<p>My guess is - Is he for real?!?</p>
<p>^^how many members are in the Augusta National Golf Club? what's the odds of someone associated with it coming to this board?</p>
<p>Handyandy, no, I am neither surprised by it nor do I doubt it. I am just pointing this out to people who have said that he needs to a) find a safety and b) consider what the prestige of the college will do for his future. </p>
<p>In his case, OP just has to choose where he wants to spend the next 4 years of his life, and his main consideration is the overall social scene- where is he most likely to find like-minded buddies with whom he can continue to pursue the lifestyle he is pursuing.</p>
<p>Having said that I think hawkette makes some nice points. No matter how much 'you have it made', it is good character-building to try something new and outside one's 'comfort zone'. It would take a significant amount of personal courage for OP to try it.</p>
<p>His story does seem a little "too perfect"</p>
<p>SarahsDad, the idea that anyone would ever accuse me of being "ultra PC" is actually highly amusing. If word gets out, I could lose my closest friends, my husband and my Vanderbilt son, who is incredibly tolerant of other people's opinions, but has little patience with PC-ness. Funny!</p>
<p>Hawkette, thank you for your generous words. One of the main reasons I have continued to frequent cc even though my son is now at college is because I would like to encourage high achieving students and their parents to take a close look at schools that offer large merit awards. Vanderbilt's are among the most numerous and most generous, and they have used them to great effect. </p>
<p>I wish the best for Geraldw. I think all students would do well to look at college as an opportunity to explore new things, discover a larger world and make a future for themselves. I hope he finds an environment that excites him enough that he is not content with spending his weekends obliterating his memories.</p>
<p>After reading the last few posts, I will own up to my own suspicion that this thread was just a way for some ungenerous soul to slander Vanderbilt. Too bad.</p>
<p>MIDMO ya can't leave out W&L and Harvard tho :D</p>
<p>And I take back my comment that W&L would be (ghast - baaaaa humbug) a better fit of the three - uuummmmmm NOPE - ya have to study there - can't just hang on the porch all weekend and forget what you are supposed to remember.</p>
<p>And YUPPP - something wrong with the OP - pieces don't quite fit - but good luck to him where ever he lands - he will need it.</p>
<p>You hippies are disgusting. Y'all rest assured that Harvard's probably out of the running. As much as I should ignore these liberal comments, it's the god damn internet so what the heck; this 'thread' isn't a brag contest I'm trying to get a little better understanding of fit and have given my background and attitudes to do that. Obviously I'll get into these schools...if you can't come to grips with that, well that's just a god damn shame aint it. Clearly based on the fact that only a couple of y'all didn't have bed-wetting liberal posts and your stated opinions of me, the North is not where I'll be going...as I predicted. The only Northern people I know are family friends and connections that are NOT the type of people to criticize hunting, fishing, proper tailgating and other solid Southern lifestyle traditions but you've definitely solidified my stereotypes of the others. hawkette, thanks for your approval of my school...I was worried for a bit there. midmo, you're just plain old annoying and if you or your son can't figure out or admit to yourself that Greeks run campuses like Vanderbilt then god damn you've got problems. Where do you think the alumni support comes from at good Southern schools? The Liberals that ran the local NAACP chapter? Hell no. They've all gone. I've been to Vanderbilt's homecoming weekend. Try it. Things change, but slowly, stop thinking that by the time your fairy son graduates the school will be ok in your eyes.</p>
<p>Not gonna bother wasting applications on some other good schools i.e. H-SC, UVa. Appreciate the William & Mary suggestion, but a problem I saw at UVa probably applies as well, some of the in-state kids aren't really my favorite people. Will apply to those three but it's probably down to Vandy and W&L.</p>
<p>Guess what, no matter where I'll go, I'm going to "Greek It", but I'll work hard because I'm no welfare-consuming hippie, I've been properly raised, but I'll play harder and will squeek by with a 3.5 because whether you like it or not, that's the way it's always been and always will be.</p>
<p>Really isn't my place to be talking about Augusta, but I'm tired of people like y'all having no idea what it's about. Buffet and Gates both wanted spots for years and waited on the wait list just like everyone else. It's about collecting Southern gentlemen and like-minded individuals rather than only the super rich. Ever hear of Boone Knox? Typical example. Go do your internet research thing and figure it out. I'm sure there's some quotes out there that only a proper Southerner would appreciate.</p>
<p>handyyandy, you hit the mark.</p>
<p>"I know Harvard lost that rep about a generation ago with all the minorities and what not and Vandy is losing it quickly but they'd still all be a fit to an extent."</p>
