In general, ignoring details and falling back on stereotypes for the sake of simplicity is almost always a mistake. But when it comes to passing judgment on our Ivy League rivals, falling back on broad generalizations is a natural reflex for defining what we know little about. We're expected to learn as much as we can about those who are different from us and to respect these differences for the sake of a wholesome community, but this article is neither the time nor the place for that. You can always count on The Mirror to bring up hilarious if not offensive stereotypes, and perpetuating Ivy rivalries is well within our comfort zone.
What they said...
"Students at Dartmouth are a bunch of outdoorsmen who enjoy hiking, lumberjacking and washing their garments in the river." Matthias Sheeleigh, Harvard '15
"[Dartmouth is] the most outdoorsy, least clean-shaven, rural Ivy." Brandon Li, Yale '14
"Patagonias, Bean boots, frat stars and girls who don't shave." Lila Florian, Princeton '12
"Dartmouth kids are either preppy, golf-playing heirs from Connecticut or extra bro-y frat stars if they're not from the Northeast. Some also have the conception that there exists a clan of lumberjacks from Norwich that enjoy living in the lush forest of Hanover." Daniel Castan, Penn '15
"Dartmouth kids only have fun when getting wasted because Hanover is pretty isolated. Also, they have an unhealthy obsession for the outdoors, and the guys are superficial and have a lot to prove." Brian Shultz, Columbia '15
"I've never really thought about [Dartmouth]. People at Brown mostly just hate on Harvard." Jane Morton, Brown '12
"Dartmouth students conserve water by drinking beer." Pody Uppal, Cornell '14
What we said...
"Harvard is exclusive because they didn't join Borrow Direct until this year." Sanja Miklin '12
"You always want to travel with someone from Yale because they're most well known for their self defense it's a skill that few other colleges have." Danny Freeman '13
"Princeton students are always thought of as preppy, hence the reason Dartmouth throws tennis balls when we play them in hockey." Lauren Jenny '14
"Nobody knows Penn is an Ivy. I think that's the one that people forget about when they think of Ivies. Maybe it's too far South." Sean Derrow '13
"[Columbia's] color is powder blue isn't that gross? That's not an intimidating thing to go against in a football game. They have bad taste they like that color blue." Sanders Davis '14
"At Brown, everyone's really into exploring their sexuality." Ruthie Welch '13
"Cornell students with a perennial chip on their shoulder for not actually being legitimate members of the Ivy League work the hardest during college to get paid the least after they graduate. If they do." Alex Olesen '14
Other Ivies seem to enjoy poking fun at our frats and unnatural affection for Keystone Light, preppy and/or lumberjack and/or jock tendencies and our love of the outdoors. Still, we can't say we don't enjoy making fun of our rivals' pitfalls, either. From Princeton's pretentious eating clubs to Brown's too-cool-for-you hipsters, as well as to the Ivies we always seem to forget when listing them off... Wait. Penn's not a state school? And Duke's not an Ivy???
