Every morning I take two casual carpool passengers into San Francisco on my commute. Part of the etiquette of casual carpooling is that drivers should initiate any conversation, and since I generally don’t want to impose, I keep schtum. This morning, however, one of my passengers commented on a radio discussion about funding of California community colleges. This started an interesting discussion about comparative costs of public universities versus private and the differences between the respective educations.
My passenger kept referring to her “private college” so I asked, “Where did you go to college?” “I went to Harvard College for my undergraduate degree,” came the reply.
My college years are sufficiently distant that I’d long forgotten this euphemism, which I think is particularly common among Harvard graduates, at least of my generation or thereabouts. Since you don’t want to appear elitist – which, the implication is, being a Harvard grad would immediately label you – you refer vaguely to your college or, in this instance, your private college. I suspect Reagan era or later students, schooled during a time when greed was good and naked ambition a valued asset, would be less likely to skirt the subject.
I’m generally happy to tell people I went to Princeton (and latterly Oxford), but then I guess I’m not afraid of being labeled elitist.
It’s not half as bad as “I went to school in Slough”, which I have — for real — heard Etonians say without a hint of irony.
Without appearing to boast, I do the same thing. When talking about the weather or different cultures I talk about having lived in Boston for a couple of years recently, rather than saying I spent my time as a research fellow You Know Where. 🙂
I’d forgotten about Slough. I think I’ve heard Eton referred to as South Slough Comprehensive. As for you, Felix, presumably you tell people you went to school in sarf London.
Dave, you should take to wearing a crimson scarf on your walks around Berkeley. And you could get a natty Harvard window decal for your new car.
BTW, as an undergrad I went to a school that called itself The Harvard of the South. I always thought that was totally lame.
Monty:
Where did you school?
Withnail:
He went to the other place, Monty.
Monty:
Oh, you went to *Eton*?
Cracks me up every time.
DW’s reference is even funnier if you consider that Harvard is the Sewanee of the North…
and I went to the Harvard of the Midwest (grinnell). It’s only recently that I’m truly able to recognize and appreciate the value of my education. btw, I’ve heard tple say they went to school in Cambridge. To each their own. 😉 and thanks for the carpool etiquette. We didn’t learn that in Iowa. sSs
If you went to Harvard or not does not make you an elitist. Its how you present yourself and how you profer your opinions… atleast the tone. If you are embarrassed and run from who you are because you are worried what others think behind the scenes you are an elitist which becomes a trade for the word arrogant. On the other hand, a failure to say who you are can equally be a sign of respect for the other and not arrogance. Its all in the reason why you don’t say who you are. I went to the other school in Boston… no not MIT, Boston College. I didn’t get into Harvard, I was too stupid.
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Wow, Grinnell was the Harvard of the Midwest at one point? As a current student, I’m not that surprised . . . although I’m glad they don’t call it that anymore.
I’ve heard Pomona is the Harvard of the West, though. I’d believe it — I’ve heard they’re almost as pretentious as the real thing. ;P
I think anyone who has been to Harvard is smarter and more competent at study than I am. Am I the type of person that Harvard people try to avoid? Because I’m certain of your intellectual superiority?
Sorry to make you so uncomfortable. But the sheer brilliance of your brain and your ability to juggle all the balls is amazing.
Not to worry about making me uncomfortable. I went to Princeton and Oxford. Have nothing to do with Cambridge, MA, or Cambridge, England.
OK, so I went to Wycombe Abbey School (no1. Girls boarding in UK, scholar) followed by Lawrenceville Academy USA (scholar), Oxford (scholar), Film School in Moscow, Post-Grad in Paris, PhD Royal College of Art.
So boys, I don’t think you’ve quite beaten that. I dated a boy for Slough Comp for a bit. But am still waiting to meet my match.