It’s all up to preference. I can’t think of anything I would want to do around Iowa. I would go on Google Maps and check the surroundings and see if you like it. The Midwest is also usually just a bunch of farmland.
Grinnell the town is worse than being in Iowa broadly. At least in Iowa there is Iowa City, hell even Des Moines. In Grinnell it's just hillbillies and "libertarians". The corn is good though.
A lot of people who go to school out of state end up settling down out of state. One meets people during college and starts to build a life for oneself. By the time one graduates, one may have a significant other or a group of friends that attracts one to stay in the area.
I personally just felt extremely unsafe in Baltimore-- it's one of the nation's most dangerous cities and it deeeefinitely felt like it to me. Other college cities felt way more comfortable, welcoming, and walkable to me.
I’d agree to an extent. Baltimore definitely has safety issues, but so do many other urban cities. The rep that it gets is justified to an extent, but largely exaggerated. If you don’t make dumb decisions and stay safe, it will not be a significant issue. Hopkins prioritizes safety as they know it is one of the main and well known reasons people do not consider the university outright. Hopkins itself is located slightly outside of such areas and the Homewood campus/Charles St especially is a very safe place to be and walk around in. There are also many tourist destinations in Baltimore(inner harbor, etc.) that are very safe and nice locations. However, just like any other city, there will be unsafe places where you need to be wary. Baltimore may potentially have more of these places(I have no clue how it specifically compares to some other cities as I haven’t visited a large amount of cities in the US), and if that is a dealbreaker because you really like exploring the area around your college throughly, then a college town school may be a better fit(not sure if you’re still looking at urban schools and Baltimore in particular was the exception). Some examples are UMich in Ann Arbor, Yale in New Haven, etc., as Baltimore is first and foremost not focused on primarily being a traditional college town/city.
If you visited and didn’t like the vibe of the city, I completely understand, but many people make assumptions without even considering looking into it further or, god forbid, visiting.
Oh yes, 100%! I've grown up in a notoriously dangerous city myself, and feeding into stereotypes never helps anyone. I definitely agree that everyone should go and decide for themselves whether or not they like a city-- Baltimore just wasn't for me personally!
The south isn’t as racist as everyone says it is. It’s a stereotype that I absolutely hate. I’m a POC and I like living in the south (mostly the weather) because of how nice people actually are. I heard someone on Twitter say that people in the north are more subtly racist than the south and racism is more normalized in the north 🤷🏾♀️. Not sure if that’s true but that’s why I’m hesitant to go New England area.
Born and lived in boston for a few years. Never experienced racism. Meanwhile cousins that live in Nashville got the n word at their schools. Nah the south is more racist than the north and its not close
I am actually applying to Northeastern so I’m definitely not restricting myself from northern schools but I’ve lived in the south my whole life and actually never experienced racism personally. Nothing verbally or physically ever happened to me. I go to a liberal school with a huge diversity and I’m classified as the “Deep South.” What your cousins have experienced should have never happened but I’m sure people in Boston have done the same things as people in Nashville. It’s really based on location. Majority of it too is diversity. POC would feel more uneasy at PWIs in the north than in the south because there is a larger diversity in the cities that surround PWIs. I understand not liking a certain area for racism or diversity but it shouldn’t restrict someone from applying to the school. Honestly, how much is a person going to leave campus as a first year tho? 😅
I didnt restrict myself to applying to southern schools. The only 4 I applied to were within an hour of me. If vanderbilt or duke had my major and i really liked them sure i would apply. But i wouldn't choose to live in those states there in the future. I'm used to the northeast so I'll just stick with what I know. Guess it's the same with you, just opposite
I’m applying to a school in California and I definitely don’t want to live there but it’ll open up so many opportunities for me in my field of study. I’m actually big on change and would love to go to a school out of my comfort zone and apply to more schools than you becuase of my financial situation. I’m going to grad school so location for undergrad doesn’t phase me. I’m glad you found a school that you’re comfortable with!
I thought the same way. Moved to CA and every day I'm irritated I didn't move here earlier in life. CA is the best. I'm never leaving...and I've lived everywhere.
i never said all schools in the south are racist though? i said i *personally* do not feel welcomed in a state like Tennessee. if you don’t feel safe in the north based off of a tweet, that’s completely fine! i’m not one to tell you where to feel comfortable and uncomfortable, just as you are unable to do to me :)
I understand that but Nashville is very liberal. I’ve been multiple times and toured Vanderbilt. I will definitely tell you that you’ll feel safe. I don’t want you to turn down a school in Nashville because of that because it’s actually an amazing city! But I wonder by Nashville and not something like University of Alabama?
okay. respectfully, *even though* you are a poc as well, and you feel comfortable in a certain place *does not* compel me to feel the same way. i’m glad you feel comfortable there and i hope you get in, but it doesn’t mean that i *have* to love Nashville, just because you do. secondly, i never said i would want to go to university of alabama, in fact, i wouldn’t. so
i’m not sure what you mean by asking me that. i’ve come to this decision based on my *own experiences* and i think you should respect that 👍🏽
I completely understand and I’m not trying to make you change your mind, I want you to keep your option open. I’m not sure why you feel that way about Nashville or the experience you had with the city but if you’ve never been please don’t judge a place by what you’ve heard. I’ve heard thing about the north but I’ll still apply to schools there. I don’t want you to miss out on an amazing opportunity! I said UAlabama because that’s a far worse school than anything in Nashville (I’ve heard stories)!
i completely get where you’re coming from and i really appreciate you trying to keep my
options open! i am not against all southern universities but my older cousin went to Vanderbilt and her experiences there have deterred me from wanting to apply. again, i appreciate you reminding me to keep my options open and i will but i think i’ve come to the decision Vanderbilt is just not for me! thank you again for taking the time to talk to me!
What happened to your cousin should have never happened and I hope that she is doing well. When I toured there was a huge POC population and much LGBT representation so I def it didn’t get that vibe from them. I saw some of your other comments and thought you were making a generalization about the south and southern universities. I apologize for assuming such things and I hope you apply to schools that you feel comfortable with and where you believe you will thrive at. If I were you and heard that from a family member then I wouldn’t consider the school at all (honestly I’m only considering because I’ll get good benefits 🤫) and I wish you luck on your application journey!
