Asking someone where they went to high school (transplants, private schools)
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I've noticed that where I live, people have a tendency to ask you where you went to high school upon introducing yourself and where you're from.
I find this interesting because my high school is in a completely different state, and most people around here probably never have heard of it. I also find this interesting because people seem to judge you based on that one facet of your life.
Has anyone else experienced this, or is it just a local thing?
It's just part of the "Do We Know The Same People" game. It's not like asking someone where they went to college. You can only learn so much by knowing where someone went to high school. If I ever ask this question, it's because I either have some experience with a high school in the area or know someone who went there.
It usually means you live in an area that is not accustomed to transplants or you are very young or hang around with very young people. I don't get asked where I go to HS because I assume that people are from completely different places than I am. I may only ask that if I notice somebody wearing the high school's colors or logo, or they say they are from the same city I am from or something.
I hear it a lot here in the Midwest. I guess it's a Midwestern thing. I would imagine residents of highly-transient areas like NYC and LA don't ask that question.
I grew up in Hawaii. If I meet someone from Hawaii anywhere in the world the first question is always: Where did you go to high school. It's because Hawaii is a very small state with only one university of any significance (although many people go to college on the mainland). It's also has a lot to do with social class. The public schools in Hawaii are very poorly regarded and a large percentage of the population goes to private school. You can tell a lot about a person by where s/he went to school.
I hear it a lot here in the Midwest. I guess it's a Midwestern thing. I would imagine residents of highly-transient areas like NYC and LA don't ask that question.
I don't know about LA, but high school is very important in Manhattan among upper-middle class professionals and creative types. So many people went to elite colleges that high school in another way of standing out. Also, many people who go to private schools know the rank and reputation of other private schools across the country, especially in the Northeast. It's like in the UK, if you go to an elite school, you put it on your resume.
I've heard in in every state i lived, but usually after you know a person for a while.
When you hear it at job interview (like I have in St. Louis), you are really pushing it.
This is a very common question in Cincinnati. To me it speaks to how people in this area like to figure out who you are and where you come from. The public schools there have been known for being terrible for so long that admitting you went to one puts you in a bad light.
I actually had an interview once for a low-paying office assistant job and the guy was asking me for details about my high school experience!. He wanted to know what a typical day was like. I told him it was a blur but I could tell him about my COLLEGE years!.lol Didn't get that job.
Usually when I'm out of town, people know I'm not from around there. I met an old couple in FL (who was also from NJ) and they asked where we were from, and when I told them "Jersey"- The women said "I knew it"
But yea it was always "What HS did you go to?" around here.
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