<p>There also are are dimensions to diversity. I'm not positive, but a lot of the minorities at Duke might be from the same neighborhoods, schools, socio-economic backgrounds and mindsets as their white counterparts...</p>
<p>Nothing makes a southern school bad. I could never go to school in the Northeast or out in California.</p>
<p>Southern schools are perfectly fine if you don't mind things such as racism and natural segregation. But I do, so southern schools aren't for me.</p>
<p>Don't be ignorant. Remind me again what percentage of the student body at Duke, Vanderbilt, Emory, etc. actually comes from the South?</p>
<p>This is an incredibly ugly and ignorant discussion. Using a region of state as a synonym/code word for a particular mindset is offenseive and often inaccurate. It reminds me of the days not very long ago (and still alive in some places) where when people say there are too many people from the East coast or from New York what they really mean is that they think there are too many Jewish people around. I have said it before but obviously most people have blinders and earbmuffs on, but:</p>
<p>No one region has a monopoly on bigotry, or on englightment. And neither liberal nor conservative is necessarily a bad word, since people can be perfectly intelligent and decent and not agree wtih you about political issues. Racism and bigotry are bad, as are murder, stealing, lying,a nd probabyl some other things that I am forgetting to list. Politics notwithstanding, thesse bad things are not the sole property of one region, political stance, or ethnic group.</p>
<p>Schools like Duke, Vandy, and Emory are very diverse geographically. These schools draw kids from every section of the country and less than half of their student populations come from the south. It is extremely ignorant to make blanketed statements about a particular region of the country.</p>
<p>The Mason-Dixon line runs through Jersey?? That explains a lot. . . . just kidding guys ; )</p>
<p>It'd be nice to believe that schools in the South are equally diverse to their northern counterparts and whatnot, but you guys have to remember...They are in the South. While the school may be filled with a diverse, ideal student body it's still surrounded by racism and natural segregation. Take Duke (I live 25 minutes away), Durham is one of the most segregated cities I know of; one minute you're in a really nice neighborhood full beautiful homes and Hollywood lawns, and then the next thing you know you're in a complete slum whose residents are all minorities. I would assume when one is seeking a diverse college-setting, they consider the city it is in and not just the campus.</p>
<p>Beverly Hills and South Central are nothing alike , but you would not call UCLA and surrounding area "racist" ....we just have to get over these stereotypes of people and places. There are great people everywhere and if you look for the good will find it.</p>
<p>"Can't we all just get along???"</p>
<p>People who think northern schools are wonderful (as opposed to southern schools) because they are by numeric definition diverse may be kidding themselves. You need to go by social interaction between ethnic groups, not just pecentages and visible presence. that can vary greatly by campus. </p>
<p>And to follow up on PA Mom's point, LA is hardly alone. New Jersey is a highly diverse state and a highly segregated one in terms of poor black cities side by side with affluent white suburbs, affluent highly rated school districts and struggling urban ones. To be fair, it also has a few diverse suburban districts. But it is a state with an extraordinary socioeconomic divide, and much of that divide is along racial lines. Keep in mind too the ugliness and hatred diplayed in parts of Boston when the schools were being integrated nearly a generation ago. So let's not get on our superior northern hobbyhorses and preach the wonders of northern diversity. I doubt that Atlanta and Charlotte are any less politically correct in their diversity nowadays than their northern counterparts.</p>
<p>This thread is utterly ridiculous...and somewhate humurous since some folks are making grossly uninformed generalizations and then getting all uppity about someone making one about their group. Grow up.</p>
<p>I agree. I'm from NY, but my entire mom's family is from the south. I went to Washington and Lee, and I loved it.</p>
<p>This is angering me-- the north, east, west, up, down, and freaking sideways are just as full of bigots and asinine airheads as the south. I love the southern gentility, warmth, and chivalry that are present in most Southern areas--most people just ignore it. At the same time, I love the north and I wouldn't leave NYC for the world. What is amazingly ignorant of many people is their ability to generalize the South as racist and prejudiced, which just boils down to the epitome of hypocracy. </p>
<p>I'm proudly applying to Vanderbilt, W&L, William and Mary, and Emory, along with many good northern schools. This is the 21st century, and steretypes need to just die already.</p>
<p>For the record, I'm sick of colleges thinking that "oh look, we're diverse, just because we have X% of minorities! Smile for the camera, all you blacks, hispanics, and anyone else we forgot!", while at the same time foisting classes on diversity and rooming arrangements by race upon their students. It's probably the guilt of those running the college system stemming from their own bigotry while they were college kids.</p>
<p>From my experience as a southerner who has been in nothern states:</p>
<p>When blacks, hispanics congregate together in the south it's 'segregation'</p>
<p>When there are 'little mexicos', 'chinatowns', harlem and the like in the north it's 'diversity'</p>
<p>There are ignorant stupid people on both sides let me tell you. At least in the south on average it's an honest racism (I don't like blacks because I don't like 'em), while in the north it's more of a socioeconomic entitlement issue (blacks/hispanics are eating up my the jobs and they're underqualified, so I'm not racist it's just true). </p>
<p>I love my home, and if they ever stop arguing about creationism and get some stem cell research going I'd stay there my whole life in a heartbeat!</p>
<p>
Southern schools are perfectly fine if you don't mind things such as racism and natural segregation. But I do, so southern schools aren't for me.