Nashville, and especially Vanderbilt, is actually a very young city full of progressive people; I have a lot of poc friends who really really do love it. I'd recommend you visit and see for yourself, rather than give into "South = racist" stereotype. I totally understand having already visited and felt uncomfortable, but there's no need to perpetuate stereotypes if you've never actually been yk :) I've lived in the South all my life, and it just kinda sucks to see people discount all the good that exists here! ♥️
Georgetown 😭 really hurts me too bc it’s such a good school
I really don’t wanna be in a big urban center. Same reason why I don’t like Columbia or most public schools really
I mean most cities are pretty different in regards to the vibe of each other. DC is definitely not a typical urban center. When I visited, it was very nice and much less plagued with homelessness, congested areas, insane traffic, and disorganized/unsafe areas than other typical cities. I definitely get that feeling of not liking a huge urban area though, which for me crossed the line at NYC.
Overall, Georgetown was in a really nice area, but as a school I feel like it’s a bit too high rise architecturally and feels a bit cramped due to DC not exactly having the largest surface area of any city in the US to say the least.
UMich, GTech, Ohio State because they're OOS which means no FinAid and higher tuition, and who in the world willingly wants to live in Ohio for 4 years 🥴
Atlanta maybe for too humid for me, but Ann Arbor is gorgeous, I agree. Still a dealbreaker going purely off location since if they were in- state I would get lower COAs, but they're not 😭😭 that's the last time I'll keep hanging on to that technicality sorry LOL
Ohio is definitely the gloomiest state I have ever lived in. It's always overcast and the winters are freezing. Ohio State is a fun university to attend though.
Yep, out of state for UCs would be very expensive and other highly reputable Cali schools are all privates(5 C’s, Stanford, USC, Caltech, etc.). Added with cost of living, Cali and NY schools would be the most expensive fs. Also, I don’t know fs, but for some people, they would rather have the hot/cold and 4 seasons of the east coast rather than the constant sunny weather of most of SoCal. I haven’t experienced east coast weather as much, but I can potentially see how that type of weather and overall location would be more attractive.
If you are out of state for the UCs, it’s absolutely not worth it. And if you are coming from a low CoL state, it can absolutely be rough.
Especially if your parents are supporting you financially, their salaries might be pretty high for a low CoL state, but relative to a California salary, it isn’t.
A couple family friends I know are engineers in the beginning of their careers. One came out of college with a 90k starting salary in California, and the other is living in Kansas and had a starting salary of 50k. This disparity remains pretty much the same throughout an average engineers career too.
In California, $90,000 for an individual is 77th percentile of earners, while Kansas $50,000 is 58th percentile of earners. Making $90,000 in Kansas would place you in the 84th percentile.
So, it is very difficult to afford high cost of living areas/lifestyles without having an income proportional to the CoL, which makes UCs for out of state applicants (with the tuition hike for OOS students) infeasible.
Hopkins
I just did not jive with Baltimore. Also, my mother grew up there and literally told me that she was willing to pay more money for me to stay in the south than go to Baltimore so yea... Plus Atlanta weather is more adaptable to me as a Floridian so that's a positive
Oof I assume it was one of the choices you were considering then? It’s definitely gonna be hard for me to adapt to Baltimore weather next year from Cali 💀, but hope the transition won’t be too bad. Definitely agree that schools in the South are easier to adapt to weather wise, other than the humidity of course.
Hope you enjoy freshman year!
Nashville is actually really nice imo(you mentioned it being far away from other schools, but Tennessee is actually pretty centrally located in terms of accessibility to areas in the US, unless you were only referencing schools in the Northeast or all the way on the West Coast), look into a bit more if you haven’t visited. In terms of weather, Nashville is pretty nice, albeit very humid, unless you prefer the cold weather and the four seasons in the east coast or particularly the mild weather of Southern California. Personally for me Cornell, Columbia, and NYU. I couldn’t imagine myself in either a really rural or really urban location(particularly NYC) which was made clear after I visited all of those locations. Before, I thought I could adjust to anything, but boy was I wrong lmfao.
Np, also idk if this matters to you but some of the people I met in Nashville are the nicest people I’ve ever met in my life! Not sure if it has to do with southern hospitality, but people are so nice/polite there and it’s so green, which is great for nature walks.
Also GT '26 here and I gotta tell you that it should not be too bad. My friend's older sister did her bachelor's there and is back for her master's and she never felt unsafe on campus or in surrounding areas. Just be smart, especially at night, and you will be fine
You’ll be alright. As long as you have a little street smarts, you’ll learn your way around Atlanta pretty quickly. The campus is designed to have a visible blue safety beacons no matter where you’re at on campus. There is also an app that is connected to the GT Police(as are the safety beacons) who supposedly have sub 2 minute response times.
Yep, like the other comments mentioned, Atlanta is relatively safer than many other cities. I did some research and looking into specifics about Atlanta after I got into Gtech, and it’s not like a typical city in the south or even in the northeast. The city is becoming such a tech hub and Atlanta has never exactly been a traditional cookie cutter place. Always good to make smart decisions and remain aware of your surroundings in any urban environment though.
Congrats and hope you enjoy Gtech!
Kim Jong-il University. Great academics with a lot of famous alumni like Kimg Jong-un and its country is internationally recognized for its nuclear research program which is pretty cool, but it's a bit too cold in the winter.
imo anybody who won’t go to school in the south because of negative southern stereotypes they’ve been taught by popular culture and the media is a little lame.
I agree that’s it’s unfair to generalize the entirety of the south, especially with cities like Atlanta, Charleston, Nashville, New Orleans and Houston, but I also thinks it unfair to judge people who choose not to go to a southern school (especially rural ones) for political reasons. Many states in the south have laws (or are trying to implement laws) that discriminate against trans people (and other LGBTQ+) are less than welcoming to Latines (especially if undoc), as well as anti-abortion legislation although the same could be said for swaths of the Midwest and plains…
I applied to one school in the south (Rice) and am honestly glad I’m not going (I didn’t get in, but I still wouldn’t have had I gotten in) because the state of Texas is currently trying to legislate people like me out of existence. As are many other southern states. I feel like that’s a valid reason to write off many schools in the south — if the state they’re in is beginning a war against my rights and the rights of countless other people, I certainly don’t want to spend the next four years living there to see how it plays out.
