Culture for Girls at Southern Schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She needs to go to college in a major city. LA, Boston, NY.

All the girls at the SEC schools we toured seemed really, really happy, even the ones that dod not look like a stereotypical 'Bama sorority rush poster.

If she liked the southern university, let her apply and see what happens. She might meet some really kind, happy, interesting friends at those places.

That's because in the south girls are taught to smile constantly, no matter how happy or unhappy. As I was.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She needs to go to college in a major city. LA, Boston, NY.

All the girls at the SEC schools we toured seemed really, really happy, even the ones that dod not look like a stereotypical 'Bama sorority rush poster.

If she liked the southern university, let her apply and see what happens. She might meet some really kind, happy, interesting friends at those places.

That's because in the south girls are taught to smile constantly, no matter how happy or unhappy. As I was.

+1. And we were also taught that men are perfect.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:SEC schools are extremely popular now and this trend will continue. Lots of Northeast and Midwest kids want to dress up and socialize with friends at fun football tailgates. Don’t see the appeal of campus protests at schools located in unattractive locations. Duke has a distinct vibe very athletic and fun seeking kids glad it’s not Rice.

This.

You are only young once. You should enjoy your college experience instead of spending it trying to make it through a firewall of angry protesters when just trying to get to you calculus final.

Not accurate in the slightest, but I guess if forced to choose I’ll take that over what I read on one of the southern school reddits today about Greek life - lots of SA and lots of hazing, very creative, pledges sitting in a hole of excrement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She will be fine at Duke, many are not like that. Vanderbilt has changed a lot but is still more into looks/greek than Duke.
Both of those schools have a good percentage of Asians (Wasian mom of Duke 2026) and are not really southern culture, they have too many nerdy types(meant as a compliment).
Ivies have more asians than D and V and have no slight southern flare, but can still have some clicky girl groups. Same with Chicago.
UNC is NOT going to be a fit. UVa and Wake will not work either. Fully avoid SMU UGA AUBurn et al.
Look at William and Mary! Not as intellectually vibey as Duke but is much closer to it than big publics.

W&M is nowhere near as selective as Duke, but the intellectual vibe on campus is at least as strong if not stronger. Duke is still a pre-professional big sports school at heart.

NP.
You clearly do not have a duke student currently or recently. I have two currently. one engineer one english and data science, and I work with may WM students who come to our firm during the summers. Duke is a highly intellectual school based on the students, what they discuss and what happens in and out of the classroom. Duke basketball games get a lot of press but less than 35% of undergrads do the campout in tents thing. Duke students spend a lot of time on studies, many write senior theses and/or are published before graduation. They are highly involved with intellectual pursuits outside the classroom, as well as other activities, very similar to other top-15 schools. Duke is not less intellectual than ivies and certainly not less intellectual than william and mary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:SEC schools are extremely popular now and this trend will continue. Lots of Northeast and Midwest kids want to dress up and socialize with friends at fun football tailgates. Don’t see the appeal of campus protests at schools located in unattractive locations. Duke has a distinct vibe very athletic and fun seeking kids glad it’s not Rice.

This.

You are only young once. You should enjoy your college experience instead of spending it trying to make it through a firewall of angry protesters when just trying to get to you calculus final.

Not accurate in the slightest, but I guess if forced to choose I’ll take that over what I read on one of the southern school reddits today about Greek life - lots of SA and lots of hazing, very creative, pledges sitting in a hole of excrement.

I think people are really overestimating the protest situation at most schools. My kid goes to a school in Midwest considered liberal but the protests are sort of a non issue. Very occasional and limited in time, space and manner.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your kid will be totally fine at Rice and Emory. That kind of culture isn’t predominant at either school. Duke is probably fine too. I knew a mechanical engineer from there and she was not a sorority girl at all, and she was so smart.

Private southern schools in the next two tiers down like Tulane SMU and UMiami should really be avoided. Whether in Greek or not, wealth and the display of wealth and the vibe that comes with all that definitely predominates those schools.
Find your safeties up north.

It’s always amusing that people in the DC area lust after the Ivy League because of the supposed “connections” with the rich that their kid can make there, but think wealthy southern schools should be avoided because of the wealth of the student bodies. These rich Southern schools are the best place to become connected with people who will help you be successful post college. It’s even funnier now that the Ivy League schools have done everything they can to isolate themselves from their rich & successful alumni. Studies that showed that poor kids benefitted more from attending Ivy League schools than lower ranked schools (and showed no such benefit for wealthier kids) were clear that it was the social connections they benefitted from, not the quality of the education. Historically, people didn’t want to go to Harvard to associate with other poor kids, however smart they may be. It’s now especially funny considering that Harvard (and others) have eliminated one major selling point for their university and in the process lowered their academic standards to do so.

Huh? Average SAT at Harvard for last year's class is 1550 with 83% submitting...nearly all have 4.0 in HS.

How is that a "low" academic standard?

Isn't harvard still test optional?

There are lots of low scores at the test optional schools. The scores look high because the only people submitting at test optional schools are the ones over 1500.

