdown, which is a really awesome song that has this crazy chant at the end and always gets me pumped. Every year in June there's Beach Week (self explanatory) and there's Foxfields, a fun, fancy, and very Southern horse-racing event that's very very popular. </p>
<p>In October we have the Film Festival, which is a GREAT opportunity, and in December, right before Christmas, the lawn is decorated in hundreds of strands of gorgeous white Christmas lights in a ceremony called the Lighting of the Lawn.</p>
<p>There are even more, but I can't think of them all. :) I adore UVa's sense of tradition, it's a major part of why I chose to go there. The history, the relationship to Jefferson, the fact that we're a tourist destination and you can always see people walking around and taking family pictures on the lawn or in front of the Rotunda...it's just amazing and I really feel like I'm part of the original plan Jefferson designed. I feel like I'm a part of history! I love it.</p>
<p>Sewanee - The University of the South</p>
<p>Students with a particular GPA wear academic gowns to classes.</p>
<p>is it too much of a generalization to assume that the oldest schools would have the most traditions?</p>
<p>Texas A&M...there are so many traditions there I don't know how anyone keeps up with them all.</p>
<p>If you are female, I have heard that Bryn Mawr has tons of traditions.</p>
<p>A&M wins this you guys....nothing else compares.</p>