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Originally posted by KillarneyRose
I had a hard time remembering that DuPont was supposed to be in the "upper, upper" echelon of colleges; up there with Harvard. I wonder if athletes are worshipped so avidly at schools like that? Or if there is really such shame in being a "brain"? Or if there is really so much friction between greeks and non-greeks. I always figured the attitude at such places is, "you were able to get in, so you're one of us."
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All I can tell you is about my experience at school. I went to Stanford, and I loved it. Like anywhere, there were social groupings—circles of friends and people who knew each other. People with similar interests generally hung out together, and there was some form of a social hierarchy (not unlike society at large). Not everyone cared- in fact I'd have to say most people didn't- they had their friends and that was that. But the social, attractive movers and shakers were still social, attractive movers and shakers. Being an athlete was a big deal- not only were you able to handle a huge time commitment and still be a student (an accomplishment that was quite admirable), but you worked out all the time and were probably good looking. Greek life was very small.
Another factor that might have contributed something was that literally everyone you met had done something notable, or had a hidden (or not so hidden) talent. But that was just it-- everyone was smart, everyone had done something cool, everyone valued their education and was willing to work for it. As a freshman, you suddenly realized that you were exactly the same as everyone else around you—there was definitely an impetus to distinguish yourself in some way academically or otherwise.
I've heard "I am Charlotte Simmons" is an exaggeration, and from the names of the characters and the plot description, I think that’s right on. But it’s fiction. Hard chemistry midterms and thesis writing don’t make exciting novels.
ETA: Ok Ok, this is pure gossip and speculation, but I've heard that Harvard is a lot like my alma matter in terms of social scene (laid back, individual, with an emphasis on modesty). I've also heard that Princeton and Penn have more social ladders to climb. But this is coming from someone who didn't go looking for any ladders -- I'm sure if you want to do some climbing you can find circles anywhere!