Best LAC for NARP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, it's a problem at LACs. The percentage of guys who are straight and not athletes is increasingly tiny. It can be really hard for those students to find a community.

I think it's a genuine issue. Most LACs are not appealing places for straight boys who don't play competitive sports. But this is what most LACs chose.

Personally, I wouldn't bother. I would try to find a university on the smaller side. If he's a stellar student, something like Dartmouth or Rice. They're big enough for everyone to find their space, but small enough to get the liberal arts college experience.

I genuinely would not encourage a straight, non-athlete boy to apply to schools like Vassar, Carleton, Bennington and many others. It'll likely be a lonely experience. If the student really wants to go to a LAC, I'd choose one with a big Greek life. Something like Washington and Lee or Whitman. Or something similar.

This is really great advice. Very valuable. Thank you.

Too bad it's not very accurate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think one of the PPs has some bizarro-world vision of what these schools are like. There are TONS of male students at any liberal arts school who are not on teams but who are not "unconventional" to use the PP's term.

And the idea that there is some giant divide between athletes and non-athletes is ridiculous to anyone with a kid at some of the schools mentioned. These are small schools - all kids, athletes and non-athletes, interact all the time in the dining hall, in class, at parties, in other extracurriculars. There's actually much more mixing of groups than there was at my large university, where each team or clique had its own frat or offcampus house

I'm sorry, I am not making this up. I was told this by my child who attends a SLAC. He didn't coin the term NARP. It's a real thing. It's not like the bloods and the crips but there is something to this and maybe the level of integration varies by school.

I think we’ve established that you don’t have good social skills, so I am not inclined to trust what you report from your son.

Well, I don't know what to tell you. I am not OP. I didn't coin the term NARP. I'm just verifying the existence of a social phenomenon that exists on LAC campuses to some degree or another.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My non-athletic DC is very happy at Bowdoin. Easily found his group, learned that he enjoys hiking, and getting out of his comfort zone a little bit

is your DC a guy? bcs I hear the divide is major there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think one of the PPs has some bizarro-world vision of what these schools are like. There are TONS of male students at any liberal arts school who are not on teams but who are not "unconventional" to use the PP's term.

And the idea that there is some giant divide between athletes and non-athletes is ridiculous to anyone with a kid at some of the schools mentioned. These are small schools - all kids, athletes and non-athletes, interact all the time in the dining hall, in class, at parties, in other extracurriculars. There's actually much more mixing of groups than there was at my large university, where each team or clique had its own frat or offcampus house

actually dining hall is where you see this most, followed by sports travel (it's amazing how much time some athletes are not on campus), followed by post-freshman housing. and parties, of course

this conversation is not helped by the whole "weirdo" talk. this issue is reported best by school papers. google relevant terms and the specific school newspaper. for example:

Amherst
https://amherststudent.com/article/bridging-amhersts-athletic-divide/

Williams college
https://williamsrecord.com/456140/sports/wood-party-rekindles-debate-on-athlete-culture/

Bowdoin
https://bowdoinorient.com/2021/10/29/athletic-department-addresses-divide-between-athletes-and-non-athletes/

[Anonymous]

wesleyan absolutely the worst - 3 different cliques account for 95% of population - hard pass for next DC

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Colgate. Lots of athletes, but the whole school is pretty athletic, outgoing, and social. Haters drag it because it has too many normies who just want to have fun, work hard, and be financially successful… so it fits the bill. Outstanding Econ department, and really strong life sciences. We hire a ton from there, the kids are balanced and work their tails off.

Exactly the opposite of what OP is looking for.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Colgate. Lots of athletes, but the whole school is pretty athletic, outgoing, and social. Haters drag it because it has too many normies who just want to have fun, work hard, and be financially successful… so it fits the bill. Outstanding Econ department, and really strong life sciences. We hire a ton from there, the kids are balanced and work their tails off.

Exactly the opposite of what OP is looking for.

I think she actually was asking for this in a polite way. Athletes are only 35% of the LAC student population. So if the other 65% (ie the NARP population) was exactly what her "regular straight guy" son wanted, there wouldn't be a problem. She obviously is concerned that the non-athletes are not also "regular straight guys" but her son won't be friends with the athletes because they are socially isolated.

She was politely saying her son is a normie, and she is concerned he will find himself in a difficult social context.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think one of the PPs has some bizarro-world vision of what these schools are like. There are TONS of male students at any liberal arts school who are not on teams but who are not "unconventional" to use the PP's term.

And the idea that there is some giant divide between athletes and non-athletes is ridiculous to anyone with a kid at some of the schools mentioned. These are small schools - all kids, athletes and non-athletes, interact all the time in the dining hall, in class, at parties, in other extracurriculars. There's actually much more mixing of groups than there was at my large university, where each team or clique had its own frat or offcampus house

actually dining hall is where you see this most, followed by sports travel (it's amazing how much time some athletes are not on campus), followed by post-freshman housing. and parties, of course

this conversation is not helped by the whole "weirdo" talk. this issue is reported best by school papers. google relevant terms and the specific school newspaper. for example:

Amherst
https://amherststudent.com/article/bridging-amhersts-athletic-divide/

Williams college
https://williamsrecord.com/456140/sports/wood-party-rekindles-debate-on-athlete-culture/

Bowdoin
https://bowdoinorient.com/2021/10/29/athletic-department-addresses-divide-between-athletes-and-non-athletes/

Thank you for validating the gaslighting with respect to the well established perception of a NARP/athlete social divide.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Colgate. Lots of athletes, but the whole school is pretty athletic, outgoing, and social. Haters drag it because it has too many normies who just want to have fun, work hard, and be financially successful… so it fits the bill. Outstanding Econ department, and really strong life sciences. We hire a ton from there, the kids are balanced and work their tails off.

