TikTok is driving the increase in popularity for southern schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Or, it could be because the schools are cheaper and sometimes easier to get into.

Huh. On my DC block alone, we have current students at: Vandy, Tulane, Rice, Charleston and Clemson.

Which of these are the cheap ones, again?

Sounds like a lot philistines and kids frozen out of t15s

Vanderbilt and Rice are both T15 schools. They are both more highly ranked than Columbia, Cornell, Berkeley, Notre Dame, UCLA, Georgetown, Michigan and so on and so forth. It's not just rubes, philistines, and sorority girls who are choosing to go to school in the south. And I don't think the kids going to Duke, Vandy, or Rice are particularly influenced by TikTok. It is possible to get a very good education in the South.

Kind of, but the South still heavily lags behind the northeast. The only school I’ve seen people consistently pick over Ivies when having the choice is Duke, otherwise even top kids from the south leave to go to an ivy.

+1 The Northeast schools' applications are still by far outpacing the South. Everywhere is getting more applications--and fewer people can get into the most competitive Northeast schools so more are going further afield.

According to Forbes’ analysis of 2023 applications:

Most states saw meaningful growth in college applicants since 2019–20, with a very few exceptions. South Carolina had the greatest growth of 74% over 2019–20, followed by Texas at 69%. South Dakota, a state with historically low applicant volume, saw a substantial decline in applicants (-58%). Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine each saw declines (-3%, -2%, -3%, -3%, and -14%, respectively).

https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaeltnietzel/2023/03/30/college-applications-are-up-dramatically-in-2023/?sh=5d92f6e19c4d

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Or, it could be because the schools are cheaper and sometimes easier to get into.

Huh. On my DC block alone, we have current students at: Vandy, Tulane, Rice, Charleston and Clemson.

Which of these are the cheap ones, again?

Sounds like a lot philistines and kids frozen out of t15s

Vanderbilt and Rice are both T15 schools. They are both more highly ranked than Columbia, Cornell, Berkeley, Notre Dame, UCLA, Georgetown, Michigan and so on and so forth. It's not just rubes, philistines, and sorority girls who are choosing to go to school in the south. And I don't think the kids going to Duke, Vandy, or Rice are particularly influenced by TikTok. It is possible to get a very good education in the South.

Kind of, but the South still heavily lags behind the northeast. The only school I’ve seen people consistently pick over Ivies when having the choice is Duke, otherwise even top kids from the south leave to go to an ivy.

+1 The Northeast schools' applications are still by far outpacing the South. Everywhere is getting more applications--and fewer people can get into the most competitive Northeast schools so more are going further afield.

Number of “applications” is not a good way to measure this. What matter is the actual number of *students* applying & where they are enrolling. Students who are applying to schools in the Ivy League submit many more applications than kids in the South that are going to their state flagship. I know students in Georgia, for example, who applied early to Georgia and Georgia Tech, got into one or both and were done. They knew they weren’t going to turn down free tuition at these excellent schools.

https://www.highereddive.com/news/common-app-high-sat-private-school-application-increase/638459/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Or, it could be because the schools are cheaper and sometimes easier to get into.

Huh. On my DC block alone, we have current students at: Vandy, Tulane, Rice, Charleston and Clemson.

Which of these are the cheap ones, again?

Sounds like a lot philistines and kids frozen out of t15s

Vanderbilt and Rice are both T15 schools. They are both more highly ranked than Columbia, Cornell, Berkeley, Notre Dame, UCLA, Georgetown, Michigan and so on and so forth. It's not just rubes, philistines, and sorority girls who are choosing to go to school in the south. And I don't think the kids going to Duke, Vandy, or Rice are particularly influenced by TikTok. It is possible to get a very good education in the South.

Vandy and rice are not t15s for all intents and purposes

They are massively underrepresented in boswash corridor and Sf/la

They are functionally fungible with t20-30 privates in the northeast

I think this might be the most ridiculous thing I've ever read here. You know it's not 1984 anymore, right? Times change. Your imaginary boomer list of top colleges is not relevant in 2023. Both Rice and Vanderbilt are listed as top 15 universities in every significant college ranking in the country. And this country is a lot bigger than Manhattan and DC, neither of which are very appealing to recent college grads today.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I actually think Alabama rushtok is a huge negative to a lot of people.

But probably not to those who subscribe to TikTok.

My junior daughter is on tik tok a lot, but Bama Rush was a huge negative for her. Minimal or zero Greek presence is one of her top college criteria.