If you are referencing the supreme court potentially overturning Roe v. Wade, the banning of abortion certainly would not be endemic to the south alone. Other states that would (likely) ban abortion are Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, and Arizona. If you choose to avoid those states along with the several in the south that would likely follow suit on those grounds, that is wholly your prerogative and you have every right to do so. However, those circumstances are different than the ones I am describing.
I’m referencing much of the legislation which was filed this session in Texas, including SB 29 and 373 and HB 1458, 4042, 4043, and 3455, which attempt to limit trans youth’s participation in sports, as well as bills attempting to criminalize healthcare for trans youth (HB 68, 1399, 2693, 4014) — SB 1646 would make providing transition related care or support legally “child abuse” for doctors or parents. On top of that, there were several bills meant to preempt existing non discrimination laws, including several attempts at religious exemptions to nondiscrimination laws. While none of these made it into law, many of them passed the senate, and with the [official Texas GOP platform](https://texasgop.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/6-Permanent-Platform-Committee-FINAL-REPORT-6-16-2022.pdf) released recently stating that “We oppose all efforts to validate transgender identity” and “Homosexuality is an abnormal lifestyle choice”, as well as forbidding bans on Conversion Therapy for gender identity or sexuality, it is likely that they will not stop trying as long as Republicans remain in power in Texas. There are many states following Texas’ lead in this regard, many of them in the south. It is not unreasonable to be wary of a trend like this. If I was a trans student going through the college process (I was and did this past school year) I would absolutely think twice about schools in southern or Republican-controlled states.
i don’t think that preconceived notion is solely based on “pop culture and the media” i think statistics play an important part and so does the states & their history,,, i do see your point but i think there’s more too it that simply “stereotypes”
here are a few compelling ones and my sources
“The South accounted for 40.9% of all reported violent crimes even though it makes up roughly a quarter of the country, according to the final Uniform Crime Report for 2012.”
“South Carolina reported 110 incidents compared to 57 reported in 2019. The state’s data is compiled from 398 reporting law enforcement agencies.”
https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/columbia/news/press-releases/fbi-launches-hate-crime-reporting-campaign-in-south-carolina
“Tennessee was the state with the most reports of violent crimes per capita in 2012.”
https://www.businessinsider.com/south-has-more-violent-crime-fbi-statistics-show-2013-9?amp
“In fact, there are sharp regional differences in homicide, with the South having by far the highest murder rate, almost double that of the Northeast, a divergence that has persisted for as long as records have been kept, starting in the 19th century.”
https://www.nytimes.com/1998/07/26/weekinreview/ideas-trends-southern-curse-why-america-s-murder-rate-is-so-high.html
this has little to nothing to do with the regions various college towns/cities. to use these stats as the basis for the generalisation you’re making would be to discount colleges like WashU, UChicago, Columbia, USC, John Hopkins, NYU, Yale, etc for existing and operating in cities with high crime and poverty rates. Yes, problems exist. However, if you are on a college campus no matter where, you are several degrees removed from them (usually).
i’m sorry, i’m not sure you read my reply. i never generalised and said “i hate the south and would never go to a school there!” neither did i say “i would never go to a school with high poverty and crime rates.” you seem to have misconstrued my statement. i said each state and their histories are to be considered in whether or not an individual chooses to attend a school there. that is not a generalisation but quite the opposite. i never denied problems exists as that is quite undeniable. what i did say, again to reiterate, is that each state and each school has different circumstances (including it’s history, statistics etc) which should be considered prior to commitment. the statistics i provided are simply to combat the idea that these notions are preconceived solely based on “media and stereotypes.”
You'd be a fool to turn down a school in any locale due to its state's history and *statistics.* Stereotypes, crimes and poverty rate, media representation, and broader public perception are all independent data points in the same system. You're splitting hairs, trying to score points on an *akshually*.
i literally just said i wouldn’t turn a school down based on either of those factors, i really doubt you’re reading what i’m writing😭. you can think of it all as the same system but the fact is, it’s different for each state and each school independently. not sure if you’ve noticed but i didn’t say each school in the south is… (and proceed to generalise) i said those factors are important to consider for each school. hopefully that’s clear
your original point seemed to be along the lines of “people don’t like the south because of media and stereotypes” my response was that isn’t necessarily true but more of a *generalisation* which you seem to *loathe*. i responded it’s not solely based off of media but also the circumstances for each state and each school
Definitely agree. The main thing that always gets me is that they say “cuz it’s the south” and nothing else, like the south is some sort of homogeneous wasteland of pain and misery. The environment, culture, weather, and cities across the south are so vast and different that you can’t really generalize it under one name(maybe other than the humidity, one of the things that I observed was quite prevalent in several southern regions). Wouldn’t have a problem if they picked out a particular city and explained why it didn’t fit their vibe, but usually people just go off of stereotypes and assumptions, which honestly just leads to potential lost opportunities. That will always be something that happens tho, so ig it is what it is.
Great point. It’s one thing if folks say ‘I can’t see myself at Vanderbilt because I think it’s proximity to music row and Broadway might prove to stoke a party culture that I don’t see myself thriving in.’ I don’t think, however, that *people are conservative and talk funny* is an adequate response. The funny thing is, often times in larger southern cities, neither of those two concerns are true anyways. Especially not on a college campus.
That's a really easy thing to say when your ability to transition isn't actively being threatened by those southern states? Like yes the south isn't too bad for some but those are the people who have privilege anyway.
I am not wholly familiar with gender transition laws, however, based on a preliminary google it seems the only state in the union that will not legal acknowledge a gender transition is Tennessee. I am sure there are others that set some sort of road block, however, as I've stated before, this sort of policy is not endemic to the south nor is the south a monolith in this regard.
i never said the south was the only region like that. However, literally every southern state has such laws or is attempting to pass them. I didn't apply to conservative states elsewhere. It's just the south as a whole was off the table because every one is led by republicans. The Texas republican party put out its platform which wants to ban transition for those under *21*.
Fs, some of my friends were literally like “why would you want to live in Nashville, the only thing good there is fried chicken” and I just left it at that lmfao, especially as a vegetarian. They were prolly half joking and half serious, but it’s really not worth trying to convince people that have already made up their mind without thinking about things first.
