Anonymous
Post 02/09/2026 10:46     Subject: School Tier Ranking based on Privilege
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:From DC’s private school, recent Dartmouth and Vanderbilt admits have been mostly spoiled rich kids with okay but not great stats.


In CT or NY?


DMV
Anonymous
Post 02/09/2026 10:44     Subject: Re:School Tier Ranking based on Privilege
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:That preppy & privileged feel is fading significantly at Princeton. My DS says that it only really exists with the athletes & legacies at the eating clubs. Otherwise, Princeton heavily favors and targets underprivileged kids for admission.


Same at Dartmouth. My child is a freshman. There are wealthy boarding school kids but 30% of the students pay nothing.
There are a ton of FGLI, etc kids. The downside is that the students are underprepared. My smart but not a superstar kid finds it super easy and is on the second trimester of 99% or something ridiculous in all courses (has accelerated the rigor when able but a lot of classes have been required).


Is your freshman at Dartmouth taking STEM courses? Which ones? I'm surprised academics are that easy now/
Anonymous
Post 02/09/2026 10:19     Subject: School Tier Ranking based on Privilege
University of Miami, Denison, Pepperdine,
Anonymous
Post 02/09/2026 10:16     Subject: School Tier Ranking based on Privilege
Tulane. The amount of wealth there is staggering. Private jets, yachts, etc.
Anonymous
Post 02/09/2026 09:52     Subject: Re:School Tier Ranking based on Privilege
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:That preppy & privileged feel is fading significantly at Princeton. My DS says that it only really exists with the athletes & legacies at the eating clubs. Otherwise, Princeton heavily favors and targets underprivileged kids for admission.


Does your DS think it’s good that it’s fading?


Curious to hear. I’m a Princeton alum, BIPOC, and I think the targeting underprivileged kids has gone a bit too far. Sadly, it’s resulted in professors diluting standards to get kids who are not well-prepared academically to graduation.

You need a good mix of kids from different socioeconomic backgrounds for a first class university.

Staying test optional so long—still. For 6 years they have had such a big URM/First Gen push- the student body has changed a lot.

I’ll give credit to Cal (and likely other top UCs). It has had the obligation to admit a mass of unprepared kids from CA even before the test-blind age. But its requirements are “weed out” classes instead of diluting standards to accommodate the unprepared kids.

This raises another question…
I know some unprepared kids are clueless about how unprepared they’re before getting into a top college. But putting an unprepared kid in a top college may do more harms to them instead of helping them!
Anonymous
Post 02/09/2026 09:49     Subject: Re:School Tier Ranking based on Privilege
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:That preppy & privileged feel is fading significantly at Princeton. My DS says that it only really exists with the athletes & legacies at the eating clubs. Otherwise, Princeton heavily favors and targets underprivileged kids for admission.


Does your DS think it’s good that it’s fading?


Curious to hear. I’m a Princeton alum, BIPOC, and I think the targeting underprivileged kids has gone a bit too far. Sadly, it’s resulted in professors diluting standards to get kids who are not well-prepared academically to graduation.

You need a good mix of kids from different socioeconomic backgrounds for a first class university.

Staying test optional so long—still. For 6 years they have had such a big URM/First Gen push- the student body has changed a lot.

I’ll give credit to Cal (and likely other top UCs). It has had the obligation to admit a mass of unprepared kids from CA even before the test-blind age. But its requirements are “weed out” classes instead of diluting standards to accommodate the unprepared kids.
Anonymous
Post 02/08/2026 23:02     Subject: School Tier Ranking based on Privilege
Anonymous wrote:What schools have that preppy, upper crust privileged feel. I know people say UVA, Dartmouth, Vanderbilt, Princeton. Elaborate on it a little more if you have experience at those schools.


Are you referring to unearned white privilege?
Anonymous
Post 02/08/2026 19:38     Subject: Re:School Tier Ranking based on Privilege
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:That preppy & privileged feel is fading significantly at Princeton. My DS says that it only really exists with the athletes & legacies at the eating clubs. Otherwise, Princeton heavily favors and targets underprivileged kids for admission.


Does your DS think it’s good that it’s fading?


Curious to hear. I’m a Princeton alum, BIPOC, and I think the targeting underprivileged kids has gone a bit too far. Sadly, it’s resulted in professors diluting standards to get kids who are not well-prepared academically to graduation.

