How to handle insults of my kid’s college choice?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid was lucky to be going to one of his top choices of college (UT Austin). He’s a normal high stats kid with decent ECs, so we’re realistic about his chance for the T30. While his pipe dream school is my alma mater, UT Austin is his realistic dream school. We also like the area a lot. Unfortunately last week a classmate of his (they’re friends for some time, but have sort of drifted apart) gave him a lecture on why he would choose a college in Texas and went on to insult all Texans. I was like, WTF?! How to deal with crazy people like that?

Ignore

[Anonymous]

Your son has to figure it out.

(And it will Not be a problem with true friends.)

[Anonymous]

People sometimes have a lot of preconceived notions about people and places due to lack of experience and sheltering, bias and snobbery. It's really their issue and not yours, and if you explain your choice they'll regard it as you being insecure and trying to convince them, which is useless as they are rigid and set to hate. Best for your child to live the life they want and not care about their opinions.

[Anonymous]

Some people have no idea about the academic abilities of students at a particular school. They judge based on stuff from decades ago. Ignore it. We toured a bunch of the Ivies and were not particularly impressed with anyone’s intellect even though they are rated at the top. Met students at some great public universities who were easily as capable and intelligent…and less haughty.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid was lucky to be going to one of his top choices of college (UT Austin). He’s a normal high stats kid with decent ECs, so we’re realistic about his chance for the T30. While his pipe dream school is my alma mater, UT Austin is his realistic dream school. We also like the area a lot. Unfortunately last week a classmate of his (they’re friends for some time, but have sort of drifted apart) gave him a lecture on why he would choose a college in Texas and went on to insult all Texans. I was like, WTF?! How to deal with crazy people like that?

He can tell his friend that they are entitled to their opinion, but he's excited about his college choice. If they persist, he can simply ignore or not engage. BTW, we're very liberal and my DS applied to UT Austin because it's a great school. Congrats to your DS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:On this site, there is a lot of bias against schools outside the northeast. I'm guessing this is coming from people who have no idea what a big and diverse country this is. And they don't travel much.

But UT-Austin is a great school, and a very difficult admit for students. Same with Duke, Rice, Vanderbilt, Georgia Tech, Emory, UVA, UNC-Chapel Hill and several others. And none of these schools are bastions of MAGA. Nor are the surrounding communities. Austin, Nashville, Houston, Atlanta, Charlottesville, Raleigh-Durham and so on are all extremely blue.

If you want to be surrounded by MAGA, go to a rural school in New England, the Midwest, or upstate New York. And anywhere in Pennsylvania. That's where you will find your MAGA people. Not some city in the South. And definitely not Austin.

Some of it is coming from people who grew up in those states, left for a reason, and still have family in those states. My home state has a state legislature generally full of corrupt idiots, for example. Among other things, they've managed to basically wreck public K-12 education.
I wouldn't tell a kid not to go to school in my home state, or any of the other states with a lot of MAGA voters...but I can sympathize when someone is shocked by the viewpoints openly expressed by some of these politicians, and make some conclusions about the voters in those states based on that. I mean, we tell our kids you're known by the company you keep, so it seems somewhat fair to say that a state may be known (at least in part) by the politicians it elects, no?

This is me. I left Texas 30 years ago for DC and won't go back. I certainly won't take my black son. I still know that there are so many good people there & hope that change happens, though. And I do miss the amazing food!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid was lucky to be going to one of his top choices of college (UT Austin). He’s a normal high stats kid with decent ECs, so we’re realistic about his chance for the T30. While his pipe dream school is my alma mater, UT Austin is his realistic dream school. We also like the area a lot. Unfortunately last week a classmate of his (they’re friends for some time, but have sort of drifted apart) gave him a lecture on why he would choose a college in Texas and went on to insult all Texans. I was like, WTF?! How to deal with crazy people like that?

UT Austin is an amazing school

All of those southern and midwest flagship schools are incredible universities with the whole package, including a fun normal college experience.

Texas is easily one of the best states in the union to be young in.

Your kid is going to have an amazing time and his friends are likely to be very jealous of his choice in a few months.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I got rejected by UT Austin as an international student 20 years ago lol. It was my dream college. I ended up going to Stony Brook.

Now your child's friend was not raised properly. God help us, but unfortunately that friend is likely going to end up being one of those A**hole that end up at the highest echelon of our government and furthering the decline of this great country.

Same but different school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:On this site, there is a lot of bias against schools outside the northeast. I'm guessing this is coming from people who have no idea what a big and diverse country this is. And they don't travel much.

But UT-Austin is a great school, and a very difficult admit for students. Same with Duke, Rice, Vanderbilt, Georgia Tech, Emory, UVA, UNC-Chapel Hill and several others. And none of these schools are bastions of MAGA. Nor are the surrounding communities. Austin, Nashville, Houston, Atlanta, Charlottesville, Raleigh-Durham and so on are all extremely blue.

If you want to be surrounded by MAGA, go to a rural school in New England, the Midwest, or upstate New York. And anywhere in Pennsylvania. That's where you will find your MAGA people. Not some city in the South. And definitely not Austin.

And progressive, liberal and moderate students who actually care about keeping America free should go to the blue bubbles in light red states and try to turn the states purple, or even blue.

Staying in blue states is cowardly and self-defeating.

These states are gerrymandered to hell back, so having more liberals in Austin won't affect things.

Can't gerrymander a Senate seat

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would not care what rude comment a dumb teenager makes. UT Austin is a fine school.

Even if UT Austin was not a fine school, your kid's "friend" should keep his mouth shut.

Sorry, snowflake.

[Anonymous]

I'm sure your kid can handle this on their own but if not maybe a simple "So how much time have you spent on campus there? Oh, you haven't been? Ok, so maybe you don't know what you're talking about." is probably good.

[Anonymous]

This is the type of thing your kid needs to know how to handle on his own if he's going to college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Texas, and Texas college towns, are two completely different worlds. There is nothing wrong with going to Texas colleges or Southern colleges. Rice, Vanderbilt, UT, Emory, UVA, all great colleges.

Southern colleges in "blue" Democrat areas are fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Texas, and Texas college towns, are two completely different worlds. There is nothing wrong with going to Texas colleges or Southern colleges. Rice, Vanderbilt, UT, Emory, UVA, all great colleges.

Southern colleges in "blue" Democrat areas are fine.

I mean, global white supremacist Jared Taylor graduated from Yale and his recent speaking engagements include schools in MD, CO, and AZ.

By contrast, I know gay minorities thriving at SEC schools in “red” states. ICYMI: plenty of liberals and moderates and even compassionate conservatives on campuses in red states…and plenty of a-holes at schools in blue states.

Let’s just stop labeling people with sweeping generalizations about schools and entire states. Geez.

[Anonymous]

Knowing my son, he would ignore and counterattack (probably something like, "You're too much of a sissy to go to school in Texas"). It's a type of immature comment that will trigger an immature response.