Academics...What matters?

[ComradesTrue]

Originally Posted by Drolefille

Or if you're from St. Louis. If you're from St. Louis the first question someone else asks you is "What high school did you go to?"

It excessively annoying if you're not from the area.

/randomaside

In the town that I currently live in, but am not originally from, people just succinctly ask "so where did you go to school?" And they don't mean college.

/continuing the random aside, because I find that completely annoying (not to mention life-limiting) as well.

[Munchkin03]

Originally Posted by Drolefille

Or if you're from St. Louis. If you're from St. Louis the first question someone else asks you is "What high school did you go to?"

It excessively annoying if you're not from the area.

/randomaside

Ha ha! My college sweetheart is from STL, and after 5 years of dating him, I started asking that same question. I usually asked it as part of the "who do you know?" game--at my college, most of the STL kids came from a handful of schools.

He, on the other hand, was classist about it in that if people went to certain private (ie, non-Catholic) schools, or public schools in "certain" cities, he'd get all populist-snobby about it.

I found St. Louis to be one of the most provincial places I've ever visited, at least in that regard.

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by Munchkin03

Ha ha! My college sweetheart is from STL, and after 5 years of dating him, I started asking that same question. I usually asked it as part of the "who do you know?" game--at my college, most of the STL kids came from a handful of schools. He, on the other hand, was classist about it in that if people went to certain private (ie, non-Catholic) schools, or public schools in "certain" cities, he'd get all populist-snobby about it.

I found St. Louis to be one of the most provincial places I've ever visited, at least in that regard.

It's incredibly class-based. Private school in STL costs more per year than your average college does. And they're also unusual in that most of them are single-sex. It's all who you know-where-you're-from-who-your-parents-are-how-important-are-you.

I nannied for a kid who was interviewing for JR HIGH.. Their plan was that if he didn't get in anywhere, they would rent an apartment in Clayton to establish residency because they were a 'good' public school. I just couldn't fathom dressing an 11-12 year old up in a suit to interview for schools

[Munchkin03]

Originally Posted by Drolefille

It's incredibly class-based. Private school in STL costs more per year than your average college does. And they're also unusual in that most of them are single-sex. It's all who you know-where-you're-from-who-your-parents-are-how-important-are-you.

I nannied for a kid who was interviewing for JR HIGH.. Their plan was that if he didn't get in anywhere, they would rent an apartment in Clayton to establish residency because they were a 'good' public school. I just couldn't fathom dressing an 11-12 year old up in a suit to interview for schools

There's a pretty funny book about a PR director's experience in a St. Louis private school (he disguised it, but a lot of St. Louisans were pretty sure it was MICDS), called "Confessions of a Prep School Mommy Handler."

Here in NYC, middle school interviews are a piece of cake. It's the KINDERGARTEN interviews that cause the gnashing of teeth. It's funny, I'm not even mortified by it the way that I might have been when I first moved here. In fact, it's probably going to be part of my life as a parent in NYC.

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by Munchkin03

There's a pretty funny book about a PR director's experience in a St. Louis private school (he disguised it, but a lot of St. Louisans were pretty sure it was MICDS), called "Confessions of a Prep School Mommy Handler."

Here in NYC, middle school interviews are a piece of cake. It's the KINDERGARTEN interviews that cause the gnashing of teeth. It's funny, I'm not even mortified by it the way that I might have been when I first moved here. In fact, it's probably going to be part of my life as a parent in NYC.

i'll have to look for that book.

And yes, I can't even fathom the idea of putting my not yet born baby on a waiting list for preschool much less interviewing for it, or for kindergarten.

I'm just not having kids, it's the simplest answer.

[AOIIalum]

Originally Posted by Blondie93

In the town that I currently live in, but am not originally from, people just succinctly ask "so where did you go to school?" And they don't mean college.

/continuing the random aside, because I find that completely annoying (not to mention life-limiting) as well.

Same thing with Louisville. To this day, if I meet someone else from my hometown the first question is "Where did you go to school?"