Are students snobby?

<p>Yale came up as #1 on a CC search for my D who is a junior. She has the grades and test scores to <em>possibly</em> get in, but we realize how selective the Ivies are. We never really considered the Ivies because of our impression that the students would tend to be snobby and somewhat pretentious, but we may be wrong about that. D is academically-oriented, but also artsy, liberal, laid-back and down-to-earth with a quirky sense of humor. She’s in an IB program at a public inner-city magnet high school with a great deal of diversity (SES as well as racial/ethnic) which is a great fit for her. I’m concerned that she would not love the social environment at an Ivie. Any advice?</p>

<p>This question has come up before, so you can look at old threads. The answer is that the overall atmosphere at Yale is very diverse, with a general artsy, quirky vibe. There are some snobby students, but they are in the minority. The residential college system provides a great social structure. I wouldn’t exactly say the students at Yale are laid-back, but I would say that they are mostly intense without being competitive. I think your D would fit in fine, and she should visit if possible.</p>

<p>I think the “snob” stereotype of Ivy league students is largely a myth, because college is a time to make new friends, and no one makes new friends by being snobby to others. I’m sure there will inevitably be snobby people at Ivy league colleges, but they wouldn’t thrive socially, which is a huge aspect at Yale.</p>

<p>I’d also say that Yale might be lower down on the list of “snobby” Ivies. The description of your daughter makes it sound like Yale could be a very good fit.</p>

<p>When I visited yale, I did not meet a single student who even appeared to be remotely snobby.</p>

<p>Yes, if thinking that they are superior to Harvard students counts. :slight_smile: j/k</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>I wouldn’t call that snobby :wink: </p>

<p>But actually though… I had the snobby stereotype going on my visit to Yale, and I left with a completely different opinion. There was not one snobby person from everyone I talked to.</p>

<p>^ That being said, statistically you will find some amount of snobby people attending Yale. Assuming that is, that you are not imposing this quality of snobbery on to other people as a by product of your own delusions, and that snobbery is a real objective quality in humans. The more accurate version of my first sentence would be: “That being said, statistically you will find some amount of people that you deem snobby attending Yale.” You’re welcome.</p>

<p>EDIT: Nvm… Not going to even comment to that remark.</p>

<p>LOL: nice call Swimmer. Actually if you think about it, luanew himself proves a point…</p>

<p>Hopefully this thread isn’t too old to resurrect! japmom, as long as you’re even thinking about Ivies, you guys might want to look into Brown. The way you describe your daughter is absolutely the vibe I got when I visited, and I totally fell in love with it. (Not to mention that she sounds, well, a LOT like me… and I, too, didn’t even consider an Ivy until earlier this year.) </p>

<p>For what it’s worth, a friend of mine got into HYP, visited all three, and ranked the level of snobbiness as follows: Yale first, Princeton second, and Harvard not at all. (Her words - not mine.) She now attends Harvard and loves it. On the other hand, my older sister visited H and was absolutely overwhelmed by the apparent snobbery. I am also lucky enough to know several Yalies who attend my church, and they are all down-to-earth, incredibly humble people. All of this just drives home the point that it’s a totally subjective quality and something you can’t decide for yourself until you visit.</p>

<p>Many, many schools will offer an environment where an academic, artsy, liberal, quirky type student would feel comfortably at home, Yale and Brown included.
She will likely have a much harder time finding an environment to match this: “She’s in an IB program at a public inner-city magnet high school with a great deal of diversity (SES as well as racial/ethnic) which is a great fit for her.”
Please keep us posted on your findings.
Best of luck to your daughter.</p>

<p>My daughter feels that almost everyone she’s met at Yale has been friendly, warm, smart, and amazing. By comparison, her public high school was filled with cliques and was NOT the friendly environment she has found at Yale. She loves the eclectic mix of students, her great professors, and the interesting classes she has taken. We were very impressed with the warmth and friendliness of all the students & faculty we met during her August move in.</p>

<p>If your student is accepted into Yale, they should definitely plan to attend the 3-day “Bulldog Days” admitted students event in April. Three days spent living in the dorms with Yale students, attending classes, eating in the dining halls, etc. will really give them a feel for the Yale environment, and whether it feels “right” for them. My daughter knows several students who were admitted to both Harvard & Yale, who choose Yale because they fell in love with friendly, non-competitive atmosphere at Yale.</p>

<p>D visited Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Stanford, Columbia, Brown, UPenn and others. Felt that some students were pretentious at H + P. However, it’s probably a combination of the random people that one meets and one’s own preconceived notions. Also, there were pretentious/snobby students at HS and middle school. Both Yale and Brown sound like a good fit with your K’s personality.</p>

<p>I don’t know what the hell you guys are talking about. I’ve lived in New Haven for over 10 years, and encounter Yalies on a daily basis. Many of them are pleasant enough to talk to, but there are also lots and lots of snotty kids with attitude going there. They seem to think they’re entitled to be self-important simply because they go to Yale. Someone should explain to them that though Yale is among the better colleges in the U.S., it’s not the center of the universe.</p>

<p>Ho hum, all kinds of people go to all schools, in 2012, 2013 & still in 2014.</p>

<p>Please use old threads for information only, do not post and revive them.</p>