<p>I have been getting recommendations all ready to give to people and I kept thinking, “Do I know any Exeter alumni? Oh well… Now to find my coach for EC recommendation.”
One of my coaches loves me, and the other is the offensive coach and doesn’t know me well… So I am at practice today and I’m about to ask the head coach if he could write something also. This was after practice and he was the only one there… And then the defensive coach jogs over from the other side of the field.</p>
<p>My coach has an Exeter shirt on… I asked him and it turns out he went there. He is going to write my recommendation and write something as an alumni.</p>
<p>The lesson:
I’d bet that somebody that you know went to at least one of the schools that you are applying to. I had no idea that my coach went to Exeter AND PLAYED LACROSSE. So… Look around. If anyone is from the New England area that you know(I live in the “Dirty South”), their chances of being an alumni are heck of alot higher than any other person that you could ask.</p>
<p>Um… Indiana Conservations? Sorry about my little gramatical slip up earlier…</p>
<p>I only said “Dirty South”, because that is the term he used to describe the area. I mean I could say: Worst public schooling system, most segregated region and arguably the poorest region in the United States. </p>
<p>“Worst public schooling” would indicate either Louisiana or Mississippi. They usually tie for last place nationally. There’ a lot of litter strewn about in Louisiana, if that’s what he means by dirty. I remember bringing my children to New Orleans after Katrina and my son commented, “My goodness! Look at all the garbage left from Katrina.” I had to remind him that the last time we visited he noticed the same thing and that was before the hurricane. </p>
<p>Still, as a native southerner, I have to say that I do find the term mildly offensive. Was he referring to a difference between the “genteel” south and the “dirty” south? That’s even more offensive. The northeast has its share of “dirtiness” as well.</p>
<p>They mean it in the vernacular sense. It’s slang. Like the Big Apple is to NYC as the Dirty South is to [insert region here, the debate rages on]. I don’t think it is a reflection of garbage strewn streets or foul odors or anything. If this were the case, Wall St. could easily be dubbed the “Dirty North” even before the meltdown.</p>
<p>Speaking of Wall St. and getting back to the original post, I’m going to see if I can spot some ex Financial Execs donning Tier One Prep School t-shirts on the streets of lower Manhattan tomorrow. They undoubtedly have plenty of time on their hands and can use this time productively to put together a high quality admissions recommendation for my kid.</p>
<p>I live on the border of Mississippi. All in all I don’t find it offensive… I hear people saying it everyday… Or they call it “The bible belt”. </p>
<p>Urban Dictionary does a good job at pointing out the general gist of the term.</p>
<p>And I didn’t mean people that you don’t know… I know my coach pretty well. I’ve played for him over 4 years after this season. He has seen me play in three leagues and I know his son pretty well. I had never talked to him about where he went to high school, only college. I didn’t mean:
“I’m going to see if I can spot some ex Financial Execs donning Tier One Prep School t-shirts on the streets of lower Manhattan tomorrow. They undoubtedly have plenty of time on their hands and can use this time productively to put together a high quality admissions recommendation for my kid.”</p>
<p>In my case I just say him with the shirt on, but I probably would have found out eventually.</p>
<p>“dirty south” is whatever you want it to be.
I concede that NOLA has some of the worst public education in the country (having jsy moved from there. well actually jefferson Parish, which is almost as bad).
and yeah, you mostly only hear “dirty south” in southern hip hop (i.e. “Cupid Shuffle”).</p>