Are you a moron?

PP said it’s a 1550 with 83% of the kids submitting test scores.

Like it’s right there in plain English.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She needs to go to college in a major city. LA, Boston, NY.

All the girls at the SEC schools we toured seemed really, really happy, even the ones that dod not look like a stereotypical 'Bama sorority rush poster.

If she liked the southern university, let her apply and see what happens. She might meet some really kind, happy, interesting friends at those places.

That's because in the south girls are taught to smile constantly, no matter how happy or unhappy. As I was.

No.

They were all just nice kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She needs to go to college in a major city. LA, Boston, NY.

All the girls at the SEC schools we toured seemed really, really happy, even the ones that dod not look like a stereotypical 'Bama sorority rush poster.

If she liked the southern university, let her apply and see what happens. She might meet some really kind, happy, interesting friends at those places.

That's because in the south girls are taught to smile constantly, no matter how happy or unhappy. As I was.

+1. And we were also taught that men are perfect.

Ha.

What a ridiculous stereotype.

Try meeting more people.

[Anonymous]

She’s not fitting in because she isn’t confident in herself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She needs to go to college in a major city. LA, Boston, NY.

All the girls at the SEC schools we toured seemed really, really happy, even the ones that dod not look like a stereotypical 'Bama sorority rush poster.

If she liked the southern university, let her apply and see what happens. She might meet some really kind, happy, interesting friends at those places.

That's because in the south girls are taught to smile constantly, no matter how happy or unhappy. As I was.

No.

They were all just nice kids.

Lol! Love, Southerner

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She needs to go to college in a major city. LA, Boston, NY.

All the girls at the SEC schools we toured seemed really, really happy, even the ones that dod not look like a stereotypical 'Bama sorority rush poster.

If she liked the southern university, let her apply and see what happens. She might meet some really kind, happy, interesting friends at those places.

That's because in the south girls are taught to smile constantly, no matter how happy or unhappy. As I was.

+1. And we were also taught that men are perfect.

Yes. And that it's really important to act happy all the time so you can "get a man." Girls are supposed to be cheery and happy non stop.

I decided not to marry a man from the South after I graduated from college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She needs to go to college in a major city. LA, Boston, NY.

All the girls at the SEC schools we toured seemed really, really happy, even the ones that dod not look like a stereotypical 'Bama sorority rush poster.

If she liked the southern university, let her apply and see what happens. She might meet some really kind, happy, interesting friends at those places.

That's because in the south girls are taught to smile constantly, no matter how happy or unhappy. As I was.

+1. And we were also taught that men are perfect.

Yes. And that it's really important to act happy all the time so you can "get a man." Girls are supposed to be cheery and happy non stop.

I decided not to marry a man from the South after I graduated from college.

And he probably decided he was better off with someone who was. Bless your heart.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She needs to go to college in a major city. LA, Boston, NY.

All the girls at the SEC schools we toured seemed really, really happy, even the ones that dod not look like a stereotypical 'Bama sorority rush poster.

If she liked the southern university, let her apply and see what happens. She might meet some really kind, happy, interesting friends at those places.

That's because in the south girls are taught to smile constantly, no matter how happy or unhappy. As I was.

No.
They were all just nice kids.

I'm sure they were nice kids. As a southerner I can assure you that southern girls are taught to act happy and be really nice to everyone, even if they don't like you.

It makes social interactions easier, and I sometimes miss it, but you can't ever assume that superficial interactions have real emotions behind them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She needs to go to college in a major city. LA, Boston, NY.

All the girls at the SEC schools we toured seemed really, really happy, even the ones that dod not look like a stereotypical 'Bama sorority rush poster.

If she liked the southern university, let her apply and see what happens. She might meet some really kind, happy, interesting friends at those places.

That's because in the south girls are taught to smile constantly, no matter how happy or unhappy. As I was.

+1. And we were also taught that men are perfect.

Yes. And that it's really important to act happy all the time so you can "get a man." Girls are supposed to be cheery and happy non stop.

I decided not to marry a man from the South after I graduated from college.

And he probably decided he was better off with someone who was. Bless your heart.

No, I'm a southern woman who's been happily married to my non southern husband for 24 years. I didn't tend to date southern men even while attending a southern college, I already knew what most of them were like.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There was a string about Vanderbilt and how the girls at Vanderbilt, like a lot of schools in the south, dress up for sorority rush and other social events and that may not be the right setting for every girl. I'm not trying to bash Vanderbilt; I just found this article illuminating:

https://vanderbilthustler.com/2019/01/13/our-campus-culture-pressures-women-into-unhealthy-relationships-with-food-and-their-bodies/

I have a junior daughter who is interested in Duke, Emory, Rice and possibly Vanderbilt. Do all of these schools also have that type of school culture around girls and appearances?

We are Asian American and my daughter has been sad to not "fit in" with the popular girls at her high school, many of whom are tall, blond, skinny, etc. so I would like - if possible - to steer her away from that culture for college.

This article is over six years old now!! 🙄