<p>I'm sorry, but I think geraldw is having a little fun with us. It's hard to believe that anybody with the potential to attend a selective school would make the statement above. I also very much doubt that anybody currently in high school would use the expression "clerking law." If he is for real, I guess I would suggest that he apply to schools that don't require an interview.</p>
<p>For what it's worth, the Intercollegiate Studies Institute's Choosing the Right College guidebook review of Washington & Lee <a href="http://www.isi.org/college_guide/sample/2008/washlee.pdf%5B/url%5D">http://www.isi.org/college_guide/sample/2008/washlee.pdf</a></p>
<p>Those here who are concerned about how "geraldw" reinforces stereotypes about the South- don't worry, we know this kind of creature, if it still exists, is rare and fast becoming extinct in this world.</p>
<p>geraldw,</p>
<p>I don't think people are having a problem with you being a conservative. What people are wondering is if you are a racist. </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I think if you used "liberals" instead of "minorities", most people would have had no problem.</p>
<p>i'm gonna have to go ahead and agree with the few people that noticed the PCness rampant in this thread.</p>
<p>sam, harvard and other top schools began letting in far more minorities into the schools around about a generation ago than they ever had before. there is no dancing around that fact. it is naiive and ignorant to say they let in more "liberals" instead of people that are CATEGORICALLY defined as minorities.</p>
<p>every single person in this country has pre-defined stereotypes of other people based on race. gerald didn't say anything to make any RATIONAL person think he's more of a racist than you. grow up.</p>
<p>The funniest part of this thread is less than half the students at Vanderbilt are from the south.</p>
<p>callingducks,</p>
<p>You sound pretty emotional. So much for being "rational".</p>
<p>I used the word "wondering". If I've already concluded he's a racist, there's no such thing as "wondering" (simple logic, isn't it?). Please be patient and rational and let the OP speak for himself. Thanks..:)</p>
<p>By the way, I don't know what his "pre-defined stereotypes" are exactly. Lots of Asians aren't liberals and definitley not "welfare-consuming". Many of them are pretty religious or Christians (esp. the Koreans). Maybe this is a good opportunity for the OP to get a better picture about them.</p>
<p>I don't see Harvard, W & L, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest or Hamden-Sydney in the Table of Contents for ISI's All-American Colleges: Top Schools for Conservatives, Old-Fashioned Liberals, and People of Faith. Perhaps the named U. of Chicago, Princeton or the University of the South should be considered. Also, maybe the desired camaraderie could be found at the listed all-male Deep Springs and Wabash or the included co-educational The Citadel and V.M.I. <a href="http://www.isi.org/books/content/258etoc.pdf%5B/url%5D">http://www.isi.org/books/content/258etoc.pdf</a></p>
<p>Southern gentleman?!?!? pppfffttttt - GERALD - you have just proven yourself not to be. Your arrogance and disdain stands out big time. You don't like what you read - what you perpetrated on this board - too bad - but you certainly are not as mature and 'gentlemanly' as you want folks to believe. Your presentaton here - especially your last post - love your verbage - uuummmmm - has certainly opened yourself up for some criticism and back lash.</p>
<p>When one posts on a public board - one must realize that they may not like what is posted back to them - so there is no need for your attacks on others on this board. You have made yourself quite clear tho that you require a 'southern' life-style - and all the proprieties that go with it - even in your college choices - and that you don't care for us 'northerners' or our opinions - how can we possibly/we don't understand?!? Right?? Well - many of us understand more than you think.</p>
<p>So - be the 'gentleman' that you claim to be - and deal with it in a 'gentlemanly' manner. Consider that some of the 'hippies' that you so seem to dispise - may know a thing or two - that you don't know.</p>
<p>Carry on............................</p>
<p>I just showed this thread to my husband who was probably in Gerald's father's class at Harvard and he thinks Gerald's some sort of made up goof. He can't believe he's serious but I reminded him that we know lots of good ole boys here where we live and that's why we're insisting our kids NOT go to college anywhere around here. (My husband got his grad degree at UVA and that experience was enough for him, understandably)</p>
<p>I suspect Gerald is thinking about writing a novel and is trying out his wealthy good ole boy "voice" on us to see if it passes muster.</p>
<p>I know, Gerald, I'm so "annoying".</p>
<p>Irony here....we seriously considered sending our son to Gerald's prep school to get him away from the regional attitudes which we find so antediluvian in our area. ("fairies"?) After further consideration we decided we'd probably be sending him from the frying pan into the fire. I guess we were right.</p>