Anonymous
12/22/2023 18:50
Subject: Suggestions for Greek-heavy, "bro" liberal arts colleges?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Claremont McKenna for the win
Sounds like a perfect fit!
This place must have changed a lot then. Many people I know from the past (like five) went there and none of them are even close to a “bro” type self identify
Nephew is currently there, he's unapologetically bro. There is no Greek life, but he has found toga parties. It also seems very supportive, his program is small and further divided into groups of about twelve who will have classes together throughout.
Anonymous
12/22/2023 18:50
Subject: Suggestions for Greek-heavy, "bro" liberal arts colleges?
Anonymous wrote:Claremont McKenna for the win
+100
Anonymous
12/22/2023 18:13
Subject: Suggestions for Greek-heavy, "bro" liberal arts colleges?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Claremont McKenna for the win
Sounds like a perfect fit!
This place must have changed a lot then. Many people I know from the past (like five) went there and none of them are even close to a “bro” type self identify
Anonymous
12/22/2023 16:43
Subject: Suggestions for Greek-heavy, "bro" liberal arts colleges?
For non toxic bro culture check out Notre Dame.
Anonymous
12/22/2023 16:38
Subject: Suggestions for Greek-heavy, "bro" liberal arts colleges?
Anonymous wrote:Claremont McKenna for the win
Sounds like a perfect fit!
Anonymous
12/22/2023 08:47
Subject: Suggestions for Greek-heavy, "bro" liberal arts colleges?
I know the kind of men OP is talking about because I grew up with them, went to school with them, went to an Ivy with them, even dated them, and laughed at them as they marched off en masse to finance and consulting jobs after graduation. And now 20 years later, most of them are happily married to great women, have great children, and great and comfortable lives.
I'm pragmatic enough to know that buried in that distaste for "bro" is certainly some resentment and jealousy mainly because bros do tend to go on to have successful and attractive lives, which tends to happen to men who early on figure out how to get things done and to go out into the world and get what they want. The dynamics of "brohood" fosters a lot of internal networking and advice that really does help bros get established in life early on, and that dynamic can seem exclusionary to non-bros. There is a clash of values playing out here.
OP, have you considered Vanderbilt? I'd add it to your list. Bigger than a LAC but there's virtues to it.
I'm pragmatic enough to know that buried in that distaste for "bro" is certainly some resentment and jealousy mainly because bros do tend to go on to have successful and attractive lives, which tends to happen to men who early on figure out how to get things done and to go out into the world and get what they want. The dynamics of "brohood" fosters a lot of internal networking and advice that really does help bros get established in life early on, and that dynamic can seem exclusionary to non-bros. There is a clash of values playing out here.
OP, have you considered Vanderbilt? I'd add it to your list. Bigger than a LAC but there's virtues to it.
Anonymous
12/22/2023 07:23
Subject: Suggestions for Greek-heavy, "bro" liberal arts colleges?
Weird, I typed out a reply about Williams and it seems to be blank. Williams still has plenty of guys who could fit in well at a school like Bucknell, Colgate, etc. Many are athletes, not all. Lots of econ majors in that mix. The culture is a little barbell, in that there are many who are politically active, etc., but there are still plenty of the other kinds of kids — sporty, social, like a good party.
I’d look at Middlebury and Hamilton, too. Have known several kids of the type OP describes who went to those schools in the last decade or so.
I’d look at Middlebury and Hamilton, too. Have known several kids of the type OP describes who went to those schools in the last decade or so.
Anonymous
12/22/2023 06:15
Subject: Suggestions for Greek-heavy, "bro" liberal arts colleges?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thx!
He's likely going to apply to both Bucknell and Lehigh as well as some large universities.
Any ideas for liberal arts colleges with some element of this culture that are a tier above Bucknell? He's actually a really studious kid--a weird mix of super academic and social "bro" (party going, guy's guy, sports loving, etc).
Williams definitely has a share of kids like OP’s son. Many are athletes and/or Econ majors fwiw. I’d consider Middlebury, too. It’s a little larger, and I’ve known several guys that sound like OP’e son who went there.
Plenty of that type at Amherst.
Also at Williams
Really? the four people I know who went to Williams recently are not that type at all. Interesting. I am curious if some of this info is dated?
Anonymous
12/21/2023 22:43
Subject: Suggestions for Greek-heavy, "bro" liberal arts colleges?
Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thx!
He's likely going to apply to both Bucknell and Lehigh as well as some large universities.
Any ideas for liberal arts colleges with some element of this culture that are a tier above Bucknell? He's actually a really studious kid--a weird mix of super academic and social "bro" (party going, guy's guy, sports loving, etc).
Why liberal arts then? I would consider smaller academic programs within a big state school.
Anonymous
12/21/2023 21:16
Subject: Suggestions for Greek-heavy, "bro" liberal arts colleges?