You need a good mix of kids from different socioeconomic backgrounds for a first class university.

Staying test optional so long—still. For 6 years they have had such a big URM/First Gen push- the student body has changed a lot.
Anonymous
Post 02/08/2026 19:29     Subject: Re:School Tier Ranking based on Privilege
USC, NYU, BU
Anonymous
Post 02/08/2026 19:23     Subject: School Tier Ranking based on Privilege
SEC schools. The Grove at Ole Miss would make DCUM strivers blush.
Anonymous
Post 02/08/2026 19:17     Subject: School Tier Ranking based on Privilege
For LACs - Colorado College, Middlebury, and Colgate seem to all have exceptionally wealthy student bodies
Anonymous
Post 02/08/2026 19:06     Subject: School Tier Ranking based on Privilege
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:What schools have that preppy, upper crust privileged feel. I know people say UVA, Dartmouth, Vanderbilt, Princeton. Elaborate on it a little more if you have experience at those schools.

UVA 🤔


Because of its size, there is a mix. It is very desirable from the OOS elite private day and boarding school set. It also pulls some serious NOVA money. And of course, it serves all Virginians in a more broad sense.

My CA kid arrived privileged and found that crowd easily. Their interests led to mixed groups. By graduation, the friend groups (more than one) were mostly mixed SES, with one elite group that they still loved.

This is the beauty of a larger school. The close core of all groups have remained in touch 5 years out.

The difference in each student’s experience at any school may boil down to how open they are to seeking out people both similar and different to themself simply because they are drawn to mutual interests, charismatic conversations, and kindness.

Not sure if the OP is seeking the list of privileged student bodies because they are drawn to it or wish to avoid it. Either of those extremes is a misstep from my perspective.


I have one kid at an Ivy and one at UVA and the monied set is far more in-your-face at UVA. There are a LOT of really wealthy OOS kids--all from private schools but not the very top privates because those have a large percentage of kids on aid. The UVA kids come from more of the flashy, monied second tier of privates.
Anonymous
Post 02/08/2026 19:05     Subject: School Tier Ranking based on Privilege
Anonymous wrote:USC in CA


Well…. It was nicknamed the University of Spoiled Children for a reason.

It’s a private in wealthy SoCal where, if you have the grades and stats, you go to UCLA for 40% of the cost of USC. The rich dumb kids end up at USC.

UCLA has a gorgeous campus in Westwood. USC is right smack in the middle of downtown LA.

The only major that’s stronger at USC is the film school, which is notoriously competitive to get into.
Anonymous
Post 02/08/2026 19:02     Subject: Re:School Tier Ranking based on Privilege
Anonymous wrote:That preppy & privileged feel is fading significantly at Princeton. My DS says that it only really exists with the athletes & legacies at the eating clubs. Otherwise, Princeton heavily favors and targets underprivileged kids for admission.


Same at Dartmouth. My child is a freshman. There are wealthy boarding school kids but 30% of the students pay nothing.
There are a ton of FGLI, etc kids. The downside is that the students are underprepared. My smart but not a superstar kid finds it super easy and is on the second trimester of 99% or something ridiculous in all courses (has accelerated the rigor when able but a lot of classes have been required).
Anonymous
Post 02/08/2026 18:57     Subject: School Tier Ranking based on Privilege
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:What schools have that preppy, upper crust privileged feel. I know people say UVA, Dartmouth, Vanderbilt, Princeton. Elaborate on it a little more if you have experience at those schools.

UVA 🤔


Because of its size, there is a mix. It is very desirable from the OOS elite private day and boarding school set. It also pulls some serious NOVA money. And of course, it serves all Virginians in a more broad sense.

My CA kid arrived privileged and found that crowd easily. Their interests led to mixed groups. By graduation, the friend groups (more than one) were mostly mixed SES, with one elite group that they still loved.

This is the beauty of a larger school. The close core of all groups have remained in touch 5 years out.

The difference in each student’s experience at any school may boil down to how open they are to seeking out people both similar and different to themself simply because they are drawn to mutual interests, charismatic conversations, and kindness.

Not sure if the OP is seeking the list of privileged student bodies because they are drawn to it or wish to avoid it. Either of those extremes is a misstep from my perspective.