It's funny because the stereotyping by major was common at my university, even as freshmen. Partly that's because Northwestern has several different "schools," and you apply to the school. So I came in as a theater major, accepted by the school of speech. Engineering majors were accepted by Tech, journalism by Medill, and so on. I can't see it at a liberal arts college as I know it, since our students seem to be discouraged from / forbidden to declare majors their first year. - Your Neighbor Steve

Huh, very interesting. At Vassar we mostly stereotyped people by dorm, although some majors (art history and drama are the two that spring to mind instantly) also had their stereotypes. I totally want the Tam Lin tour next time I'm at Carleton, though. - laura x

Colby was typicallyt stereotyped by Commons, and from there, by dorm within each commons though to a lesser extent. I don't recall much stereotyping by major, though it may well have happened and I don't remember. - ellbeecee

I need to make myself a list of fantasy novels that take place (or at least start) in real colleges and read all of them. A lot of them would be rereads that I absolutely loved the first time through... Off the top of my head I have Tam Lin, Ruff's Fool on the Hill, Kay''s Fionavar trilogy.... I'm sure there are loads more though. - Marianne

Well, there's only a little of the first book of Fionavar that takes place on campus, but a friend once told me that the first volume's working title was King's College Circle. - DJF

It's only a tiny piece, but it was what made the book for me as a young teenager. I'd read plenty of fantasy novels but never a college novel, and the university (a "real" one in a big city) was way more exciting and strange an idea than magic.... - Marianne

Marianne, yes, exactly how I felt when I read Tam Lin in high school. I should really read the Kay trilogy. - laura x

For me, the thing about Fionavar was that it takes place in Toronto. I think that was the first book that I read that took place somewhere I knew. Also, it does feel a bit weird sometimes when I have meetings at the U of T because of this stuff. - DJF

Philip Pullman's Oxford comes to mind. - Your Neighbor Steve

Karen Healey's Guardian of the Dead at least starts (I've only seen the first two chapters so far but must track down the rest) at a high school like my old high school and then at University of Canterbury (where I studied and now work). I... can't explain how amazing it is to read a book that's so very much set in my hometown. - Deborah Fitchett

Oh, I missed this during my Internet-Free Weekend! At Oberlin, the stereotyping was more College/Con(servatory), though certain majors (theater, English, PoliSci) were painted with a pretty broad brush. And certain dorms (really co-ops) as well: Keep, Tank, Baldwin/Talcott, Zeke, and especially Harkness. And within the Con, voice majors were notorious. And it's all true. - Catherine Pellegrino

At Truman there were a few residence halls with reputations (Grimm, especially, was known for odd-ball residents--no surprise), but not much typing by major. The swim team, however, was an acknowledged bastion of crazy-smart, driven people. My class had 4 valedictorians, and 3 were on the swim team. - Kirsten

Oh, and the other big stereotype at Vassar was of people who worked for Campus Patrol. Um. I was one of them. - laura x

Laura, and that stereotype was...? - Your Neighbor Steve