This sounds perfect for my son!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Funny thread. People keep mentioning schools with “only” 20% athletes (usually even these schools are at least 25%).

The answer is simple, and these are two great schools:

Reed College
St. John’s College

I think this is missing the mark. This is a boy who wants to hang [b]out with other normal boys. The problem is at many LACs, almost all the normal boys are on sports teams which leaves him to fend for himself among the overwhelmingly abnormal male NARPs. The answer is NOT to attend Reed College which consists entirely of abnormal NARPs.

If it is a SLAC, these are the schools. Oh, yes, Bennington also. (Hampshire has some varsity sports but the percentage of athletes is tiny there).

There are many, many options of large schools with way under 10% varsity athletes; OP should look there.

It is very easy to avoid schools with 20-40% student athletes. That’s not missing the mark, but hitting it.

“Normal boys”. Who are you to say what a normal or abnormal boy is? Be better a person.

[Anonymous]

Pomona as very inclusive

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Funny thread. People keep mentioning schools with “only” 20% athletes (usually even these schools are at least 25%).

The answer is simple, and these are two great schools:

Reed College
St. John’s College

I think this is missing the mark. This is a boy who wants to hang [b]out with other normal boys. The problem is at many LACs, almost all the normal boys are on sports teams which leaves him to fend for himself among the overwhelmingly abnormal male NARPs. The answer is NOT to attend Reed College which consists entirely of abnormal NARPs.

If it is a SLAC, these are the schools. Oh, yes, Bennington also. (Hampshire has some varsity sports but the percentage of athletes is tiny there).

There are many, many options of large schools with way under 10% varsity athletes; OP should look there.

It is very easy to avoid schools with 20-40% student athletes. That’s not missing the mark, but hitting it.

“Normal boys”. Who are you to say what a normal or abnormal boy is? Be better a person.

I know it sounds mean, but it’s just a reality. Put yourself in the shoes of a young man who doesn’t want to find himself entirely surrounded by lgbtq/social justice types with strange interests.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pomona as very inclusive

Funny statement. A young white man has better chance of sleeping with Taylor Swift than getting accepted into Pomona.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Funny thread. People keep mentioning schools with “only” 20% athletes (usually even these schools are at least 25%).

The answer is simple, and these are two great schools:

Reed College
St. John’s College

I think this is missing the mark. This is a boy who wants to hang [b]out with other normal boys. The problem is at many LACs, almost all the normal boys are on sports teams which leaves him to fend for himself among the overwhelmingly abnormal male NARPs. The answer is NOT to attend Reed College which consists entirely of abnormal NARPs.

If it is a SLAC, these are the schools. Oh, yes, Bennington also. (Hampshire has some varsity sports but the percentage of athletes is tiny there).

There are many, many options of large schools with way under 10% varsity athletes; OP should look there.

It is very easy to avoid schools with 20-40% student athletes. That’s not missing the mark, but hitting it.

“Normal boys”. Who are you to say what a normal or abnormal boy is? Be better a person.

I know it sounds mean, but it’s just a reality. Put yourself in the shoes of a young man who doesn’t want to find himself entirely surrounded by lgbtq/social justice types with strange interests.

This is not the reality though. It's a cartoon. OP--just visit LACs and find out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Funny thread. People keep mentioning schools with “only” 20% athletes (usually even these schools are at least 25%).

The answer is simple, and these are two great schools:

Reed College
St. John’s College

I think this is missing the mark. This is a boy who wants to hang [b]out with other normal boys. The problem is at many LACs, almost all the normal boys are on sports teams which leaves him to fend for himself among the overwhelmingly abnormal male NARPs. The answer is NOT to attend Reed College which consists entirely of abnormal NARPs.

If it is a SLAC, these are the schools. Oh, yes, Bennington also. (Hampshire has some varsity sports but the percentage of athletes is tiny there).

There are many, many options of large schools with way under 10% varsity athletes; OP should look there.

It is very easy to avoid schools with 20-40% student athletes. That’s not missing the mark, but hitting it.

“Normal boys”. Who are you to say what a normal or abnormal boy is? Be better a person.

I know it sounds mean, but it’s just a reality. Put yourself in the shoes of a young man who doesn’t want to find himself entirely surrounded by lgbtq/social justice types with strange interests.

This is not the reality though. It's a cartoon. OP--just visit LACs and find out.

Yet there is truth to it because the kids write about it in the school paper and talk about it and my own kid tells me about it and he's not crazy or intolerant or evil. To put it simply, LACs have an elevated proportion of varsity athletes versus other schools (especially large universities) but also have an elevated proportion of quirky intellectual/creative/activist/future PhD types because they are a natural habitat for such students. Those are two subgroups that don't necessarily tend to have a lot of natural social overlap in real life. This is compounded by the explosive growth in recent years of diverse gender identities.