I am curious whether you have enough self-awareness to realize that’s deviant of normal behavior, right? That’s highly unusual that going out of your way to not have Greek life would actually be a criterion. And yet you say it like you think it’s a virtue or something.

It's a fairly common criterion among top students.

My daughter goes to a local school known for its academic rigor and just graduated. Every single one of her friends plans to rush if it’s an option at their college.

+1

Not just top students. It’s a very common thing for anyone not raised in the south. And only someone raised to conform would think it’s “deviant”. Just because it’s your biggest life milestone in the south doesn’t mean it matters to people in other parts of the country. Many, many more people do not care at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I actually think Alabama rushtok is a huge negative to a lot of people.

But probably not to those who subscribe to TikTok.

My junior daughter is on tik tok a lot, but Bama Rush was a huge negative for her. Minimal or zero Greek presence is one of her top college criteria.

I am curious whether you have enough self-awareness to realize that’s deviant of normal behavior, right? That’s highly unusual that going out of your way to not have Greek life would actually be a criterion. And yet you say it like you think it’s a virtue or something.

It's a fairly common criterion among top students.

My daughter goes to a local school known for its academic rigor and just graduated. Every single one of her friends plans to rush if it’s an option at their college.

+1

Not just top students. It’s a very common thing for anyone not raised in the south. And only someone raised to conform would think it’s “deviant”. Just because it’s your biggest life milestone in the south doesn’t mean it matters to people in other parts of the country. Many, many more people do not care at all.

My daughter attends a local private known for its academic rigor. Every single one of her friends plans to rush if it’s an option at their college (incoming freshman). Your comment is very wrong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Or, it could be because the schools are cheaper and sometimes easier to get into.

Huh. On my DC block alone, we have current students at: Vandy, Tulane, Rice, Charleston and Clemson.

Which of these are the cheap ones, again?

Sounds like a lot philistines and kids frozen out of t15s

To be fair, I think Rice and Vandy are more in the 15 to 25 ranking but why does it matter?


Vanderbilt and Rice are both T15 schools. They are both more highly ranked than Columbia, Cornell, Berkeley, Notre Dame, UCLA, Georgetown, Michigan and so on and so forth. It's not just rubes, philistines, and sorority girls who are choosing to go to school in the south. And I don't think the kids going to Duke, Vandy, or Rice are particularly influenced by TikTok. It is possible to get a very good education in the South.

Vandy and rice are not t15s for all intents and purposes

They are massively underrepresented in boswash corridor and Sf/la

They are functionally fungible with t20-30 privates in the northeast

I think this might be the most ridiculous thing I've ever read here. You know it's not 1984 anymore, right? Times change. Your imaginary boomer list of top colleges is not relevant in 2023. Both Rice and Vanderbilt are listed as top 15 universities in every significant college ranking in the country. And this country is a lot bigger than Manhattan and DC, neither of which are very appealing to recent college grads today.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Or, it could be because the schools are cheaper and sometimes easier to get into.

Huh. On my DC block alone, we have current students at: Vandy, Tulane, Rice, Charleston and Clemson.

Which of these are the cheap ones, again?

Sounds like a lot philistines and kids frozen out of t15s

Vanderbilt and Rice are both T15 schools. They are both more highly ranked than Columbia, Cornell, Berkeley, Notre Dame, UCLA, Georgetown, Michigan and so on and so forth. It's not just rubes, philistines, and sorority girls who are choosing to go to school in the south. And I don't think the kids going to Duke, Vandy, or Rice are particularly influenced by TikTok. It is possible to get a very good education in the South.

Kind of, but the South still heavily lags behind the northeast. The only school I’ve seen people consistently pick over Ivies when having the choice is Duke, otherwise even top kids from the south leave to go to an ivy.

Not true many top kids don't apply to ivys. Students from the south are more likely to stay in region more so than any other region of student.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Or, it could be because the schools are cheaper and sometimes easier to get into.

Huh. On my DC block alone, we have current students at: Vandy, Tulane, Rice, Charleston and Clemson.

Which of these are the cheap ones, again?

Sounds like a lot philistines and kids frozen out of t15s

Vanderbilt and Rice are both T15 schools. They are both more highly ranked than Columbia, Cornell, Berkeley, Notre Dame, UCLA, Georgetown, Michigan and so on and so forth. It's not just rubes, philistines, and sorority girls who are choosing to go to school in the south. And I don't think the kids going to Duke, Vandy, or Rice are particularly influenced by TikTok. It is possible to get a very good education in the South.

Kind of, but the South still heavily lags behind the northeast. The only school I’ve seen people consistently pick over Ivies when having the choice is Duke, otherwise even top kids from the south leave to go to an ivy.

