Elite schools with down to earth students

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Elite schools in the midwest. Midwestern influence drives down the snob factor. Think Northwestern, Notre Dame, Wash U, etc.

WashUn and Northwestern yes, Notre Dame and UChicago definitely not.

Agree! I want my kid to go to school in the Midwest.

The kids I know who landed at Northwestern, UChicago and Michigan from either NOVA or NYC all spoke about how they appreciated the mellowing and wholesome effect of the Midwest, even if most of them returned to the east coast after graduating. Definitely still a lot of pretense and at times just as intense as any top school, but I think relatively less so.

Went to UChicago undergrad and graduate school. When I attended, it was full of very down to earth kids. Hope it still is.

I think the down-to-earth kids are at the Big 10 schools, not Chicago or Oberlin.

To whit, the only kid from my DC-area school who went to Chicago was a guy who had long flowing red hair, smoked lots of pot, and wrote poetry, and the kid who went to Oberlin begged our 9th grade English teacher to allow him to stage an impromptu theatre-in-the-round reading of Sartre's "No Exit" (a cheerleader in the class and I sat back and tried to blow spitballs into his butt crack, which was visible from the back of his jeans as he forced the class to explore existentialism instead of Shakespeare).

[Anonymous]

Wit

[Anonymous]

Tufts University

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Elite schools in the midwest. Midwestern influence drives down the snob factor. Think Northwestern, Notre Dame, Wash U, etc.

WashUn and Northwestern yes, Notre Dame and UChicago definitely not.

Agree! I want my kid to go to school in the Midwest.

The kids I know who landed at Northwestern, UChicago and Michigan from either NOVA or NYC all spoke about how they appreciated the mellowing and wholesome effect of the Midwest, even if most of them returned to the east coast after graduating. Definitely still a lot of pretense and at times just as intense as any top school, but I think relatively less so.

Went to UChicago undergrad and graduate school. When I attended, it was full of very down to earth kids. Hope it still is.

I think the down-to-earth kids are at the Big 10 schools, not Chicago or Oberlin.

To whit, the only kid from my DC-area school who went to Chicago was a guy who had long flowing red hair, smoked lots of pot, and wrote poetry, and the kid who went to Oberlin begged our 9th grade English teacher to allow him to stage an impromptu theatre-in-the-round reading of Sartre's "No Exit" (a cheerleader in the class and I sat back and tried to blow spitballs into his butt crack, which was visible from the back of his jeans as he forced the class to explore existentialism instead of Shakespeare).

The OP said elite, not Big 10.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Elite schools in the midwest. Midwestern influence drives down the snob factor. Think Northwestern, Notre Dame, Wash U, etc.

WashUn and Northwestern yes, Notre Dame and UChicago definitely not.

Agree! I want my kid to go to school in the Midwest.

The kids I know who landed at Northwestern, UChicago and Michigan from either NOVA or NYC all spoke about how they appreciated the mellowing and wholesome effect of the Midwest, even if most of them returned to the east coast after graduating. Definitely still a lot of pretense and at times just as intense as any top school, but I think relatively less so.

Went to UChicago undergrad and graduate school. When I attended, it was full of very down to earth kids. Hope it still is.

I think the down-to-earth kids are at the Big 10 schools, not Chicago or Oberlin.

To whit, the only kid from my DC-area school who went to Chicago was a guy who had long flowing red hair, smoked lots of pot, and wrote poetry, and the kid who went to Oberlin begged our 9th grade English teacher to allow him to stage an impromptu theatre-in-the-round reading of Sartre's "No Exit" (a cheerleader in the class and I sat back and tried to blow spitballs into his butt crack, which was visible from the back of his jeans as he forced the class to explore existentialism instead of Shakespeare).

The OP said elite, not Big 10.

Northwestern is Big 10 and elite. Many would argue Michigan is also elite.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Elite schools in the midwest. Midwestern influence drives down the snob factor. Think Northwestern, Notre Dame, Wash U, etc.

WashUn and Northwestern yes, Notre Dame and UChicago definitely not.

Agree! I want my kid to go to school in the Midwest.

The kids I know who landed at Northwestern, UChicago and Michigan from either NOVA or NYC all spoke about how they appreciated the mellowing and wholesome effect of the Midwest, even if most of them returned to the east coast after graduating. Definitely still a lot of pretense and at times just as intense as any top school, but I think relatively less so.

Went to UChicago undergrad and graduate school. When I attended, it was full of very down to earth kids. Hope it still is.

I think the down-to-earth kids are at the Big 10 schools, not Chicago or Oberlin.

