<p>I’ve been on CC for almost a month and keep seeing “my D thought the school was too preppy”. What does that mean? We live on the West Coast (Los Angeles) and maybe it’s an East Coast thing? When I hear preppy I think of Buffy and Skip, a kind of 1950’s type person? Very superficial and rigid? My S likes to dress in jackets and ties but it’s more of a…hmmm LOL maybe he’s a West Coast preppy? Is it a dress or is it an attitude? TIA</p>
<p>Preppy?</p>
<p>Take a look at a J. Crew catalog.</p>
<p>West coast? Head on down to USC. Probably Pepperdine, too.</p>
<p>Antipreppy? Check out Caltech. For a different take on antipreppy, check out UCSB.</p>
<p>Thanks newmass! A large percentage of my S’s class goes to USC. It’s the feeder school from his HS. I would say that it is a priveledged class rather than preppy as the kids that choose to go there are not surprised that they are accepted. S wants to branch out and go anywhere but here. I was born on the UCLA campus and my parents are alumni so S can’t imagine rooting for USC for many reasons although many of his former classmates are there! S is a Longhorn’s fan 
Caltech is not on our radar and UCSB is the campus on which I grew up on although I did not attend the classes. (My home town is Santa Barbara/Goleta and partied during HS in Isla Vista) S has no interest in UCSB and I’m glad. My brother died at 20 while attending UCSB so it’s not an option for us (bad memories). S wants a Sports school with fraternities and is interested in majoring in sports administration. His real love is history but he claims he can’t do anything with that major. Is that true?</p>
<p>Picture a pink Lacoste-shirt-wearing clean cut kid on a sailboat… you are close to preppy.</p>
<p>Ever see * Love story* with ryan o’neal and Ali Mcgraw?
“popped collars”
<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preppy[/url]”>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preppy</a></p>
<p>Institutions of higher learning</p>
<p>These colleges and universities were ranked among “the preppiest” by the Official Preppy Handbook in 1980.
Amherst College
Babson College
Colby College
Colorado College
Georgetown University
Hamilton College
Princeton University
St. Lawrence University
Sweet Briar College
Trinity College
University of Virginia
Williams College</p>
<p>jWas that crazy handbook really published as long ago as 1980? I know two Dartmouth guys who had their photos in there. Where did the time fly? (showing my age, I know)</p>
<p>“Picture a pink Lacoste-shirt-wearing clean cut kid on a sailboat”</p>
<p>with Docksiders and no socks.</p>
<p>Yes, “The Preppy Handbook” was published 25 years ago - yikes! I think you can still find it at used book stores.</p>
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<p>Not if my son is any basis for judging USC. He considers the University of Wisconsin t-shirt I sent to him as dress up.</p>
<p>Keydor:</p>
<p>An undergraduate degree in history and a masters in Southern and African-American history led to a 30 year career in Federal government as an civil rights analyst and investigator and now here to the University of Wisconsin-Madison. History teaches you how to research, how to organize large amounts of material in meaningful ways, and how to write clear narrative statements. Its a great major and I have no regrets.</p>
<p>You want preppy - real preppy?</p>
<p>Forget J. Crew (and Brooks Brothers).</p>
<p>Check out J. Press with stores in New Haven, New York, Cambridge and Washinton D.C. Online is <a href=“http://www.jpressonline.com%5B/url%5D”>www.jpressonline.com</a>.</p>
<p>Also check out The Andover Shop with stores in Andover, Boston and Cambridge. Online is <a href=“http://www.theandovershop.com%5B/url%5D”>www.theandovershop.com</a>.</p>
<p>Those two are authentic preppy!</p>
<p>CAUTION - Be prepared to spend some money.</p>
<p>UMDAD,</p>
<p>Good updates.</p>
<p>I guess there is preppy for the masses, and REAL preppy!</p>
<p>Seriously, the term came from a unique New England culture of prep schools, expensive summer camps, socially oriented activities (parties, debutants etc.), ivy colleges, wall street jobs and so forth. In other words, the rich upper class. Paul Fussel’s book touches on this a bit in an indirect way.</p>
<p>Of course, many people want to LOOK like upper class rich, hence the superficial trappings of preppy.</p>
<p>Truth is, IMHO, the term is so broad it really doesn’t mean much anymore.</p>
<p>hehe! Well I guess my S is pseudo preppy LOL. Thanks tsdad for your views on a history major - very helpful! ::off to check out the REAL preppy clothes::</p>
<p>When I took my daughter and her friend to Williams for a tour, they met their first “real” preppy - a guy with typical prep name from Groton and mainline Philadelphia who played lacrosse with a mother discreetly dressed in designer clothing with good gold jewelry. I told them that was the real thing - anything at home was just a wannabe.</p>
<p>“Picture a pink Lacoste-shirt-wearing clean cut kid on a sailboat”</p>
<p>with Docksiders and no socks.</p>
<p>That was my S 6 months ago. Now that he has come back from school for Thanksgiving, he looks like a hippy (still wearing his topsiders though). College has a strange way of changing a person. Sigh!</p>
<p>if u just want the preppy look and dont really care about the “real” preppiness. go for ralph lauren…</p>
<p>S wears preppy clothes with Birkenstock’s :o go figure. hehe</p>
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<p>A Hippie, not a hippy. ;-)</p>
<p>Maybe he loaded on the frosh 15?</p>