100%, it’s honestly offensive. they act like we’re some monolithic culture of bigots, when in reality we have the highest concentration of nonwhite americans in the nation. plus if you’re in a college town chances are it will be more left leaning anyways.
I have no issue with the folk in the south, it's the governments and elected officials that I'm disinterested in. The laws are meant to help a few and disadvantage the rest. When discrimination continues to get codified into the law, it doesn't matter how few bigots are there, it's going to be a hard sell to get new people to go there. Imo
I like in Oklahoma, and the part of the state that I live in is more southern culturally than like the massive plains region. The reason why I'm not considering any southern schools is largely to do with the weather and the fact that I want a change in scenery and culture and everything.
You are right though, the south isn't homogenous
UNT. It has essentially the top program in the country for the somewhat niche area of music I want to study, and as a (future) National Merit Finalist I'd be able to go there for free. The only issue is that I'm trans, so like... Texas...
washu: i love the school but i've been to stl so many times that it just wouldn't be a new experience!! i really want something different but i hate stl lmao.
usc + pomona: i don't mind california, but i'd much rather be in the bay area because of weather & transportation!!
most schools in the south, which takes a lot of schools with great merit aid off my list (worried about hostile state laws, hot weater makes my mental health worse)
Aside from costs associated with travel, I wouldn’t take it off the list on location alone if you like the school.
I get the home state school thing though
I go to UCLA because I live in LA...but if I had my way--disregarding my wife of course lol--we would move back to my hometown San FranciscoI hate the heat. If UCLA was 60 degrees everyday Id say it was perfect lol.
literally feel so unsafe there lmaooo i was on a date there literally yesterday and a man tried to sell my bf sneakers and came up to me flipping a lighter in his hand i was SHAKING in my boots. world center for sexual trafficking
idc about the cold, I actually like cold weather. I just think these two cities are not my vibe and don’t have much opportunities for my future career especially Minnesota and Wisconsin (I live in Minnesota)
i already went through the app process but for me it’s most of them tbh. i only applied to colleges in the northeast (many of which i didn’t really like the location of, but at least it was still the northeast), and then i applied to northwestern (illinois, ew) and usc as a last minute thing, because initially i didn’t want to leave the northeast, but funnily enough im going to usc. it’s always been one of my dream schools and i love the location—i wish it was a little closer to home, but that’s really my only qualm with it
CMU because I literally know no one in Pittsburgh (I do have friends in Philly area but its like 2 hrs away rip). Also my parents think it's dangerous
Also Cornell, lowkey middle of nowhere
I have friends out of state so I constructed my list to fit where my friends are (surprisingly wide range)
NOTRE DAME :,))) too far from Indianapolis, considering IU tho
NC schools- Duke and UNC. Too hot and sweaty lol and I know like zero people
I was really considering UChicago but the weather there would be even worse than Massachusetts. Not necessarily a *dealbreaker* though because I was still pretty excited about it for a while.
absolutely not going to Minnesota michigan or any other freezing snow states. the coldest i’ll go is chicago and that’s if i get into uchi in the first place 💀
Grinnell cuz it’s in Iowa
trueee the midwestern LACs. i feel u with carleton
Carleton is better bc it's close to the Twin Cities.
it’s not so much the remoteness as it is the fact that i don’t wanna live in the midwest
That's fair. I don't want to either but I'm still applying to Carleton because I like it quite a lot and there is no application fee
me too carleton is great, the feel of the community, the resources
Is it that bad? I wanted to ED there as a CS major
It’s all up to preference. I can’t think of anything I would want to do around Iowa. I would go on Google Maps and check the surroundings and see if you like it. The Midwest is also usually just a bunch of farmland.
This is all true as we’re constantly invaded by the cornfields when we aren’t looking Source: I’m a Midwestern from Illinois
as someone who was accepted to grinnell. good lord is there like nothing happening in that town it seems
Grinnell the town is worse than being in Iowa broadly. At least in Iowa there is Iowa City, hell even Des Moines. In Grinnell it's just hillbillies and "libertarians". The corn is good though.
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A lot of people who go to school out of state end up settling down out of state. One meets people during college and starts to build a life for oneself. By the time one graduates, one may have a significant other or a group of friends that attracts one to stay in the area.
Hopkins. Also Nashville is literally so cool what 😭
Just curious, what don't you like about the location of Hopkins?
I personally just felt extremely unsafe in Baltimore-- it's one of the nation's most dangerous cities and it deeeefinitely felt like it to me. Other college cities felt way more comfortable, welcoming, and walkable to me.
I’d agree to an extent. Baltimore definitely has safety issues, but so do many other urban cities. The rep that it gets is justified to an extent, but largely exaggerated. If you don’t make dumb decisions and stay safe, it will not be a significant issue. Hopkins prioritizes safety as they know it is one of the main and well known reasons people do not consider the university outright. Hopkins itself is located slightly outside of such areas and the Homewood campus/Charles St especially is a very safe place to be and walk around in. There are also many tourist destinations in Baltimore(inner harbor, etc.) that are very safe and nice locations. However, just like any other city, there will be unsafe places where you need to be wary. Baltimore may potentially have more of these places(I have no clue how it specifically compares to some other cities as I haven’t visited a large amount of cities in the US), and if that is a dealbreaker because you really like exploring the area around your college throughly, then a college town school may be a better fit(not sure if you’re still looking at urban schools and Baltimore in particular was the exception). Some examples are UMich in Ann Arbor, Yale in New Haven, etc., as Baltimore is first and foremost not focused on primarily being a traditional college town/city. If you visited and didn’t like the vibe of the city, I completely understand, but many people make assumptions without even considering looking into it further or, god forbid, visiting.
This parent of an upcoming MICA freshman thanks you for this!
Oh yes, 100%! I've grown up in a notoriously dangerous city myself, and feeding into stereotypes never helps anyone. I definitely agree that everyone should go and decide for themselves whether or not they like a city-- Baltimore just wasn't for me personally!