To whit, the only kid from my DC-area school who went to Chicago was a guy who had long flowing red hair, smoked lots of pot, and wrote poetry, and the kid who went to Oberlin begged our 9th grade English teacher to allow him to stage an impromptu theatre-in-the-round reading of Sartre's "No Exit" (a cheerleader in the class and I sat back and tried to blow spitballs into his butt crack, which was visible from the back of his jeans as he forced the class to explore existentialism instead of Shakespeare).

The OP said elite, not Big 10.

Northwestern is Big 10 and elite. Many would argue Michigan is also elite.

How can a school that has 30,000 undergraduates be elite?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid is at Oberlin. That’s definitely the vibe there.

The OP said "elite."

Eye rolling PP, what does "elite" mean to you? If you're talking Greek system, corporate law firm / country club track, then you're correct -- Oberlin is full of people who are running in the opposite direction of all that.

If you're talking about intellectually elite, Oberlin qualifies by any measure and punches way above its weight. C.f.:

swarthmore.edu/institutional-research/doctorates-awarded
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/top-50-schools-that-produce-science-phds/
https://www.greatvaluecolleges.net/genius-macarthur-grant-winners/
https://qz.com/498534/these-25-schools-are-responsible-for-the-greatest-advances-in-science/

I am going to hazard a guess that when OP says "down to earth" she is trying to politely say something along the lines of not snobby, money-driven, etc. In which case Oberlin (and Carleton and Grinnell) all seem like excellent answers to her question.

I don’t know anyone who would consider Oberlin elite… sorry.

Good. You don't get Oberlin, if you think that a "sorry" is in order; what's great about the place is that it's blessedly free of people who think the way you do. It was founded as an alternative to East Coast "elite" schools (it was at its inception in the 1830s the first integrated college and the first co-ed college) and continues in an anti-elitist tradition today. Obies wouldn't be caught dead somewhere that considered itself elite. That being said, a lot comes down to how you define that term.

You didn't really answer PP's (good) question. What does "elite" mean to you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid is at Oberlin. That’s definitely the vibe there.

The OP said "elite."

Eye rolling PP, what does "elite" mean to you? If you're talking Greek system, corporate law firm / country club track, then you're correct -- Oberlin is full of people who are running in the opposite direction of all that.

If you're talking about intellectually elite, Oberlin qualifies by any measure and punches way above its weight. C.f.:

swarthmore.edu/institutional-research/doctorates-awarded
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/top-50-schools-that-produce-science-phds/
https://www.greatvaluecolleges.net/genius-macarthur-grant-winners/
https://qz.com/498534/these-25-schools-are-responsible-for-the-greatest-advances-in-science/

I am going to hazard a guess that when OP says "down to earth" she is trying to politely say something along the lines of not snobby, money-driven, etc. In which case Oberlin (and Carleton and Grinnell) all seem like excellent answers to her question.

I don’t know anyone who would consider Oberlin elite… sorry.

Good. You don't get Oberlin, if you think that a "sorry" is in order; what's great about the place is that it's blessedly free of people who think the way you do. It was founded as an alternative to East Coast "elite" schools (it was at its inception in the 1830s the first integrated college and the first co-ed college) and continues in an anti-elitist tradition today. Obies wouldn't be caught dead somewhere that considered itself elite. That being said, a lot comes down to how you define that term.

You didn't really answer PP's (good) question. What does "elite" mean to you?

I think the "sorry" poster means this definition of elite:
"the people who have the most wealth and status in a society : the most successful or powerful group of people"

I think the pro-Oberlin poster means this definition:
"a select group that is superior in terms of ability or qualities to the rest of a group or society"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not Rice. Isn’t elite.

It’s elite. You’re not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Elite schools in the midwest. Midwestern influence drives down the snob factor. Think Northwestern, Notre Dame, Wash U, etc.

WashUn and Northwestern yes, Notre Dame and UChicago definitely not.

Agree! I want my kid to go to school in the Midwest.

The kids I know who landed at Northwestern, UChicago and Michigan from either NOVA or NYC all spoke about how they appreciated the mellowing and wholesome effect of the Midwest, even if most of them returned to the east coast after graduating. Definitely still a lot of pretense and at times just as intense as any top school, but I think relatively less so.

Went to UChicago undergrad and graduate school. When I attended, it was full of very down to earth kids. Hope it still is.

I think the down-to-earth kids are at the Big 10 schools, not Chicago or Oberlin.

To whit, the only kid from my DC-area school who went to Chicago was a guy who had long flowing red hair, smoked lots of pot, and wrote poetry, and the kid who went to Oberlin begged our 9th grade English teacher to allow him to stage an impromptu theatre-in-the-round reading of Sartre's "No Exit" (a cheerleader in the class and I sat back and tried to blow spitballs into his butt crack, which was visible from the back of his jeans as he forced the class to explore existentialism instead of Shakespeare).

