In a CNN This Morning segment today on the trend of northern students choosing Southern colleges, Boston Globe reporter Beth Teitell was reluctant to admit that one reason they do so is to escape the leftist politics of Northern schools.
To her credit, host Audie Cornish did raise the issue.
On her first try, Audie asked:
"Can I talk about the liberal arts part of it? Because I understand politics is coming into play. What are these students saying about why they're making this decision?"
Teitell ducked it, claiming that students chose the South because during COVID, students there were able to live relatively normal lives, compared to the stricter shutdowns in the North. But that hasn't made sense for multiple application cycles, since the COVID shutdowns ended more than 2.5 years ago.
Audie tried again: "Is it also just trying to get away from the culture of liberal arts colleges?"
Teitell finally admitted that "it definitely can be," but proceeded to condescend to such students, saying that many want to get away from the protests up North and "they're just worrying about what kind of cute cowboy boots they're going to wear." Teitell didn't acknowledge that--cute boots aside--principled conservative students want to escape the woke indoctrination mills up North. Can you call it "liberal arts" if schools in the North don't do a "well-rounded education" nurturing "critical thinking"? Unless you're thinking critically of conservatives.
Teitell then quickly shifted to claim that it's a "double-edged sword," and that she had spoken to "One young woman [who] had gone to University of Georgia and her problem was that the school had too many people from Georgia there."
Sounds kinda bigoted, no?
Inevitably, race entered the conversation. Cornish suggested: "When we look at these videos, especially Rush Talk, the algorithm is serving up a lot of white students. And I wanted to know if we're seeing similar trends to, say, historically black colleges."
Teitell agreed, that some black students are headed south, perhaps due to family connections to black colleges, but then:
"There was some headline that said, in Alabama, the White Tide [a play on Alabama's "Crimson Tide"] rushes on, because it is a very white presentation when you look on Rush Talk, for sure."
Teitell tried terribly hard to be ingratiating. Her big grin (as seen in the screencap) remained there pretty much throughout the segment. Teitell's first words were: "Thank you, Audie. I'm so glad we're having this conversation." That was followed by: "That's such a good question," and "That's such an interesting question," and "You know, that's an interesting question." Enough already: just answer the darn question!
On a personal note, I went to Cornell, in upstate New York, where I made several wonderful friends for a lifetime. But in high school, I was recruited by Davidson, in North Carolina, and sometimes wonder what my life would have been like had I gone there.
Here's the transcript.
CNN This Morning
12/9/25
6:20 am ETAUDIE CORNISH [after scenes of sexy rush dances air] Yep, moments like these, causing Northern students to head South for college. Academics alone clearly are not selling schools anymore. It's the football, the warm weather, the Greek life, Rush Talk.
SOUTHERN COLLEGE STUDENT 1: Rush consists of four highly competitive rounds.
SOUTHERN COLLEGE STUDENT 2: Let's be honest, I probably would not be going to Alabama if it did not blow up on TikTok.
CORNISH: Documentaries like Bama Rush have sold college-bound students from the Northeast, home to many of the Ivy League institutions in this country, to head south for a good time. The increase is staggering. For some schools, like LSU, that has seen a nearly 500%—I'm going to say that again—500% jump in students from the Northeast over the last decade.
So, joining me now is Beth Teitell. She recently wrote about this growing trend for the Boston Globe. Welcome to CNN This Morning.
Thank you, Audie. I'm so glad we're having this conversation. because the trend is so notable. You'll be stuck in Boston's famed traffic and the car in front of you or the one honking behind you actually has a bumper sticker on it that will say something like Clemson or LSU. It's a big change.
CORNISH: It is. And being from Boston, I know there are smaller schools people used to go to in the Northeast. They cost a lot of money. Can I just get the money question out first? Are people going because it's cheaper?
TEITELL: That's such a good question. It definitely can be cheaper.
. . .
CORNISH: Can I talk about the liberal arts part of it? Because I understand politics is coming into play. What are these students saying about why they're making this decision?
TEITELL: You know, that's such an interesting question. A lot of the college advisors I spoke with told me that when this generation was applying to colleges, they were actually in high school. The pandemic was on. They were sitting in their homes watching, and knowing that their own siblings who were older were in their dorm, in their own bedrooms, going to college online. And they're watching on TikTok and seeing the kids, where a lot of the Southern schools were still partying. And, you know, there's a football games or there's Rush Talk and that kind of stuff. So I think it's actually making a big difference.
CORNISH: Is it also just trying to get away from the cultural, culture of liberal arts colleges?
TEITELL: You know, that's an interesting question. It definitely can be. I mean, some just saw the intense politicization that was, of course, covered in all media with a lot of protests and everything. So some kids are very interested in that. But for others, they wanted to get away from it, to go someplace where they're not protesting something. In fact, they're just worrying about what kind of cute cowboy boots they're going to wear.
When I said double-edged sword, though, what I meant was I have spoken to kids and parents of kids who actually went down South to get away from all this. They wanted the party vibe and the Greek life. And then they got down there and they thought, oh, there's too much party life, too much Greek life. One young woman had gone to University of Georgia and her problem was that the school had too many people from Georgia there.
So it can look like a lot of fun at a distance, but it's not really for everybody.
CORNISH: When we look at these videos, especially Rush Talk, the algorithm is serving up a lot of white students. And I wanted to know if we're seeing similar trends to, say, historically black colleges.
TEITELL: You know, the New York Times reported that the historically black colleges and universities are seeing an increase in interest from some of the nation's top talent. People are going for family reasons. They might have roots there or just because the education is excellent. So you are seeing black students also going down South.
But with the Rush Talk, there is the thought that, there was some headline that said, in Alabama, the White Tide rushes on, because it is a very white presentation when you look on Rush Talk, for sure.
