Marist College Top Questions

We did not earn the moniker of "Mattress College" from the Poughkeepsie locals for our neatly-made beds. http://quidprojoes.blogspot.com/2009/12/happenstances.html

It is an semi-expensive private school so many people here are in the upper middle class but Marist is doing a good job in trying to become more diverse. We have a big fashion program here too so you'll see a lot of really well dressed girls in your 8am classes and feel sloppy in your pajamas.

Although there are students that fit this stereotype, there is also a lot of diversity at Marist. You can find pretty much any type of person or group at Marist.

Most people think that everyone at Marist is from Long Island or New Jersey. Although those two areas make up a large portion of the student population, there are still plenty of people from all over the country. I have met people from California, Arizona, Washington, and even a few from Hawaii. I feel that even though most of the students are from the Northeast, it is still a fairly geographically diverse campus. Another stereotype is that the students at Marist are all upper-middle class White Catholic Students. This is also somewhat true, because over 80 percent of the students are Caucasian, however, I find Marist to be much more diverse than my high school in Upstate New York.

That is not really what the majority of students are at all. I myself am not preppy, I consider myself to be more laid back, relaxed and comfortable. I am from the west coast (California!), and I am Jewish. A lot of the student population is white and Catholic, but Marist is really trying to become more diverse and you can really see that in the past couple of years there has been a huge difference. Right now we are working on making a Hillel (a Jewish college campus organization) here at Marist, and hopefully that will give the campus even more diversity.

To an extent it's true, but only to an extent. While you will see plenty of kids wearing polo shirts and other preppy staples, it is not a standard. There are plenty of kids who don't dress that way and I'm sure they feel no need to.

No, there is a diverse student body at Marist. While there are people that fit the stereotypes, there are also many that do not.

There is diversity at Marist, and people come from all over the country to come here.

This stereotype couldn't be more inaccurate. At Marist, there are several different types of people. In just my first few months here, I have already made many friends from NY, Florida, California, Hawaii and many other places.

The students are far from boring! Even though Poughkeepsie is a little random for a city, there is so much to do. Everyone is involved in so many different clubs and sports and there is such a huge demographic of people in those clubs and organizations. If you're bored here at Marist, than there HAS to be something wrong with you.

NOT true. While there is a significant Long Island population here, there are tons of people from upstate, the surrounding Northeast states, as well as people from across the nation.

I don't really know about the Mattress College stereotype lol, but some students do live in a Marist bubble. With that said, be social and broaden your horizons. Don't be ignorant about other cultures or ethnicities because I have met some really great people from different parts of the US and the world. I would like to see Marist become more and more diverse. I am a part of many clubs and activities which helps with making connections and many diverse friends :)

NO! (see previous)

No...the only stereotype that may be somewhat true is that many students here are from the NY metro area specifically NYC and Long Island/ rest of the tri-state area, however this is just logical because of Marist's convenient location.

I have found that neither of these stereotypes about Marist students are true. For one, Marist students are from a variety of areas, but mostly inner city NY, Long Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, Massachusetts, upstate New York, and a few from New Hampshire and Vermont. I have never once considered Marist to lack diversity, and have found through my college years have come to meet some of the most interesting people of my life. While yes, a majority of the students are white, there is certainly a decent representation of African American, Latino, Asian, and multi-racial students who contribute to the diversity at Marist. As far as the "preppy, Catholic, rich kids from New England" this stereotype couldn't be more wrong. While a significant majority of students here at Marist are Catholic, the school is in no way centered around the Catholic faith, and doesn't even have any religious affiliation. To address the preppy, rich student stereotype, I do not think this is entirely accurate. Being preppy is merely a style of dress, and there are just as many preppy students on this campus as their are students who follow other fashion styles. Marist is a private school, so the majority of students are of middle to upper class, but I hardly think that their financial status defines Marist students whatsoever, nor does different financial levels of students separate the student body.