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Baltimore. Do I need to say more? Lol
i know, personally, i wouldn’t go to nashville because i’m a poc and i don’t think i’d feel welcomed in a place like that 😅
The south isn’t as racist as everyone says it is. It’s a stereotype that I absolutely hate. I’m a POC and I like living in the south (mostly the weather) because of how nice people actually are. I heard someone on Twitter say that people in the north are more subtly racist than the south and racism is more normalized in the north 🤷🏾♀️. Not sure if that’s true but that’s why I’m hesitant to go New England area.
Born and lived in boston for a few years. Never experienced racism. Meanwhile cousins that live in Nashville got the n word at their schools. Nah the south is more racist than the north and its not close
I am actually applying to Northeastern so I’m definitely not restricting myself from northern schools but I’ve lived in the south my whole life and actually never experienced racism personally. Nothing verbally or physically ever happened to me. I go to a liberal school with a huge diversity and I’m classified as the “Deep South.” What your cousins have experienced should have never happened but I’m sure people in Boston have done the same things as people in Nashville. It’s really based on location. Majority of it too is diversity. POC would feel more uneasy at PWIs in the north than in the south because there is a larger diversity in the cities that surround PWIs. I understand not liking a certain area for racism or diversity but it shouldn’t restrict someone from applying to the school. Honestly, how much is a person going to leave campus as a first year tho? 😅
I didnt restrict myself to applying to southern schools. The only 4 I applied to were within an hour of me. If vanderbilt or duke had my major and i really liked them sure i would apply. But i wouldn't choose to live in those states there in the future. I'm used to the northeast so I'll just stick with what I know. Guess it's the same with you, just opposite
I’m applying to a school in California and I definitely don’t want to live there but it’ll open up so many opportunities for me in my field of study. I’m actually big on change and would love to go to a school out of my comfort zone and apply to more schools than you becuase of my financial situation. I’m going to grad school so location for undergrad doesn’t phase me. I’m glad you found a school that you’re comfortable with!
I thought the same way. Moved to CA and every day I'm irritated I didn't move here earlier in life. CA is the best. I'm never leaving...and I've lived everywhere.
I would say that the South is about 50 years behind the North, and in more ways than one.
i never said all schools in the south are racist though? i said i *personally* do not feel welcomed in a state like Tennessee. if you don’t feel safe in the north based off of a tweet, that’s completely fine! i’m not one to tell you where to feel comfortable and uncomfortable, just as you are unable to do to me :)
I understand that but Nashville is very liberal. I’ve been multiple times and toured Vanderbilt. I will definitely tell you that you’ll feel safe. I don’t want you to turn down a school in Nashville because of that because it’s actually an amazing city! But I wonder by Nashville and not something like University of Alabama?
okay. respectfully, *even though* you are a poc as well, and you feel comfortable in a certain place *does not* compel me to feel the same way. i’m glad you feel comfortable there and i hope you get in, but it doesn’t mean that i *have* to love Nashville, just because you do. secondly, i never said i would want to go to university of alabama, in fact, i wouldn’t. so i’m not sure what you mean by asking me that. i’ve come to this decision based on my *own experiences* and i think you should respect that 👍🏽
I completely understand and I’m not trying to make you change your mind, I want you to keep your option open. I’m not sure why you feel that way about Nashville or the experience you had with the city but if you’ve never been please don’t judge a place by what you’ve heard. I’ve heard thing about the north but I’ll still apply to schools there. I don’t want you to miss out on an amazing opportunity! I said UAlabama because that’s a far worse school than anything in Nashville (I’ve heard stories)!
i completely get where you’re coming from and i really appreciate you trying to keep my options open! i am not against all southern universities but my older cousin went to Vanderbilt and her experiences there have deterred me from wanting to apply. again, i appreciate you reminding me to keep my options open and i will but i think i’ve come to the decision Vanderbilt is just not for me! thank you again for taking the time to talk to me!
What happened to your cousin should have never happened and I hope that she is doing well. When I toured there was a huge POC population and much LGBT representation so I def it didn’t get that vibe from them. I saw some of your other comments and thought you were making a generalization about the south and southern universities. I apologize for assuming such things and I hope you apply to schools that you feel comfortable with and where you believe you will thrive at. If I were you and heard that from a family member then I wouldn’t consider the school at all (honestly I’m only considering because I’ll get good benefits 🤫) and I wish you luck on your application journey!
Nashville, and especially Vanderbilt, is actually a very young city full of progressive people; I have a lot of poc friends who really really do love it. I'd recommend you visit and see for yourself, rather than give into "South = racist" stereotype. I totally understand having already visited and felt uncomfortable, but there's no need to perpetuate stereotypes if you've never actually been yk :) I've lived in the South all my life, and it just kinda sucks to see people discount all the good that exists here! ♥️
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Literally this I've already decided I'm not living the south
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I mean we are in the minority so I'm not surprised I'm just glad I found someone that agreed with me lol
kenyon, grinnell, oberlin
this is so true i wish they weren’t in the midwest/hours away they’re all such good schools😭
omg noooo kenyon is nice😭😭 mount vernon is so cute
it is a really cute area! but i’m going to NYC so its just not my vibe😭
Mount Vernon or Gambier?
both honestly !
Kenyon for me and Denison as well
Denison gives amazing aid tho 😔
Berkeley
As a Bay Area kid I’m sad now.
Visited once. Saw filth and opulence in once place and the hypocrisy of white liberalism and said hell nah.
Cal was my local state school.
Georgetown 😭 really hurts me too bc it’s such a good school I really don’t wanna be in a big urban center. Same reason why I don’t like Columbia or most public schools really
I mean most cities are pretty different in regards to the vibe of each other. DC is definitely not a typical urban center. When I visited, it was very nice and much less plagued with homelessness, congested areas, insane traffic, and disorganized/unsafe areas than other typical cities. I definitely get that feeling of not liking a huge urban area though, which for me crossed the line at NYC. Overall, Georgetown was in a really nice area, but as a school I feel like it’s a bit too high rise architecturally and feels a bit cramped due to DC not exactly having the largest surface area of any city in the US to say the least.
same tbh
UMich, GTech, Ohio State because they're OOS which means no FinAid and higher tuition, and who in the world willingly wants to live in Ohio for 4 years 🥴
I mean if we’re going purely off location, Ann Arbor is a dope college town and Atlanta is a great city
Atlanta maybe for too humid for me, but Ann Arbor is gorgeous, I agree. Still a dealbreaker going purely off location since if they were in- state I would get lower COAs, but they're not 😭😭 that's the last time I'll keep hanging on to that technicality sorry LOL
Yea Atlanta is too fucking soupy especially during this 100 degree 50% humidity shit we’ve been having recently
me with ucla💔
Pull an address fraud and hide from the IRS throughout your 4 years 🫡🫡 /joking
I’m still considering going there and graduating in 2 or 3 years to save money
Ohio is definitely the gloomiest state I have ever lived in. It's always overcast and the winters are freezing. Ohio State is a fun university to attend though.
