Schools with snob appeal

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just let ChatGPT do the work for you:

Alright — here’s a tongue-in-cheek, stereotype-driven ranking of U.S. colleges by perceived snobbiness, mixing prestige, wealth, exclusivity, and “old-money” aura.
Think of this as what you’d hear in a gossip column, not a serious sociological study:

Tier 1 – “Monogrammed Bathrobe” Snobbery

Harvard University – The gold standard for name-dropping at cocktail parties.

Princeton University – Feels like an exclusive club where even the squirrels have legacy status.

Yale University – Secret societies, Gothic towers, and a faint scent of inherited wealth.

Stanford University – Silicon Valley’s royalty training ground, but with flip-flops.

Tier 2 – “My Grandfather Went Here” Snobbery
5. University of Pennsylvania – Especially Wharton; finance bros with trust funds.
6. Dartmouth College – Ivy League meets rustic ski lodge.
7. Williams College – The Amherst–Williams rivalry is basically nobles fencing over who has the finer silverware.
8. Amherst College – Intellectual snobbery with a leafy backdrop.
9. Georgetown University – Preppy D.C. politicos in pastel polos.

Tier 3 – “New Money Meets Old Traditions” Snobbery
10. Brown University – Rich kids who thrift-shop ironically.
11. Middlebury College – Patagonia puffer jackets as far as the eye can see.
12. Claremont McKenna College – Networking culture that starts freshman year.
13. University of Chicago – More “I read Kant in the original German” than “old money,” but still elite.
14. Duke University – Southern Ivy vibe, basketball glory, and Vineyard Vines wardrobes.
15. Vanderbilt University – Country clubs and cotillions meet top-tier academics.

Tier 4 – “We’re Exclusive, But We Don’t Talk About It” Snobbery
16. Bowdoin College – Lobster rolls and legacy admissions.
17. Colby College – Similar to Bowdoin, but with more L.L.Bean.
18. Northwestern University – Midwestern manners soften the edge, but still very name-brand.

Princeton is definitely off the snobbery list now when 25% of the new class are Pell grantees. Only 28% white which is only going to get lower. Are there these stats for other schools yet?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There’s New England snobby, DMV snobby, Southern snobby, African American snobby, Asian American snobby, Hispanic snobby, Midwest Snobby, West Coast snobby and Southern snobby. Then there’s business program snobby, pre-med snobby, comp sci/STEM snobby. Then there’s Greek-snobby. Take your pick and each category will yield a different list of schools.

Which schools are Hispanic snobby? Just curious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There’s New England snobby, DMV snobby, Southern snobby, African American snobby, Asian American snobby, Hispanic snobby, Midwest Snobby, West Coast snobby and Southern snobby. Then there’s business program snobby, pre-med snobby, comp sci/STEM snobby. Then there’s Greek-snobby. Take your pick and each category will yield a different list of schools.

Which schools are Hispanic snobby? Just curious.

I’m guessing Ivies, UT, UCLA, Berkeley, Columbia, NYU, Miami?? Snob-appeal has a lot to do with name recognition and popularity within Ethnic communities?

[Anonymous]

Pepperdine believe it or not.
Oxford colleges

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pepperdine believe it or not.
Oxford colleges

Oxford University.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:University of Florida

+1 In the South old money families go to their flagship.

No. Just no.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:University of Florida

+1 In the South old money families go to their flagship.

No. Just no.

Make a point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just let ChatGPT do the work for you:

Alright — here’s a tongue-in-cheek, stereotype-driven ranking of U.S. colleges by perceived snobbiness, mixing prestige, wealth, exclusivity, and “old-money” aura.
Think of this as what you’d hear in a gossip column, not a serious sociological study:

Tier 1 – “Monogrammed Bathrobe” Snobbery

Harvard University – The gold standard for name-dropping at cocktail parties.

Princeton University – Feels like an exclusive club where even the squirrels have legacy status.

Yale University – Secret societies, Gothic towers, and a faint scent of inherited wealth.

Stanford University – Silicon Valley’s royalty training ground, but with flip-flops.

Tier 2 – “My Grandfather Went Here” Snobbery
5. University of Pennsylvania – Especially Wharton; finance bros with trust funds.
6. Dartmouth College – Ivy League meets rustic ski lodge.
7. Williams College – The Amherst–Williams rivalry is basically nobles fencing over who has the finer silverware.
8. Amherst College – Intellectual snobbery with a leafy backdrop.
9. Georgetown University – Preppy D.C. politicos in pastel polos.

Tier 3 – “New Money Meets Old Traditions” Snobbery
10. Brown University – Rich kids who thrift-shop ironically.
11. Middlebury College – Patagonia puffer jackets as far as the eye can see.
12. Claremont McKenna College – Networking culture that starts freshman year.
13. University of Chicago – More “I read Kant in the original German” than “old money,” but still elite.
14. Duke University – Southern Ivy vibe, basketball glory, and Vineyard Vines wardrobes.
15. Vanderbilt University – Country clubs and cotillions meet top-tier academics.

