I am from Connecticut and if I were to go south for school I would choose Ole Miss (over Coastal Carolina). The weather would be much better and the out of state price isn’t too bad. However I haven’t visited. What attracted me to apply here was the sports teams and social scene. I love the Ole Miss has school spirit and I could go to sporting events. Also, I was under the impression that the people are very warm and welcoming and being naturally quiet I wouldn’t have problems making friends!
Now I’m thinking it might not be and ideal school for me. One thing is that my mom thinks it will be such a culture shock for me. I’m from a very small town in new England and I just would not like it.
Also, Ive done some research and people bring up the topic of racism. I’m white so I wouldn’t be targeted and do believe it’s not something that should exist however, I really don’t know. if racism is present I’m thinking that could affect the warm welcoming friendly environment.
I also know that Greek Life is popular. I don’t know too much about it.
The only culture shock you will have is that people actually greet you on the street or on the way to class. Remember out of state students numbers over 50% with quite a few from the east coast. Come visit, you will leave with a great impression.
I have said this on previous posts. You will be just fine if you come in with an open mind and seek out opportunities to get involved and meet people. College is what you put into it and getting involved in a few organizations that you’re interested in is the best way to be active and not feel isolated. @madpowell96 I hope you’ll come down and join us!
@madpowell96, I urge you to make a campus visit to any school you plan to attend. Most people love Ole Miss, but the few who don’t figure it out pretty quickly.
My son is a freshman at Ole Miss. We’re from Southern California so there would be just as much of a culture shock for us as there would be for you. But when my wife and I visited we loved it, and our son is happy there. The people are extremely friendly and helpful. I don’t doubt that there is racism there, but we didn’t see any trace of it. We saw white and black kids talking, laughing, hanging out together. All the students were extremely polite,saying hello and holding doors for us, etc. My wife is Asian and she too felt like she was treated very kindly.
The thing about racism is I doubt it’s any worse in Oxford than it is in a small New England town. The main difference might be that there are more black people in Mississippi, so the racism might manifest itself more often. On the other hand, the university is hyper-sensitive about racism, and is working hard to change its image as a racist place, so you can bet that any manifestation of it is dealt with swiftly. However, my son has not witnessed anything of that nature since he’s been there.
My son is also considering Ole Miss. If he’s still interested in the summer we’ll probably try to visit over the summer. He’s grown up in the DC area, so it would be a change. The money they offer to National Merit semifinalists is a draw, since his grades make it unlikely he’ll advance (We’re assuming he’ll be a semifinalist since the cutoff would have to increase significantly for him not to make it). He’s thinking of a math or engineering major with a film studies minor, which would work there. He also so likes going to school in a town with its own film festival and a thriving music scene. He doesn’t like hot weather, but I don’t think it’s much worse than DC in August.