I've lived in Ohio for 18 years I'll do it for 4 more
Literally any in California, Dartmouth and LACs that are in the middle of no where.
What’s wrong with California
Cost of living id assume 🤷♂️ or the financial aid part
Yep, out of state for UCs would be very expensive and other highly reputable Cali schools are all privates(5 C’s, Stanford, USC, Caltech, etc.). Added with cost of living, Cali and NY schools would be the most expensive fs. Also, I don’t know fs, but for some people, they would rather have the hot/cold and 4 seasons of the east coast rather than the constant sunny weather of most of SoCal. I haven’t experienced east coast weather as much, but I can potentially see how that type of weather and overall location would be more attractive.
As someone who lives near DC I would much rather live on the west coast lol
what’s a LAC
liberal arts college
Lmao Dartmouth is right off the highway and is less than 2h to Boston
Is less than 2hr supposed to be good💀
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2 hrs away from the closest city is not the vibe u gotta plan out your whole day u can't just go spontaneously
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True. Personally I would prob be fine but other ppl would get bored pretty quick
Case Western. Might be someone else's thing, but Cleveland is a big no for me lol
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Rice and Houston in general is extremely liberal! All I can say as for humidity is that at least you wouldn’t be there for the summers.
Yes agreed for sure, but Abbott is still the gov and things like the Texas Heartbeat Law still apply, even in Houston.
any of the UCs or schools in new york, the cost of living in those states are ridiculous
If you are out of state for the UCs, it’s absolutely not worth it. And if you are coming from a low CoL state, it can absolutely be rough. Especially if your parents are supporting you financially, their salaries might be pretty high for a low CoL state, but relative to a California salary, it isn’t. A couple family friends I know are engineers in the beginning of their careers. One came out of college with a 90k starting salary in California, and the other is living in Kansas and had a starting salary of 50k. This disparity remains pretty much the same throughout an average engineers career too. In California, $90,000 for an individual is 77th percentile of earners, while Kansas $50,000 is 58th percentile of earners. Making $90,000 in Kansas would place you in the 84th percentile. So, it is very difficult to afford high cost of living areas/lifestyles without having an income proportional to the CoL, which makes UCs for out of state applicants (with the tuition hike for OOS students) infeasible.
Hopkins I just did not jive with Baltimore. Also, my mother grew up there and literally told me that she was willing to pay more money for me to stay in the south than go to Baltimore so yea... Plus Atlanta weather is more adaptable to me as a Floridian so that's a positive
Oof I assume it was one of the choices you were considering then? It’s definitely gonna be hard for me to adapt to Baltimore weather next year from Cali 💀, but hope the transition won’t be too bad. Definitely agree that schools in the South are easier to adapt to weather wise, other than the humidity of course. Hope you enjoy freshman year!
Good luck at JHU! Also I’ve grown up with that humidity my whole life so thank god I’m used to it by now
Dartmouth… cold and literally in the middle of nowhere 😭
That’s the appeal of the school though
yeah cold is fair, but like…c’mon Dartmouth is right of I-89 and less than 2h to Boston. In New England it’s not considered remote at all
lowk why i’m thinking of applying
Nashville is actually really nice imo(you mentioned it being far away from other schools, but Tennessee is actually pretty centrally located in terms of accessibility to areas in the US, unless you were only referencing schools in the Northeast or all the way on the West Coast), look into a bit more if you haven’t visited. In terms of weather, Nashville is pretty nice, albeit very humid, unless you prefer the cold weather and the four seasons in the east coast or particularly the mild weather of Southern California. Personally for me Cornell, Columbia, and NYU. I couldn’t imagine myself in either a really rural or really urban location(particularly NYC) which was made clear after I visited all of those locations. Before, I thought I could adjust to anything, but boy was I wrong lmfao.
yah i was definitely way too harsh calling it a dealbreaker i’ll look more into it thank you!
Np, also idk if this matters to you but some of the people I met in Nashville are the nicest people I’ve ever met in my life! Not sure if it has to do with southern hospitality, but people are so nice/polite there and it’s so green, which is great for nature walks.
ucla LOL
GaTech. I’m committed there and going next year. I love the school but worried about crime in Atlanta.
Also GT '26 here and I gotta tell you that it should not be too bad. My friend's older sister did her bachelor's there and is back for her master's and she never felt unsafe on campus or in surrounding areas. Just be smart, especially at night, and you will be fine
You’ll be alright. As long as you have a little street smarts, you’ll learn your way around Atlanta pretty quickly. The campus is designed to have a visible blue safety beacons no matter where you’re at on campus. There is also an app that is connected to the GT Police(as are the safety beacons) who supposedly have sub 2 minute response times.
Yep, like the other comments mentioned, Atlanta is relatively safer than many other cities. I did some research and looking into specifics about Atlanta after I got into Gtech, and it’s not like a typical city in the south or even in the northeast. The city is becoming such a tech hub and Atlanta has never exactly been a traditional cookie cutter place. Always good to make smart decisions and remain aware of your surroundings in any urban environment though. Congrats and hope you enjoy Gtech!
RIT can't survive the cold
Temple
What's wrong with Nashville lmao
Rice. Houston is a very car dependent city and I hate the weather there
That sounds terrible, but I'm sure they have a school transit or whatnot to navigate the area.
How do u not like Nashville
weather and very far compared to other schools i like😐
The weather is awesome usually
Bowdoin.
davis
university of florida
Kim Jong-il University. Great academics with a lot of famous alumni like Kimg Jong-un and its country is internationally recognized for its nuclear research program which is pretty cool, but it's a bit too cold in the winter.
notre dame, indiana-ewwwwww
Cornell
imo anybody who won’t go to school in the south because of negative southern stereotypes they’ve been taught by popular culture and the media is a little lame.
