I went to college more than 25 years ago now. At the time our school was known for the lack of attractive females. Not being sexist here just reporting what was often said in my presence. Located in Middletown, Connecticut many a trip were made to the Seven Sisters in pursuit of female companionship. I should say that my niece is now a senior at Wesleyan University where I went and is headed to Hollywood to pursue acting upon graduation–and has the looks, as well as the talent, to back up that aspiration. My roommate and best friend’s daughter is a freshman this year and my own daughter will start at Wesleyan next fall. These are beautiful, smart young women.
All that said, a college rowing buddy of mine recently emailed me a list of the “Top 10 Ugliest Student Bodies” by a well-trafficked website calling itself YOUR ONLINE FRATERNITY…on the site they have a whole category dedicated to “hotness” so I guess they decided to go negative just for a change of pace.
The fist thing I noticed was at least they rated school’s not just on female attractiveness but gave equal air time to male sex appeal, or lack thereof. But I kept reading the ugly list and was greatly dismayed to see three notches from the top (Harvard is apparently the least attractive student body according to these clowns):
3. Wesleyan – This private and conservative school must be using fire and brimstone teaching techniques because these students looked like they have burned. Girls – Ew / Guys – Ew
Just to clear up one point of fact before bearing down on the big issue: Wesleyan is perhaps the most liberal school on the planet, giving Brown, Hampshire College and Bard a run for their money. A few years ago when Ted Kennedy was slated to give the commencement address but had to bow out because his cancer had returned, then candidate Obama filled in for him. Not only Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke on campus but Malcolm X. There is in fact a Malcolm X house on campus, owned and operated as a dorm by the University. Wesleyan is famous for Zonker Harris day during which joints are handed out freely in the dining commons–a celebration which the charismatic President of the University tried to stamp out only to be called out by Zonk himself:
I digress to point out the journalistic stupidity of the frat boys (if you are going to call us ugly at least get the most basic facts right fellas!).
The real question I want to ask in this post is whether or not it is okay to choose a college based on babes of both genders. Apparently University of Florida is the “hotest” school in the country. I have a friend whose son goes to Vanderbelt and is very happy there, at least in part by the “deep pool of talent.”
So good men, and female friends of good men, what say you? Can you go to college looking for some action based on skin deep sex appeal? Or perhaps even a life long mate based on a combination of factors that includes physical appearance in the mix?
Whatever your answer I can tell you that at Wesleyan you will find plenty of “talent” of all kinds, no matter what the knuckleheads say.
image and clip Wesleyan University website
One of the hottest guys I ever met at grad school graduated from Wesleyan…I guess ’87 was a good year!
College is way too expensive to worry about the hotness of your fellow students. That would just be a crazy criteria for college selection.
Also, I wouldn’t trust on “online fraternity’s” assessment of what is attractive or not attractive. It’s completely subjective. I have a friend who is really into slightly pudgy, pretty hairy guys. She would be ecstatic if her school were populated with all those men, but I highly doubt this site would assess such a school as having “attractive” men.
Given the average age of incoming freshmen, I’d be surprised if student-body hotness WEREN’T high on the priority list of any prospective enrollee. Yes, education is important, but it’s not the only priority in life–at any age.
“Yes, education is important, but it’s not the only priority in life–at any age.”
For you and some people, yeah. For me, not so much. When I went to undergrad, finding a hot guy was not a priority for me at all. If it happened, it happened (which it did), but I wasn’t actively looking for it. It was not a priority.
I am going to see your Wesleyan on both “ugly” and “liberal”, and raise you one Hampshire College. Eli Kaplan (who writes for us, went to Hampshire with me) had a roommate who worked in admissions giving prospective students tours… He would come home and say, “Frickin’ topless girls in the quad ruined another tour.” That’s how unattractive we were at Hampshire College. When we were topless (okay you know I was never topless) we actually scared people away. Just sayin’ — (And yes, that ringing you hear is UCLA calling to revoke my degree in Women’s Studies for that… Read more »
Didn’t realize you were both Hamp grads. That might change how I read your pieces now…
… just don’t tell me you hung out on frat row at UMass all the time.
Also, if I might pry a little, what was your favorite slice at Antonio’s?