People who went to crummy colleges go overboard with grad/prof college bragging?

[Anonymous]

My undergrad was the only school I could afford, Big Instate U. I got in and out as quickly as possible, graduating more than a year early. No, it wasn't particularly fun, working all the time to pay tuition and sharing a 1BR apartment with 3 other people.

Law school was amazing. Many lasting friendships, met my spouse, really felt supported by the school and faculty. So yeah, that's the sticker on my car, right next to my kid's private school magnet.

[Anonymous]

I am extremely proud of my State University of NY alma mater and mention it more often than my fancy grad school names.

[Anonymous]

She has a graduate degree from Georgetown (it sounds like?). She is fully entitled, therefore, to wear Georgetown clothing and display a Georgetown bumper sticker.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is Florida State crummy?

Crummy than and lower prestige compared to Georgetown, yes.

And people care about this perceived difference enough to make assumptions about a stranger from spin class?

Well, I guess you learn something new everyday

- someone who wears whatever alumni shirt is clean and has a team currently excelling in football/basketball

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My undergrad was the only school I could afford, Big Instate U. I got in and out as quickly as possible, graduating more than a year early. No, it wasn't particularly fun, working all the time to pay tuition and sharing a 1BR apartment with 3 other people.

Law school was amazing. Many lasting friendships, met my spouse, really felt supported by the school and faculty. So yeah, that's the sticker on my car, right next to my kid's private school magnet.

And next to the “OBX” and “I’m with Her” stickers?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:She has a graduate degree from Georgetown (it sounds like?). She is fully entitled, therefore, to wear Georgetown clothing and display a Georgetown bumper sticker.

Also, Georgetown is more local. Maybe she wears her Florida State stuff when she visits there.

[Anonymous]

This is the dumbest thing. You know what also happens? People who never went to college get attached to the sports of one and decorate their basements and wear the gear constantly. Does that mean they're insecure that they didn't go to college and are trying to make it look like they did?

Probably not. They probably just like the team, had an uncle who went/played there, or any number of 700 million reasons, none of which make a damn bit of difference to anyone else's life but their own.

[Anonymous]

Or she likes Georgetown sports and thus has more apparel?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I got an MBA and it really shaped me. I'm more likely to wear a shirt from there than my undergrad, even though both were top schools. You're over-thinking.

Just being observant. The mental gymnastics people perform to rationalize why they're obsessed with projecting [higher] status is fascinating, to me.

But you're the one assuming that's why these people are buying the gear. The Dook guy probably has all that crap in his TV room because that's where he watches sports, not because he thinks it makes him look high brow. The Georgetown lady might have fallen in love with Georgetown and that's why she decided to stay in DC long-term.

I went to a state flagship undergrad and a top five law school. I have more State U gear because I never have to rep my law school when we make it to the national championships. But I'm sure you'd just assume I was doing mental gymnastics to rationalize why I'm trying to project folksiness or something.

You're just insecure about schools for some reason, so you think that's how everyone else is. We're not.

[Anonymous]

A gal from spin?

I'll hazard a guess that OP doesn't work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wear more grad school gear than undergrad because my grad school t-shirts are in better shape. Some people also left undergrad with dire job prospects but hit their career groove after grad school. Hope this helps clear up this major issue for you!

Is the grad school seen as having more prestige than your undergrad? And you feel good projecting that higher status?

If feel good projecting higher status occurs while lifting weights at the gym or drinking at a bar, then I suppose. That's where I typically wear my t-shirts. Is there a lot of Xanax prescribed in the DC region?

[Anonymous]

I wear stuff from both my grad program and undergrad program. I had a great experience at both and feel a real connection to both schools, with degrees to boot. I have a hat I wear a lot on weekends from my grad program and one of my favorite workout shirts is from undergrad. I just like those items of clothing - not trying to project anything. Maybe her undergrad experience wasn't as impactful as her grad experience. You need to get over yourself.

From a resume perspective, someone who went to an average undergrad and an excellent grad school presents better. A well rounded liberal arts education is viewed favorably when combined with a top grad program. You look pretty sad if you went to an Ivy for undergrad and then a ho-hum school for grad school. Makes me think you couldn't hack it.

[Anonymous]

Anyone over 27 wearing college/grad school gear other than on game days is pathetic.

[Anonymous]

I did not "make the most memories" or have "the most fun, deepest connection" at college. I basically never talk about school.

[Anonymous]

Personally I had more fun in grad school than undergrad. But I don't wear "gear" from either institution. Being all excited about your alma mater(s) is really 20-something. No more than 5 years after you graduate, you should be over it and nobody gives a shit where you went to school anyway.