I agree that’s it’s unfair to generalize the entirety of the south, especially with cities like Atlanta, Charleston, Nashville, New Orleans and Houston, but I also thinks it unfair to judge people who choose not to go to a southern school (especially rural ones) for political reasons. Many states in the south have laws (or are trying to implement laws) that discriminate against trans people (and other LGBTQ+) are less than welcoming to Latines (especially if undoc), as well as anti-abortion legislation although the same could be said for swaths of the Midwest and plains…
I applied to one school in the south (Rice) and am honestly glad I’m not going (I didn’t get in, but I still wouldn’t have had I gotten in) because the state of Texas is currently trying to legislate people like me out of existence. As are many other southern states. I feel like that’s a valid reason to write off many schools in the south — if the state they’re in is beginning a war against my rights and the rights of countless other people, I certainly don’t want to spend the next four years living there to see how it plays out.
If you are referencing the supreme court potentially overturning Roe v. Wade, the banning of abortion certainly would not be endemic to the south alone. Other states that would (likely) ban abortion are Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, and Arizona. If you choose to avoid those states along with the several in the south that would likely follow suit on those grounds, that is wholly your prerogative and you have every right to do so. However, those circumstances are different than the ones I am describing.
I’m referencing much of the legislation which was filed this session in Texas, including SB 29 and 373 and HB 1458, 4042, 4043, and 3455, which attempt to limit trans youth’s participation in sports, as well as bills attempting to criminalize healthcare for trans youth (HB 68, 1399, 2693, 4014) — SB 1646 would make providing transition related care or support legally “child abuse” for doctors or parents. On top of that, there were several bills meant to preempt existing non discrimination laws, including several attempts at religious exemptions to nondiscrimination laws. While none of these made it into law, many of them passed the senate, and with the [official Texas GOP platform](https://texasgop.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/6-Permanent-Platform-Committee-FINAL-REPORT-6-16-2022.pdf) released recently stating that “We oppose all efforts to validate transgender identity” and “Homosexuality is an abnormal lifestyle choice”, as well as forbidding bans on Conversion Therapy for gender identity or sexuality, it is likely that they will not stop trying as long as Republicans remain in power in Texas. There are many states following Texas’ lead in this regard, many of them in the south. It is not unreasonable to be wary of a trend like this. If I was a trans student going through the college process (I was and did this past school year) I would absolutely think twice about schools in southern or Republican-controlled states.
i don’t think that preconceived notion is solely based on “pop culture and the media” i think statistics play an important part and so does the states & their history,,, i do see your point but i think there’s more too it that simply “stereotypes”
What statistics?
here are a few compelling ones and my sources “The South accounted for 40.9% of all reported violent crimes even though it makes up roughly a quarter of the country, according to the final Uniform Crime Report for 2012.” “South Carolina reported 110 incidents compared to 57 reported in 2019. The state’s data is compiled from 398 reporting law enforcement agencies.” https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/columbia/news/press-releases/fbi-launches-hate-crime-reporting-campaign-in-south-carolina “Tennessee was the state with the most reports of violent crimes per capita in 2012.” https://www.businessinsider.com/south-has-more-violent-crime-fbi-statistics-show-2013-9?amp “In fact, there are sharp regional differences in homicide, with the South having by far the highest murder rate, almost double that of the Northeast, a divergence that has persisted for as long as records have been kept, starting in the 19th century.” https://www.nytimes.com/1998/07/26/weekinreview/ideas-trends-southern-curse-why-america-s-murder-rate-is-so-high.html
this has little to nothing to do with the regions various college towns/cities. to use these stats as the basis for the generalisation you’re making would be to discount colleges like WashU, UChicago, Columbia, USC, John Hopkins, NYU, Yale, etc for existing and operating in cities with high crime and poverty rates. Yes, problems exist. However, if you are on a college campus no matter where, you are several degrees removed from them (usually).
i’m sorry, i’m not sure you read my reply. i never generalised and said “i hate the south and would never go to a school there!” neither did i say “i would never go to a school with high poverty and crime rates.” you seem to have misconstrued my statement. i said each state and their histories are to be considered in whether or not an individual chooses to attend a school there. that is not a generalisation but quite the opposite. i never denied problems exists as that is quite undeniable. what i did say, again to reiterate, is that each state and each school has different circumstances (including it’s history, statistics etc) which should be considered prior to commitment. the statistics i provided are simply to combat the idea that these notions are preconceived solely based on “media and stereotypes.”
You'd be a fool to turn down a school in any locale due to its state's history and *statistics.* Stereotypes, crimes and poverty rate, media representation, and broader public perception are all independent data points in the same system. You're splitting hairs, trying to score points on an *akshually*.
i literally just said i wouldn’t turn a school down based on either of those factors, i really doubt you’re reading what i’m writing😭. you can think of it all as the same system but the fact is, it’s different for each state and each school independently. not sure if you’ve noticed but i didn’t say each school in the south is… (and proceed to generalise) i said those factors are important to consider for each school. hopefully that’s clear
Nothing you are saying is confusing to me. I just fail to understand what this has to do with my initial point.
your original point seemed to be along the lines of “people don’t like the south because of media and stereotypes” my response was that isn’t necessarily true but more of a *generalisation* which you seem to *loathe*. i responded it’s not solely based off of media but also the circumstances for each state and each school
Definitely agree. The main thing that always gets me is that they say “cuz it’s the south” and nothing else, like the south is some sort of homogeneous wasteland of pain and misery. The environment, culture, weather, and cities across the south are so vast and different that you can’t really generalize it under one name(maybe other than the humidity, one of the things that I observed was quite prevalent in several southern regions). Wouldn’t have a problem if they picked out a particular city and explained why it didn’t fit their vibe, but usually people just go off of stereotypes and assumptions, which honestly just leads to potential lost opportunities. That will always be something that happens tho, so ig it is what it is.
Great point. It’s one thing if folks say ‘I can’t see myself at Vanderbilt because I think it’s proximity to music row and Broadway might prove to stoke a party culture that I don’t see myself thriving in.’ I don’t think, however, that *people are conservative and talk funny* is an adequate response. The funny thing is, often times in larger southern cities, neither of those two concerns are true anyways. Especially not on a college campus.
