# When someone mentions, "Harvard of the South"... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 2, 2013, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-someone-mentions-harvard-of-the-south/657324 "2013-05-02T16:46:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-someone-mentions-harvard-of-the-south/657324/1 "2013-05-02T16:46:30Z")
… which school comes to mind first? I was thinking of making this a poll, but I didn’t want to limit the options. ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-someone-mentions-harvard-of-the-south/657324/2 "2013-05-02T16:48:01Z")
Nothing came immediately to mind, but after a tiny bit of thought, maybe William & Mary? Edited to spoiler my thought, so as to not unduly influence others. ---
**Author:** ![ReticulatingSplines](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@ReticulatingSplines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ReticulatingSplines)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-someone-mentions-harvard-of-the-south/657324/3 "2013-05-02T16:49:12Z")
I’d say Vanderbilt > [@Motorgirl](#): > > Nothing came immediately to mind, but after a tiny bit of thought, maybe > > William & Mary? > > Edited to spoiler my thought, so as to not unduly influence others. Bless your heart. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-someone-mentions-harvard-of-the-south/657324/4 "2013-05-02T16:51:04Z")
For me, it’s definitely Rice University. But I am biased. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-someone-mentions-harvard-of-the-south/657324/5 "2013-05-02T16:54:58Z")
I’ve heard Emory people claim it. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-someone-mentions-harvard-of-the-south/657324/6 "2013-05-02T17:01:34Z")
Don’t really have a strong reaction to it at all. I have pretty good instinctive answers for the Midwest and West, but not the South. With the South, after consideration, I’d say either… Duke or Vanderbilt. ---
**Author:** ![markdash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@markdash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markdash)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-someone-mentions-harvard-of-the-south/657324/7 "2013-05-02T17:10:06Z")
I usually hear “X of the south” in reference to Rice. ---
**Author:** ![tim-n-va](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim-n-va/32/3001_2.png) [@tim-n-va](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim-n-va)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-someone-mentions-harvard-of-the-south/657324/8 "2013-05-02T17:11:51Z")
No evaluation but I’ve heard a lot of University of Virginia people claim that title. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-someone-mentions-harvard-of-the-south/657324/9 "2013-05-02T17:16:11Z")
It is Vanderbilt. Vandy was specifically endowed to be a university “of the South” after the War, and in any event the phrase is long-established in Nashville. Using it for another school is saying, “this is more like Harvard than Vanderbilt is.” ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-someone-mentions-harvard-of-the-south/657324/10 "2013-05-02T17:16:34Z")
> [@tim-n-va](#): > > No evaluation but I’ve heard a lot of University of Virginia people claim that title. It’s a public school. I would say Vanderbilt as well. Strong research and all. Rice? I guess Houston is technically the South, but it’s not my first though. ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-someone-mentions-harvard-of-the-south/657324/11 "2013-05-02T17:21:51Z")
Without reading anybody’s responses, my first thought was the University of Virginia. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-someone-mentions-harvard-of-the-south/657324/12 "2013-05-02T17:29:08Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > It’s a public school. Illinois, Michigan, Virginia, Texas and others are considered Public Ivies, the state sponsored equivalents to Harvard, Yale etc. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-someone-mentions-harvard-of-the-south/657324/13 "2013-05-02T17:57:03Z")
William & Mary, duh. But the better nickname is "alma mater of a nation. " ---
**Author:** ![Human\_Action](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@Human\_Action](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Human_Action)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-someone-mentions-harvard-of-the-south/657324/14 "2013-05-02T17:57:04Z")
[Davidson.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davidson_College) ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-someone-mentions-harvard-of-the-south/657324/15 "2013-05-02T17:58:10Z")
Duplicate ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-someone-mentions-harvard-of-the-south/657324/16 "2013-05-02T18:02:13Z")
Further south. _Don’t_ make me say it. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-someone-mentions-harvard-of-the-south/657324/17 "2013-05-02T18:05:17Z")
I’ve heard this about Tulane. ---
**Author:** ![Katriona](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/katriona/32/113_2.png) [@Katriona](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Katriona)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-someone-mentions-harvard-of-the-south/657324/18 "2013-05-02T18:10:10Z")
> [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](#): > > … which school comes to mind first? > > I was thinking of making this a poll, but I didn’t want to limit the options. Tulane. ---
**Author:** ![ReticulatingSplines](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@ReticulatingSplines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ReticulatingSplines)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-someone-mentions-harvard-of-the-south/657324/19 "2013-05-02T18:10:43Z")
> [@ReticulatingSplines](#): > > Bless your heart. By the way, I just want to be clear that I didn’t mean this pejoratively. I attended William & Mary. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-someone-mentions-harvard-of-the-south/657324/20 "2013-05-02T18:13:13Z")
Duke is what came to mind, for no reason I can name. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-someone-mentions-harvard-of-the-south/657324.md?page=2)