<p>My son is a very smart senior, who received a 36 on his ACT. We are looking for great schools that offer full ride scholarships, and U of R is on that list. My son feels uncomfortable applying because he thinks it is way too weird that the students would dress up to go to a football game. He also thinks it to be undesirable that there are too many rich kids attending. Could someone comment? I have also heard that U Of R is not really that great.</p>
<p>Great school - what he’s reacting to is the Southern preppy cultural norm. Same thing at UVA, Wake Forest, W&L, etc. He can get used to it and he can participate or not.</p>
<p>I have a colleague whose son is at U of R on a full ride and having amazing experiences, particularly in doing research with faculty. But if cost is a concern, go ahead and apply to HYP as well. Their aid awards do not follow the FAFSA formula, and they can be cheaper than an in-state public for many students.</p>
<p>Do kids dress up at athletic events at all of these schools listed, and do they dress up at Davidson, Duke, Furman and Vanderbilt too? Is it just a section of kids that dress up, and then the midwesterners dont dress up, because that is just not "-cool " in the midwest?</p>
<p>If your son has a 36 on the ACT and the grades to match in a rigorous program he should be able to do a lot better than the University of Richmond.</p>
<p>Are you looking for full-ride merit scholarships, or need-based aid?</p>
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<p>Definitely not at Duke. The others are culturally Southern schools. Duke, Emory and Tulane are schools that are geographically in the South, but not at all “of” the South.</p>
<p>The “dressing up” is a Greek thing - typically for pledges. Non-greeks unusually do not dress up, nor do the rest of the fans. </p>
<p>I attended 4 home Alabama football games this year, and the majority were not dressed up - at all. The typical outfit consists of a spirit shirt of some sort.</p>
<p>Might look at some northern LAC’ s with good athletics like Holy Cross, Colgate, and Bucknell.</p>
<p>This thread has info about which schools have good merit aid.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/696637-merit-aid-percentage-common-data-set-6.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/696637-merit-aid-percentage-common-data-set-6.html</a></p>
<p>At UVA, it is a tradition for the boys to wear shirts and ties and the girls to wear dresses and pearls to the football games. Just as many students wear tshirts or sweatpants. Most do it for fun and tradition but no one is looked down upon for what they wear (unless it it a Virginia Tech shirt!).</p>
<p>The idea of dressing up for a football game is foreign to me, as a northerner / midwesterner – to me, a football game calls for warm, sweatshirty clothing, not a sundress and pearls! – but what’s wrong with it? When in Rome and all. If I were going to a southern school, I’d do it – why not try something new?</p>
<p>*My son is a very smart senior, who received a 36 on his ACT. We are looking for great schools that offer full ride scholarships, and U of R is on that list. My son feels uncomfortable applying because he thinks it is way too weird that the students would dress up to go to a football game. He also thinks it to be undesirable that there are too many rich kids attending. Could someone comment? I have also heard that U Of R is not really that great. *</p>
<p>What is your goal? A “free ride” or is a great scholarship also good? </p>
<p>Not many schools give “free rides” without NMF status. Is your son a NMSF?</p>
<p>I don’t know the culture at URichmond. I don’t know if the school is mostly “instate” kids or if they draw from the whole country. I also don’t know if it’s one of those schools where 75% are Greek (which could account for a large number of kids “dressing up” for games.</p>
<p>However, at other southern schools where Greeks are far less than half the school, then you’re not going to really be bothered by the fact that some kids dress up…why would you? </p>
<p>The last night home game I went to (2 weeks ago) was cold…people were bundled up in sweatshirts, hats, gloves, scarves, boots…the whole nine yards. At the warmer games, I did see some some girls in cute sun dresses, but most were in shorts and spirit shirts. Some male pledges had navy jackets and khaki pants on, but everyone else was in regular clothes.</p>
<p>Anyway…many schools with big merit have Dec 1st deadlines.</p>
<p>My son attends Wake Forest and most definitely does NOT dress up for any sporting events - including football games. Many freshmen join the Screamin Demons and all wear the same t-shirt to the games. I think some fraternity/sorority members dress up - but that is not the norm.</p>
<p>^^^</p>
<p>I concur…</p>
<p>I would even say that some “undress” for football games…the “chest painters.” ;)</p>
<p>An article about dressing up for UVA football - with photo:</p>
<p>[SI.com</a> - SI On Campus - Road Trip: Virginia - Wednesday May 30, 2007 4:12PM](<a href=“http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/sioncampus/05/29/roadtrip.virginia/]SI.com”>http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/sioncampus/05/29/roadtrip.virginia/)</p>
<p>If Wake preppies no longer prep out for ballgames, it’s a relatively recent development.</p>
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<p>What does this mean? Reverse snobbery?</p>
<p>Bad news – any really good school is going to have plenty of “rich kids.”</p>
<p>^^</p>
<p>I agree with PG.</p>
<p>Many good schools have many affluent kids attending…even the ivies. Hey…someone has to be able to pay the tuition and have families who can donate! Everyone can’t be on scholarship!</p>
<p>I understand the sentiment about “too many rich kids”. If you are treated as the token scholarship student, or made to feel as if you are “lucky” to be among the prep school grads for four years, there are other places to go to get a great education. Feeling unwanted at a school is no less a concern about fit than male/female ratios, ethnic diversity, geographic diversity, etc. Yes, all top schools will have “rich kids” but on many campuses you can’t tell who has EFC of $0 from the EFC $50,000.</p>
<p>MizzBee,
I agree with what you wrote, however, can you imagine if the OP had written: “My son feels uncomfortable applying because he thinks it is way too weird that the students would wear cheap jeans and sweatshirts to go to a football game. He also thinks it to be undesirable that there are too many poor kids attending.”</p>
<p>It is possible to inquire about economic diversity without using offensive adjectives about other peoples’ kids.</p>
<p>If you are treated as the token scholarship student, or made to feel as if you are “lucky” to be among the prep school grads for four years,</p>
<p>Why would any student need to tell anyone that he’s there on scholarship? Why would it be anyone else’s business?</p>
<p>*Yes, all top schools will have “rich kids” but on many campuses you can’t tell who has EFC of $0 from the EFC $50,000. *</p>
<p>If that’s true (and I’m not sure it is), then the same could happen at a school where many kids have money.</p>
<p>However, I do think that you can OFTEN tell who has money and who doesn’t…by how they spend money, the spring break trips they take, their summer vacations that they talk about, their clothes, etc.</p>