Statements like this are exactly why people don't like southern schools. They automatically assume that southern means racism and segregation. They see that there are few minorities and many conservatives and don't apply - but how is that supposed to ever change if minorities and liberals shy away for that reason? Go to any northern schools' dining hall and see who is sitting with who. Then come down and visit my fraternity - and then tell me where there is natural segregation.</p>
<p>^^^Precisely. And to the point of "natural segregation," if all of your friends happen to be white, or vice versa, it's not a big deal. You don't have to have one asian friend, one indian friend, one african american friend, etc. to be "smarter" or "not racist." I've lived in the South my whole entire life, and yes, I'm going North for college, but personally, I find southern charm to be...charming. It's not the South's fault that it doesn't have what many people call "diversity." Diversity is not a banner that you wear on your chest, it just IS. It's people like dsctt that create this stereotype that here in the South, we join the KKK and think down upon black people, and don't have any diversity. Because, basically, what you're saying is that Southern people are ignorant. Personally, I think that you, dsctt, are more ignorant, stereotypical, and regionally-biased against Southerns than I have ever seen anyone be toward minorities down here in the South. Granted, the South had problems, I'm not going to deny that, and they STILL have problems. I've driven in downtown Atl enough times to know that there are definite differences between the rich and poor parts of town. But I have ALSO noticed that Atlanta, as well as other Southern cities, have grown exponentially in the last few years, and are becoming more affluent than many northern cities that I have been to. But tell me that the area where you live doesn't have problems and I'll call you a liar. Everyone's got their problems, but why do you feel it necessary to look down on people? It's not solving anything, and it actually makes YOU look like the idiot.
I thought that in this post, we were supposed to be talking about southern schools, not bashing Southern racism in a 40-year old mantra that, frankly, is getting rather old.
And if I didn't get into my first choice northern school, i would be proudly attending georgia tech, perfectly content and happy to remain right here in the South, where "ya'll" is a word, and BBQ is a way of life. Amen.</p>
<p>Sorry, I feel the need to play Devil's Advocate.
A lot of you guys are pointing out all of the reasons that make southern schools stick out in a positive light, but are denying that they also stick out in a negative light.
There are other aspects to diversity, consider homosexuality.</p>
<p>And stop saying how stupid this thread is, it's better than all the redundant affirmative actions threads.</p>
<p>"There are other aspects to diversity, consider homosexuality."</p>
<p>Many homosexuals want to attend a school with a large gay-population (ie. NYU). Many fear going to southern schools because they fear they will be a minority. This may be true, because posters like some of the aforementioned brand the South as ignorant and close-minded. It becomes a vicious cycle that becomes difficult to break.</p>
<p>I am not bashing southern schools. I'm attending Morehouse in the fall. I am also not biased; I live in NC. I can only speak from personal experience because, well, that's all I have experienced. I go to Restaurant X in Charlotte with my white friend who happens to be a girl. The elderly, white couple sitting next to us took a few glances, and immediately asked their waitress to be relocated, this began a chain of stares, whispers, and "subtle" head nods toward us. This is common. We go to the same place in NY over the summer and no one looks at us. No one cares what we're doing or who we're with. Please don't think I'm saying all this just because I'm a bitter, black person. My bestfriend couldn't agree with me more.</p>
<p>dsctt, it's a pity you weren't here to listen to the founder of the "Gay? Fine by me" corporation (started at Duke, btw) an hour ago. Maybe then you wouldn't make such absurd statements. :rolleyes:</p>
<p>I attended a high school in Charlotte that was 30% black, 30% white, 20% hispanic, and 20% other located in a poor black neighborhood with drug problems. The most racism that occurred was when the Mexicans took on the El Salvadorans (it got ugly really fast).</p>
<p>dsctt, I'm a native New Yorker and I attend Vanderbilt. Its just very frustrating when people have misconceptions about your school because its in the South. I believe what you are saying and I feel thats truly unfortunate. There are probably racist places in the South (just as there are racist places in the North, Midwest, etc.) But I think this thread is directed at kids who are misinformed and ignorant and bash Southern Universities. Elite southern universities have great geographic diversity and rapid improvement of ethnic diversity over the last few decades and many have a strong representation of international students from every corner of the globe. Despite such progress, you still get kids "I would never go to a Southern school because they are racist" and thats very frustrating.</p>