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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I have a hs senior dd and had similar questions and concerns. From my anecdotal research (speaking with current college students and parents), the social scene at many (but not all)  of the top private and public schools is pretty cliquey and dominated by wealthy, attractive, popular kids - often from private/prep schools. You don't have to be blond, but it does help if you are wealthy and attractive. Even girls who are not 'dresssed up' often wear designer jewelry and accessories. Its kind of crazy. These kids have already identified each other on social media before arriving on campus. Duke and Vanderbilt for sure are like this. Rice no, bc no greek and student body is very different. Emory- not as bad. It's not a southern thing. It's a wealthy/private school thing. You don't have to he part of it, but it is good for kids to think about how they can see themselves having fun outside those groups if they prevail on campus. There are plenty of non greek and non girly girls at duke amd vandy, you just have to find your group. I think it's sad, but it's the reality these kids face.[/quote]
It is a southern thing. No such culture at Yale, Harvard, even schools like Case Western, Skidmore, Tufts.[/quote]

These are all very different schools. But there is very much a rich private high school clique at many schools - including Yale and Skidmore. I do think that's a better lense through which to look at things rather than tired southern tropes.

That being said, Vanderbilt has really tried to crush the Greek system in recent years. I believe it's less than 20 percent of students at this point. But it does exist. It's there if you want it, but most students don't and have a perfectly happy four years. I think Duke is somewhat similar. Both Duke and Vanderbilt are a lot more academic than people seem to believe. And both are very comfortable schools for Asian-Americans.

And Rice even more so. There is no Greek system. Like Yale, they have residential colleges and that tends to create a sense of community. And Rice students tend to be genuine brainiacs. It's a very comfortable space for smart people. And the percentage of Asian-American students is very high.

But obviously someone's experience at Alabama, LSU, Tennessee etc is going to be completely different. But the social dynamics at schools like Duke, Rice, Vanderbilt, and Emory aren't really that different from any top 25 school. Actually, I'd think that socially Penn, Harvard, and Princeton are far more stressful than the southern schools today, including Vanderbilt. [/quote]

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