<p>With a statement like placido’s will always be offensive to some people, not to me. It is one of those things that people do think about in private, but wouldn’t necessarily openly say it in public. I still remember when a president of a college said it at an admitted student event, “Look to your right, look to your left, you could be looking at your future in-laws.” </p>
<p>It really depends what your kid is like. There are some people who would always be attracted to people who are not right for them, no matter what kind of environment you put them in, and there are some people who would always have standards. </p>
<p>I personally don’t think placido post shows ignorance. It’s just not very PC.</p>
<p>Yes, because clearly if someone is from a rural area or was underprivileged growing up, that person cannot offer much of anything @@. People are indeed personally responsible for the economic achievements of their parents. @@</p>
<p>Do note that in your “traffic” example, every single elite school goes out of its way to also attract “underprivileged trailer park kids from East Bumblebutt” whom they perceive as having potential despite that background. You might run across those kinds at private colleges too!</p>
<p>hmmmm…lets see, my S2 is attending a school instate, comes from a small rural community that some might call East Bumblebutt… not good enough for your daughter??? pffftttt!!! lets not consider that he is on a full ride for his abilities, has worked for NASA through the INSPIRE program, is in 2 very selective programs, works as a chem TA as a freshman, has already published a paper and is about to submit 2 more…YEP definitely not good marriage material…hope your D never meets him</p>
<p>YK, Manhattan can be just as provincial, if not more, than East Bumblebutt. One of the things that amazes me on CC is how actually non-cosmopolitan many people from the Northeast are – they think the sun rises and sets on them. I understand that point of view, having grown up in the Northeast myself, but as an adult I find it unsophisticated.</p>
<p>Myself, I’ve ALWAYS felt that UNLV was far better than UCB because it was southeast of the Bay Area. Everyone knows that southeast is the better destination.</p>
<p>(Or as the old saying goes … “When your mind’s made up, any reason will suffice.”)</p>
<p>It is all about preference. Placido is probably from NY and could find NC to be a bit backward (not including Charlotte). I am sure someone from NC would find NY to be too superficial and pace too fast. My kids have no desire to live at some of those places. </p>
<p>D2 was considering some schools in the west coast. D1 did say to her, “You know if you were to go to school there your life could end up there.” D1 meant D2 could end up getting a job, finding a BF there, settling down there.</p>
<p>I think some states, Georgia comes to mind, really amped up their scholarship program to prevent this, and, in fact, their system has benefitted tremendously from the brightest kids staying instate. Though, I think, now, they are having to cut some of those scholarships.</p>
<p>It is interesting, however, that with the advent of telecommuting, less of the college educated are moving to what used to be considered intellectual centers than before. Still, there will always be those for whom it is NYC or nothing, London or nowhere, Singapore or death. People are like that.</p>
<p>My daughter attends an Ivy and she says that she has not met a single student who is not on financial aid. All of her friends are from very modest backgrounds, and they must watch every penny. Additionally, the diversity is incredible. She is one of only a couple of US citizens on her floor, and the only thing they all seemingly have in common is that they are all very smart and motivated. It’s been a great experience - a far cry from the affluence and homogeneity of her private high school. </p>
<p>The idea that these schools are bastions of WASP culture is ridiculous.</p>
<p>gourmetmom… oh my, if that’s true, how will placido find a place for their D? There could be members of the great unwashed ANYWHERE! :eek:</p>
<p>Just curious… I live in New England, but was raised in NJ by parents who grew up in SOUTH Carolina. Virtually every blood relative I have is in SC. Some of them are even… farmers! My gosh, does that make me backwards? Does it even make THEM backwards? My D is at college in NC, lucky for her it’s a private college so she’ll meet the “right” sorts of people.</p>
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Well, if the “Manhattan baby” is a Yankee fan, yes I’d rather pick the kid from East Bumblebutt. ;)</p>
<p>oldfort,I guess now if you live anywhere in NC but Charlotte you may be pegged as “backward.” Too funny. So, resarch triangle residents better move to Charlotte right away(or better yet, New York!).</p>
<p>That’s the key to me, it doesn’t matter whether someone is from some “trailer park kid from East Bumblebutt,” as long as that person is smart and motivated then he/she will go far in life. To make it to a top tier school one needs to be that. D1 is dating someone from her school who didn’t come from a well to do family, but the young man is smart and hard working, and he got a very nice job offer after graduation. I am sure there are smart/hard working kids at State U, but percentage wise maybe lower. At the same time, no matter where D1 went to school, I am pretty certain she would only be attracted to people who are smart and hard working (D2 doesn’t have much of track record yet).</p>
<p>sevmom - my sister’s family lives in NC (they moved there 15 years ago), and we have a hard time relating to each other. Her kids love NC, or the South. My niece is only considering schools from South. When we get together on holidays, D2 and her look at each other like they are from Mars. Not good or bad, just different.</p>
<p>What’s wrong with the trailer park kid from East Bumblebutt who is smart and motivated enough to go to a good university like UNC-CH or an Ivy League school?</p>
<p>Someone from Manhattan who has never spent any appreciable time outside the city, who thinks that anyone not in Manhattan must be an inhabitant of East Bumblebutt, who doesn’t realize the existence of money, sophistication, culture, etc. in other parts of the country, is just as much of a hick, IMO, as the resident of East Bumblebutt who doesn’t know any better.</p>
<p>Pizzagirl - how is the statement you quoted from me have anything to do with the point you are making? I am not calling anyone outside of NY a hicks. Maybe you have a chip on your shoulder? In every post you are consistently trying to define what sophistication is, and if someone didn’t agree with then they must be lower class. I guess the flip side is you are calling yourself upper class.</p>
<p>Some of it just has to do with what you want to “do.” </p>
<p>I mean, if you want to be in computer design? You need to go where this is going on, and some of us spent time in NYC or London just becaue of IB or other pursuits. You have to go where the game is being played if you want a chance to get on the field. I mean, if you want to act in film, you really do need to go to LA, at least for a while.</p>
<p>But, that has nothing to do with sophistication, either way.</p>
<p>What is interesting, right now, above all is how so many of the newer college graduates are dispersing to other places. From the article I cited:</p>
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<p>I guess globalization might be leading to a wider dispersal of intellectual power even within our own country.</p>
This might be true, if the kids in the honors college are able to take most of their classes with other honors students. But it might not be true, either. It all depends on how the honors program is run.</p>