Thank you for the laugh.Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Some people’s notion of bro culture seems to be inconsistent with its larger connotations. Bro culture is not merely the presence of guys hanging out at frats and socially drinking. It’s also a toxic, macho male culture that encourages overly competitive, and aggressive behavior (even bullying) towards women (misogynistic) and those with less wealth. Viewed from that perspective, I take issue with the inclusion of some schools here, especially Davidson. My son currently attends the school and bro culture, with its wider, negative connotations, is definitely not a mainstream campus culture.
Please consider the possibility that the term can mean different things to different people. The connotations you have for it may be very different from others'. It's like the term "feminist." To some, it just simply means anyone who believes that there should be equality between the sexes; others envision hyper-aggressive, man-hating lesbians.
Anonymous
12/21/2023 19:49
Subject: Suggestions for Greek-heavy, "bro" liberal arts colleges?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:OP, your kid sounds great. Best of luck!
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:This thread is helpful. It's helpful in the reverse.
Agreed. These are the schools DD avoided like the plague.
Your virtue has been duly signaled. Please move on.
PP here. Why do you criticize this comment as virtue signaling? I was agreeing with an earlier poster that this post is useful in different ways for different kids because they are all looking for different things. One kid's dream school is another's h*ll no. Earlier in this thread, I suggested a specific school with a "bro" culture for the OP to look at. It wasn't for my kid based on the feel, but it's a great school and it may be a good fit for OP's kid.
This is a good post and good comments, don't derail it by denigrating other posters.
The post isn't about your kid, who was clearly looking for something else in a college. So I'm not sure why you'd mention your kid at all. In any event, when you say that she avoided the same schools that might fit OP's kid "like the plague," it suggests some modicum of contempt, does it not? What purpose did that serve? It may not have been your intention, but it comes off as a proclamation that your kid has superior values.
Other that, I agree that it's a useful thread and I (unsarcastically) think it's good that you previously offered a helpful suggestion.
Anonymous
12/21/2023 19:26
Subject: Suggestions for Greek-heavy, "bro" liberal arts colleges?
Look at Sewanee and the Bonner scholarship program. Given his interest in helping others he would be a really good fit with Bonner scholars. Sewanee also has a volunteer fire department on campus which is pretty “bro-ey” from what I hear.
Anonymous
12/21/2023 19:13
Subject: Suggestions for Greek-heavy, "bro" liberal arts colleges?
Anonymous wrote:Any of the SLACs who take alot of kids from the NE prep schools should have a contingent of "bro" types - at the SLACs that doesn't necessarily translate into jerks from the movies since I think it's harder to maintain that level of dickishness in a small school where you interact with everyone at one point or another and so much of it is peer pressure to be a jerk that without that pressure it is less toxic. My husband and I both went to SLACs where the frat/greek scene was mostly popular with freshman and sophomores and interest waned even with members in jr and senior year.
I could see this. When we visited Vassar, there was a table in the dining hall filled with bro athlete types. There were many other kids of kids there too but the athlete table did stand out.
Anonymous
12/21/2023 19:10
Subject: Suggestions for Greek-heavy, "bro" liberal arts colleges?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Paul Ryan went to Miami (OH). 'Nuff said.
There's a far deeper pool of jerks who attended Harvard. And while I don't agree with his views, I'd be surprised if Paul is not extremely smart.
Your logic is lacking.
+1
And regardless of what you think of his politics, he never came off like a jerk at all.
+1. Don't agree with his politics but he doesn't come off as a Bro type at all - at least, not the negative version of the bro.
Is Yale an acceptable place to be away from Bro culture? Because Kavanaugh went to Yale and he definitely seems like he was the Bro type in college.
Yes Yale is fine. I went to Yale a long time ago but after Kavanaugh. There was one fraternity full of bro's, they were awful, everyone knew to avoid them. They are a very small part of the social scene (frats are not very big there) and easy to avoid. They were not well regarded at all because most Yalies don't buy into that kind of culture. I have no idea who they dated because no girls I knew would associate with them. I was not at all surprised to learn that BK was in fact a member of this fraternity while at Yale.
Yale is going to have every type of student, so yes that includes a few bro's. They seem to purposely want a very diverse student body. But there is no overall bro culture at Yale just because a few jerks go there, that's ridiculous.
Anonymous
12/21/2023 19:03
Subject: Suggestions for Greek-heavy, "bro" liberal arts colleges?
Anonymous wrote:OP, your kid sounds great. Best of luck!
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:This thread is helpful. It's helpful in the reverse.
Agreed. These are the schools DD avoided like the plague.
Your virtue has been duly signaled. Please move on.
PP here. Why do you criticize this comment as virtue signaling? I was agreeing with an earlier poster that this post is useful in different ways for different kids because they are all looking for different things. One kid's dream school is another's h*ll no. Earlier in this thread, I suggested a specific school with a "bro" culture for the OP to look at. It wasn't for my kid based on the feel, but it's a great school and it may be a good fit for OP's kid.
This is a good post and good comments, don't derail it by denigrating other posters.