The northeast is more than just the ivys like the south is more than just Duke. Vandy, Emory Rice, UNC, Davidson, Wash&Lee are all great schools and more respected than schools like Tufts, BC, BU etc

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Or, it could be because the schools are cheaper and sometimes easier to get into.

Huh. On my DC block alone, we have current students at: Vandy, Tulane, Rice, Charleston and Clemson.

Which of these are the cheap ones, again?

Sounds like a lot philistines and kids frozen out of t15s

Vanderbilt and Rice are both T15 schools. They are both more highly ranked than Columbia, Cornell, Berkeley, Notre Dame, UCLA, Georgetown, Michigan and so on and so forth. It's not just rubes, philistines, and sorority girls who are choosing to go to school in the south. And I don't think the kids going to Duke, Vandy, or Rice are particularly influenced by TikTok. It is possible to get a very good education in the South.

Kind of, but the South still heavily lags behind the northeast. The only school I’ve seen people consistently pick over Ivies when having the choice is Duke, otherwise even top kids from the south leave to go to an ivy.

+1 The Northeast schools' applications are still by far outpacing the South. Everywhere is getting more applications--and fewer people can get into the most competitive Northeast schools so more are going further afield.

That's not true at all. Much of New England is seeing a decline in applications, while the South, the Midwest, and the West are all seeing a significant increase. Furthermore, smart kids are being much more strategic with their applications. They're not wasting ED and SCEA apps on Ivys that are no longer merit based. Instead they apply to top schools elsewhere in the country, including the South, where legacy and connections and all the other hooks don't matter as much as they do at the Ivies. Of course, students will always want to study in Boston, but generally the Northeast as a college destination is in the decline.

[Anonymous]

I got caught shopliftin at the Chevy dealership

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I actually think Alabama rushtok is a huge negative to a lot of people.

But probably not to those who subscribe to TikTok.

My junior daughter is on tik tok a lot, but Bama Rush was a huge negative for her. Minimal or zero Greek presence is one of her top college criteria.

My DD is in a "southern" school and in a sorority, she thinks Bama Rush is a MAJOR cringe. Showed me some yesterday as I guess it was "day one". That said, her sorority and greek system are NOTHING like that. You have to realize that Bama and Georgia, and Ole Miss, those are a whole 'nother level of crazy when it comes to greeks, and most other schools are just normal. I get that she's turned off from it, again my DD is too, but she shouldn't go out of her way to avoid a school with a greek system since she actually has no insight as to what 99% of greek campuses are like.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a resident in MA where southern schools are not of much interest….are these schools mostly white? Sports centric? I recall a threat on UNC that discussed posters DCs regularly heard the N-word mentioned. Honestly shocking. Not to be antagonistic but perhaps the #s a police to NE are actually sensible.

Are you referring to mostly white MA, a state with abut 10% Black residents?

[Anonymous]

TikTok and Southern sororities are both superficial and cringe.

[Anonymous]

SEC schools give merit aid to DC-area kids to make them price-competitive with the VA schools. They are also easier to get into as a kid from the DC area than UVA, VT, UMCP, etc. And they still have big name recognition, national alumni networks, etc, which makes them more desirable than second-tier in-state schools to DC-area parents.

And I’m sure Greek life and pretty girls are also a draw for some kids. But a lot of colleges have Greek life and pretty girls.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Or, it could be because the schools are cheaper and sometimes easier to get into.

Huh. On my DC block alone, we have current students at: Vandy, Tulane, Rice, Charleston and Clemson.

Which of these are the cheap ones, again?

Sounds like a lot philistines and kids frozen out of t15s

Vanderbilt and Rice are both T15 schools. They are both more highly ranked than Columbia, Cornell, Berkeley, Notre Dame, UCLA, Georgetown, Michigan and so on and so forth. It's not just rubes, philistines, and sorority girls who are choosing to go to school in the south. And I don't think the kids going to Duke, Vandy, or Rice are particularly influenced by TikTok. It is possible to get a very good education in the South.

Kind of, but the South still heavily lags behind the northeast. The only school I’ve seen people consistently pick over Ivies when having the choice is Duke, otherwise even top kids from the south leave to go to an ivy.

The northeast is more than just the ivys like the south is more than just Duke. Vandy, Emory Rice, UNC, Davidson, Wash&Lee are all great schools and more respected than schools like Tufts, BC, BU etc

It is difficult to compare LACs like Davidson and W&L to mid size and large universities. If "respect" or generic prestige is a concern, Tufts BC BU are not less-respected than Davidson and W&L.