Colleges with very smart and successful students but relatively few DCUM competitive a**hole types

[Anonymous]

Here’s the catch.

You know how kids around here have been groomed for top schools their whole lives?
There is a culture in NJ/NJ/CT/MA where kids are groomed socially their entire lives, taught who to associate with and who not to, taught how to choose friends like they’re making business connections...not based on friendship, but based on who has access to what. They don’t care so much about academics, and aren’t that competitive about it, but it’s creepy as hell how calculating these kids are by the time they are in college.

I think I prefer the academically competitive crowd down here.

[Anonymous]

If you want to avoid the a-holes, head to the midwest.

[Anonymous]

Would you consider schools in England, Scotland, Ireland, Canada? You might find the atmosphere at schools outside the US are closer to what you are describing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here’s the catch.

You know how kids around here have been groomed for top schools their whole lives?
There is a culture in NJ/NJ/CT/MA where kids are groomed socially their entire lives, taught who to associate with and who not to, taught how to choose friends like they’re making business connections...not based on friendship, but based on who has access to what. They don’t care so much about academics, and aren’t that competitive about it, but it’s creepy as hell how calculating these kids are by the time they are in college.

I think I prefer the academically competitive crowd down here.

That describes here too!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here’s the catch.

You know how kids around here have been groomed for top schools their whole lives?
There is a culture in NJ/NJ/CT/MA where kids are groomed socially their entire lives, taught who to associate with and who not to, taught how to choose friends like they’re making business connections...not based on friendship, but based on who has access to what. They don’t care so much about academics, and aren’t that competitive about it, but it’s creepy as hell how calculating these kids are by the time they are in college.

I think I prefer the academically competitive crowd down here.

Funny, to me that is a description that fits the DC area to a perfect tee. There’s a reason everyone makes jokes about DC and its residents’ obsession with the “so what do you do?” question.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here’s the catch.

You know how kids around here have been groomed for top schools their whole lives?
There is a culture in NJ/NJ/CT/MA where kids are groomed socially their entire lives, taught who to associate with and who not to, taught how to choose friends like they’re making business connections...not based on friendship, but based on who has access to what. They don’t care so much about academics, and aren’t that competitive about it, but it’s creepy as hell how calculating these kids are by the time they are in college.

I think I prefer the academically competitive crowd down here.

Funny, to me that is a description that fits the DC area to a perfect tee. There’s a reason everyone makes jokes about DC and its residents’ obsession with the “so what do you do?” question.

I also notice this more here than in NY/CT/MA. But those places do seem to be more wealth focused.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pomona

Not Pomona. Many are very competitive.

Pomona has competitive stat students, but the environment is very friendly and collaborative.

Very interesting. Are there similar colleges (similar culturally) on the East Coast? Amherst? Williams? Wesleyan? Bowdoin?

[Anonymous]

I think most SLACs are friendly and collaborative, but I am more familiar with Midwestern SLACs. You people on the East Coast are crazy, so I don't know.

[Anonymous]

I know someone that transferred from Penn to Colorado College and was very happy with her decision. She uses both alumni networks now, but enjoyed her experience at Colorado College 10X more. Of the brilliant but laid back people I know, they went to Bates, Brown, Michigan, Carleton, Berkeley, and MIT.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think where you need to target are places that have lots of well raised, auto-didactic kids who also come from lots of wealth so they don't have be 'gunners' because they have a massive safety net that allows them to be 'chill'.

Non-preprofessional, small, lots of wealth are the keys.

Out of curiosity, which schools match this description? I think of Brown.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think where you need to target are places that have lots of well raised, auto-didactic kids who also come from lots of wealth so they don't have be 'gunners' because they have a massive safety net that allows them to be 'chill'.

Non-preprofessional, small, lots of wealth are the keys.

Out of curiosity, which schools match this description? I think of Brown.

Vassar comes to mind. Maybe reed

[Anonymous]

Deep Springs

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you want to avoid the a-holes, head to the midwest.

In a nutshell, that’s pretty much spot on.

[Anonymous]

Carnegie Mellon
Creighton
University of Arizona

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son got into Yale and felt like it would be too much of a "frat-bro" environment and chose Stanford instead. After spending a weekend at Yale he told me "I feel like I'd accidentally be friends with guys who date rape girls but don't think of themselves as rapists."

DD got into Brown and chose Berkeley instead. Both kids felt like California kids are smart and strive to do well, but without pushing other people out of their way.

Silicon Valley is the complete anthesis of this...especially Stanford.

Yeah, my sister teaches at Stanford and said most of her students are tech bros.

What's a tech bro?

A lax bro with limited social skills and lots of money