Tier 4 – “We’re Exclusive, But We Don’t Talk About It” Snobbery
16. Bowdoin College – Lobster rolls and legacy admissions.
17. Colby College – Similar to Bowdoin, but with more L.L.Bean.
18. Northwestern University – Midwestern manners soften the edge, but still very name-brand.

Princeton is definitely off the snobbery list now when 25% of the new class are Pell grantees. Only 28% white which is only going to get lower. Are there these stats for other schools yet?

I’d be wary of making too much about racial breakdown stats. For students in college now, race was such a huge predictor of who gets accepted and who doesn’t. And 18 year olds today are often mixed, because this is America. Someone with a grandparent from Puerto Rico or St. Lucia or Argentina or Nigeria is definitely filling the Latino or Black box. Because it conferred advantages over standard white or Asian.

So when you see some blond man in seersuckers at Princeton, he may very well be Latino because grandpa from Germany emigrated to Brazil. Or maybe a Japanese grandmother emigrated to Peru. Both are Latino according to College Board and the scholarships that come with high scores if you check the right box.

Race and ethnicity is a very useless construct for 18 year olds today, given how diverse this country is. So it results in game playing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just let ChatGPT do the work for you:

Alright — here’s a tongue-in-cheek, stereotype-driven ranking of U.S. colleges by perceived snobbiness, mixing prestige, wealth, exclusivity, and “old-money” aura.
Think of this as what you’d hear in a gossip column, not a serious sociological study:

Tier 1 – “Monogrammed Bathrobe” Snobbery

Harvard University – The gold standard for name-dropping at cocktail parties.

Princeton University – Feels like an exclusive club where even the squirrels have legacy status.

Yale University – Secret societies, Gothic towers, and a faint scent of inherited wealth.

Stanford University – Silicon Valley’s royalty training ground, but with flip-flops.

Tier 2 – “My Grandfather Went Here” Snobbery
5. University of Pennsylvania – Especially Wharton; finance bros with trust funds.
6. Dartmouth College – Ivy League meets rustic ski lodge.
7. Williams College – The Amherst–Williams rivalry is basically nobles fencing over who has the finer silverware.
8. Amherst College – Intellectual snobbery with a leafy backdrop.
9. Georgetown University – Preppy D.C. politicos in pastel polos.

Tier 3 – “New Money Meets Old Traditions” Snobbery
10. Brown University – Rich kids who thrift-shop ironically.
11. Middlebury College – Patagonia puffer jackets as far as the eye can see.
12. Claremont McKenna College – Networking culture that starts freshman year.
13. University of Chicago – More “I read Kant in the original German” than “old money,” but still elite.
14. Duke University – Southern Ivy vibe, basketball glory, and Vineyard Vines wardrobes.
15. Vanderbilt University – Country clubs and cotillions meet top-tier academics.

Tier 4 – “We’re Exclusive, But We Don’t Talk About It” Snobbery
16. Bowdoin College – Lobster rolls and legacy admissions.
17. Colby College – Similar to Bowdoin, but with more L.L.Bean.
18. Northwestern University – Midwestern manners soften the edge, but still very name-brand.

Princeton is definitely off the snobbery list now when 25% of the new class are Pell grantees. Only 28% white which is only going to get lower. Are there these stats for other schools yet?

I’d be wary of making too much about racial breakdown stats. For students in college now, race was such a huge predictor of who gets accepted and who doesn’t. And 18 year olds today are often mixed, because this is America. Someone with a grandparent from Puerto Rico or St. Lucia or Argentina or Nigeria is definitely filling the Latino or Black box. Because it conferred advantages over standard white or Asian.

So when you see some blond man in seersuckers at Princeton, he may very well be Latino because grandpa from Germany emigrated to Brazil. Or maybe a Japanese grandmother emigrated to Peru. Both are Latino according to College Board and the scholarships that come with high scores if you check the right box.

Race and ethnicity is a very useless construct for 18 year olds today, given how diverse this country is. So it results in game playing.

I think class and wealth are more important among all groups for snob appeal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:University of Florida

+1 In the South old money families go to their flagship.

No. Just no.

Yes. Just yes.
I'm southern, are you?

I've seen a fair number that defer to places like sewanee, Davidson, college of Charleston, but why wouldn't you go to your flagship and pledge the same Greek house as your successful parents? Your currency isn't worth very much at a place like Colgate or (if you can get in) an Ivy.

not worth it for the parents either. good old boys and junior league moms want to send their kids to a school their friends know and where their friends' kids also go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pepperdine believe it or not.
Oxford colleges

Oxford University.

100%

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pepperdine believe it or not.
Oxford colleges

Oxford University.

Not sure about Oxford. Used to be mostly for upper class but is now diverse (like Ivies in US). Neither William or Harry went to Oxbridge.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pepperdine believe it or not.
Oxford colleges

Oxford University.

Pepperdine is high on the snob list for the west coast protestant crowd.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pepperdine believe it or not.
Oxford colleges

Oxford University.

Pepperdine is high on the snob list for the west coast protestant crowd.

You mean west coast evangelical crowd

[Anonymous]

Pepperdine definitely snob in the West Coast.