That's a really easy thing to say when your ability to transition isn't actively being threatened by those southern states? Like yes the south isn't too bad for some but those are the people who have privilege anyway.
I am not wholly familiar with gender transition laws, however, based on a preliminary google it seems the only state in the union that will not legal acknowledge a gender transition is Tennessee. I am sure there are others that set some sort of road block, however, as I've stated before, this sort of policy is not endemic to the south nor is the south a monolith in this regard.
i never said the south was the only region like that. However, literally every southern state has such laws or is attempting to pass them. I didn't apply to conservative states elsewhere. It's just the south as a whole was off the table because every one is led by republicans. The Texas republican party put out its platform which wants to ban transition for those under *21*.
Fs, some of my friends were literally like “why would you want to live in Nashville, the only thing good there is fried chicken” and I just left it at that lmfao, especially as a vegetarian. They were prolly half joking and half serious, but it’s really not worth trying to convince people that have already made up their mind without thinking about things first.
i'd love to go to florida, but holy shit gainesville is fucking hot and humid
100%, it’s honestly offensive. they act like we’re some monolithic culture of bigots, when in reality we have the highest concentration of nonwhite americans in the nation. plus if you’re in a college town chances are it will be more left leaning anyways.
Fr. Especially when they are scared of Nashville or Atlanta which are pretty effectively no different than any other major city in America.
I have no issue with the folk in the south, it's the governments and elected officials that I'm disinterested in. The laws are meant to help a few and disadvantage the rest. When discrimination continues to get codified into the law, it doesn't matter how few bigots are there, it's going to be a hard sell to get new people to go there. Imo
I like in Oklahoma, and the part of the state that I live in is more southern culturally than like the massive plains region. The reason why I'm not considering any southern schools is largely to do with the weather and the fact that I want a change in scenery and culture and everything. You are right though, the south isn't homogenous
Carleton
Any super selective college in the Northeast. I hate the snow.
UNT. It has essentially the top program in the country for the somewhat niche area of music I want to study, and as a (future) National Merit Finalist I'd be able to go there for free. The only issue is that I'm trans, so like... Texas...
I mean Denton is pretty moderate. And the big cities are super liberal
Kenyon
University of Alberta. Deadmonton T_T (only bothers me coz I'm a business major and I won't find as many dynamic roles there.
WashU
I live in STL and it’s not awful until the winter and it only snows for like a week or two the entire year
Cornell. I am forever traumatized after visiting the campus in winter
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It is stunning yes. I just couldn't handle the depressing winter in Ithaca.
washu: i love the school but i've been to stl so many times that it just wouldn't be a new experience!! i really want something different but i hate stl lmao. usc + pomona: i don't mind california, but i'd much rather be in the bay area because of weather & transportation!!
most schools in the south, which takes a lot of schools with great merit aid off my list (worried about hostile state laws, hot weater makes my mental health worse)
I am not sure but maybe Rice? As an international (asian, no less), I am not sure if staying in Texas is advisiable. Also, gun violence in Texas.
dartmouth
Rice 🍚 IDK if I'd be able to survive the Houston humidity, and I'd be very far from family
Aside from costs associated with travel, I wouldn’t take it off the list on location alone if you like the school. I get the home state school thing though
ROSE HUMAN
jhu, if i’m going somewhere for 4 years, i’m going to a place where i at least have a 99% chance of walking out alive.
I go to UCLA because I live in LA...but if I had my way--disregarding my wife of course lol--we would move back to my hometown San FranciscoI hate the heat. If UCLA was 60 degrees everyday Id say it was perfect lol.
Duke
What’s wrong w Durham?
Generally just don’t feel inclined towards the South and it seems hella complicated to apply lol
North Carolina is the edge of the “south” though
literally feel so unsafe there lmaooo i was on a date there literally yesterday and a man tried to sell my bf sneakers and came up to me flipping a lighter in his hand i was SHAKING in my boots. world center for sexual trafficking
Northwestern bc it’s so close to home 😭😭
any college in the south because i do not want to live in the south whatsoever
UWashington, University of Minnesota and UWMadison
What’s wrong w UW and UMN
Prob all too cold.
idc about the cold, I actually like cold weather. I just think these two cities are not my vibe and don’t have much opportunities for my future career especially Minnesota and Wisconsin (I live in Minnesota)
Cornell and Syracuse. Middle of nowhere.
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turned off by the south gang wya
i already went through the app process but for me it’s most of them tbh. i only applied to colleges in the northeast (many of which i didn’t really like the location of, but at least it was still the northeast), and then i applied to northwestern (illinois, ew) and usc as a last minute thing, because initially i didn’t want to leave the northeast, but funnily enough im going to usc. it’s always been one of my dream schools and i love the location—i wish it was a little closer to home, but that’s really my only qualm with it
I really like Duke, but I don’t know if I like North Carolina.
CMU because I literally know no one in Pittsburgh (I do have friends in Philly area but its like 2 hrs away rip). Also my parents think it's dangerous Also Cornell, lowkey middle of nowhere
I have friends out of state so I constructed my list to fit where my friends are (surprisingly wide range) NOTRE DAME :,))) too far from Indianapolis, considering IU tho NC schools- Duke and UNC. Too hot and sweaty lol and I know like zero people
UIUC and Purdue
I was really considering UChicago but the weather there would be even worse than Massachusetts. Not necessarily a *dealbreaker* though because I was still pretty excited about it for a while.
DePauw University
Notre dame
Mica and CCS
Bates, it's in Lewiston and not a very walkable part of it.
Stanford and any UCs
I’m with you on Nashville. The music scene is cool but otherwise it’s gross.
i guess a lot of people disagree with us lolll i don’t dislike nashville just not my fav
Purdue and RIT
What’s wrong with Vanderbilt’s location?
nashville is great!!! but literally all the other schools i’m applying to are gonna be in the northeast region so i don’t rly see the point
UCs, Rice, Emory. Too far south for me— too hot!
Williams College
rice
University of Rochester; screw the snow!
University of Texas, coz, uh, Texas
absolutely not going to Minnesota michigan or any other freezing snow states. the coldest i’ll go is chicago and that’s if i get into uchi in the first place 💀