DMV is not the most prestige-obsessed region

[Anonymous]

I knew before clicking on the thread that it was going to be the Bay Area. I do feel the DMV is intense about college but there are also a lot of very practical people here, even among the wealthy, who don't have any issue with state schools or think the rat race required to get into the tippy top schools just are not worth the effort.

The combination of tech money and extremely intense immigrant family culture is out of control in the Bay Area. You've got one group who is extremely entitled and truly believe they are smarter than everyone else and they simply demand admission to top schools for their kids, and then you have another group who isn't entitled but is willing to do almost anything to outcompete other people academically in order to gain access to the same schools. And these two groups are in a fight to the death.

[Anonymous]

What about Orange county / newport beach?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I knew before clicking on the thread that it was going to be the Bay Area. I do feel the DMV is intense about college but there are also a lot of very practical people here, even among the wealthy, who don't have any issue with state schools or think the rat race required to get into the tippy top schools just are not worth the effort.

The combination of tech money and extremely intense immigrant family culture is out of control in the Bay Area. You've got one group who is extremely entitled and truly believe they are smarter than everyone else and they simply demand admission to top schools for their kids, and then you have another group who isn't entitled but is willing to do almost anything to outcompete other people academically in order to gain access to the same schools. And these two groups are in a fight to the death.

My kid goes to a mid tier private in the DMV. All the rich families are obsessed with UVA/UNC type schools. I have to come to DCUM to get my daily dose of Ivy+ bootlicking, because it is not on offer in my local community.

Maybe we should have applied to Sidwell to enjoy the lulz.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What about Orange county / newport beach?

It’s less intense compared to the Bay Area, though they have some very competitive mostly Asian areas. It’s a different culture compared to the Bay Area tech crowd.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was talking to some old college friends who are now in the Bay Area and they’re on another level it seems. Many of them are pushing their kids pretty hard to get Harvard, Stanford, Duke, Columbia, etc. Just goes to show it’s all relative

Troll.

No one outside the DMV area considers Duke in this group. Bay area people don't.

Wrong - They have started to pay attention to increase their odds of a T10 admission. Same for Vandy.

Duke and Vandy are not considered anywhere near HYPSM by most in the Bay Area, and below Berkeley and Cornell. Duke/Vandy CS and engineering are not considered to be in the same league as Berkeley and Cornell, for example.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was talking to some old college friends who are now in the Bay Area and they’re on another level it seems. Many of them are pushing their kids pretty hard to get Harvard, Stanford, Duke, Columbia, etc. Just goes to show it’s all relative

Troll.

No one outside the DMV area considers Duke in this group. Bay area people don't.

Thank you for saying this. I mentioned in another thread that the Californians I grew up with were not aware of Duke and was told I was nuts.

Although there are tons of transplants out there now. My Maryland-born cousin went out to CA and sold an app and made what seemed like a big payoff to folks back home. I told them it was downpayment money for a three bedroom ranch house. 😀

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was talking to some old college friends who are now in the Bay Area and they’re on another level it seems. Many of them are pushing their kids pretty hard to get Harvard, Stanford, Duke, Columbia, etc. Just goes to show it’s all relative

Troll.

No one outside the DMV area considers Duke in this group. Bay area people don't.

Thank you for saying this. I mentioned in another thread that the Californians I grew up with were not aware of Duke and was told I was nuts.

Although there are tons of transplants out there now. My Maryland-born cousin went out to CA and sold an app and made what seemed like a big payoff to folks back home. I told them it was downpayment money for a three bedroom ranch house. 😀

Because they all know about Duke…and know it well enough to consider it inferior.

It’s silly to think they never heard of it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was talking to some old college friends who are now in the Bay Area and they’re on another level it seems. Many of them are pushing their kids pretty hard to get Harvard, Stanford, Duke, Columbia, etc. Just goes to show it’s all relative

Apparently you’ve never lived in the greater Boston area.

[Anonymous]

Bay Area checking in.

I’d say people are less concerned about prestige compared to DMV, but there’s more emphasis on hard work and actual education. Also more options for enrichment outside of schools, which tend to be weaker than DMV.

This being said my kid did algebra in 4th, but mostly because I really enjoyed teaching him myself.

What the pps said about the family profile: immigrant, highly educated, (relatively) high income etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about Orange county / newport beach?

It’s less intense compared to the Bay Area, though they have some very competitive mostly Asian areas. It’s a different culture compared to the Bay Area tech crowd.

I’ve lived in both places. Bay Area is an ultra rat race. Plus there is a veneer of intellectualism (and pseudo-intellectualism and true genius types) on top of the achievement race, so it abounds with lots of serious, confident people of all stripes, and everyone is very driven.

[Anonymous]

Our Asian international school is terrifying. I thought the DMV was bad, I had no idea how bad it could be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What about Orange county / newport beach?

Varsity blues ring leader Singer was based out of Newport Beach.

[Anonymous]

Irvine checks in. You guys are amateurs. No offense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Irvine checks in. You guys are amateurs. No offense.

I would keep my kid away from Asian HSs bc of the unhealthy competition. I live in the USA, not Asia. Don't want my kid attending an Asian HS. In Irvine, it's University High.

- Asian parent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bay Area is ridiculously competitive compared to DMV. And for all the complaining about UVA, Berkeley and UCLA are also more competitive.

Well, of course they are. California has 39.5 million people, while Virginia has 8.6.