Sound like professionals in the making. I'm supposing they all majored in, what did someone call it, interpretive dance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Haverford

+100. It is the Quaker vibe.

Why is it not the same at Sidwell? Location?

People don't go to Sidwell because of any Quaker values/policies/vibe...when you hear about why people send their kids there, it's about the academics (and prestige, no doubt, has a lot to do with it).

Haverford absolutely has first-rate academics but it is a Quaker institution at its core...and it IS what attracts many students...
[/quote


False. There are only 75,000 Quakers left in the US and they are too old to have college-aged kids. Ever see the deserted Quaker church in Nantucket? It’s a dying religion. Also Haverford, like most Protestant missionary training schools started in the US, no longer has any affiliation with Quakerism.

Don't know what you mean by "has no affiliation with Quakerism" and it is nonsectarian...but it's Quaker roots are strong and it is unapologetic about it...

https://www.haverford.edu/sites/default/files/Office/President/Haverford-Quaker-Elements.pdf

Go look Haverford on wiki ir it’s own page. It no longer has any religious connection with Quakerism just as my own Slac no longer has any connection with the Presbyterian Church and Harvard has no connection with the Congregationalist church. Even the President of Haverford Wendy E Raymond is not Quaker. They may want to claim there is not “feel” there but it’s purely projection on your part if you think it’s there, just like there is no Quaker “feel” to Sudwell.

Nobody is arguing about the fact that Haverford is not formally a Quaker college anymore--it is obviously nonsectarian. But I just read the link provided by the earlier poster (because my DS is a junior and is interested in looking at Haverford--in part because of a Peace Studies program they have--which sounds pretty Quaker-ish to me) and it is clear that the college still has a clear Quaker identity. [b]The whole PDF is about how Quaker elements are woven into the fabric of the college.
[/b]
https://www.haverford.edu/sites/default/files/Office/President/Haverford-Quaker-Elements.pdf

I don't know anything about Sidwell but I haven't seen anything like this about that school.

All marketing. How does anything "quaker" "woven into the fabric of the school" sound different from any slac? Wendy isn't Quaker. The profs aren't quaker. This is a chimera.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid is at Oberlin. That’s definitely the vibe there.

They're a bunch of wackos there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Haverford

+100. It is the Quaker vibe.

Why is it not the same at Sidwell? Location?

People don't go to Sidwell because of any Quaker values/policies/vibe...when you hear about why people send their kids there, it's about the academics (and prestige, no doubt, has a lot to do with it).

Haverford absolutely has first-rate academics but it is a Quaker institution at its core...and it IS what attracts many students...
[/quote


False. There are only 75,000 Quakers left in the US and they are too old to have college-aged kids. Ever see the deserted Quaker church in Nantucket? It’s a dying religion. Also Haverford, like most Protestant missionary training schools started in the US, no longer has any affiliation with Quakerism.

Don't know what you mean by "has no affiliation with Quakerism" and it is nonsectarian...but it's Quaker roots are strong and it is unapologetic about it...

https://www.haverford.edu/sites/default/files/Office/President/Haverford-Quaker-Elements.pdf

Go look Haverford on wiki ir it’s own page. It no longer has any religious connection with Quakerism just as my own Slac no longer has any connection with the Presbyterian Church and Harvard has no connection with the Congregationalist church. Even the President of Haverford Wendy E Raymond is not Quaker. They may want to claim there is not “feel” there but it’s purely projection on your part if you think it’s there, just like there is no Quaker “feel” to Sudwell.

Nobody is arguing about the fact that Haverford is not formally a Quaker college anymore--it is obviously nonsectarian. But I just read the link provided by the earlier poster (because my DS is a junior and is interested in looking at Haverford--in part because of a Peace Studies program they have--which sounds pretty Quaker-ish to me) and it is clear that the college still has a clear Quaker identity. [b]The whole PDF is about how Quaker elements are woven into the fabric of the college.
[/b]
https://www.haverford.edu/sites/default/files/Office/President/Haverford-Quaker-Elements.pdf

I don't know anything about Sidwell but I haven't seen anything like this about that school.

All marketing. How does anything "quaker" "woven into the fabric of the school" sound different from any slac? Wendy isn't Quaker. The profs aren't quaker. This is a chimera.

What a weird post.... I'm not sure how many SLACs use Quakerism as a "marketing" device...I don't know much about Haverford but I just read the link about Quaker elements and I haven't seen anything like it from any of the many SLACs my DD is looking at.

[Anonymous]

Carleton College

[Anonymous]

Carnegie Mellon (IT and writing)
U Washington St Lois (premed)
Harvey Mudd (stem)