| These observations have been built from over five years of pick-up experience - first in high school and then at an ivy league university. I have compared notes with three or four friends at similar universities - all of us have followed the pick-up community and we sarged together in high school (and on breaks). This might not be of much direct help to too many members of the community, but I hope that this illustrates a common complaint that many have had with the community in general: its inability to distinguish between different types of girls in its tactics. Too often, PUAs believe that a one-size-fits-all approach is the best way to get girls (often with minor differences for, say, age or appearance). I'm here to tell you that environment is extremely important and knowing thy targets is perhaps more important than you can possibly imagine.
Here is what I have learned.
The Ivy League girl
I know there's a school of thought that suggests that all girls are vulnerable to the same tactics. Take, for instance, negs. The typical Ivy League girl tends to possess a few traits.
* First, she's overwhelmingly insecure about her physical appearance. In her group of friends, she was probably always the nerdy one, even if she's smoking hot. This makes it difficult to neg her appearance without her becoming legitimately offended. Trust me - the wrong neg can actually make her cry. She's stressed, overworked, and insecure. Statistically, there's a significant chance that she has an eating disorder - they're very common among high-achieving girls.
* She quickly looks to status. A good portion of girls at an ivy league institution come from well-to-do families. A watch or the right kind of shoes actually make a difference to these girls. You must either be a classy guy or else overcome this additional obstacle.
* She might have little interest in having sex. When chicks typically go to bars or clubs, it's easy for me to know that they're putting themselves out there. They're often telegraphing their availability. They want guys to notice them. Ivy league girls often go to parties - even loud drunken frat parties - merely to hang out with their friends. That doesn't mean it's impossible to pick them up, but it ensures that their mood is moved away from a sexual one.
* She's probably smarter than you. This is important, because the smarter a girl is, the more she is annoyed or bored by asinine tactics like magic tricks, mind reading, or weird 'tests' that you've concocted. Also, when you neg her, she'll neg you right back. This is not unusual, but the smarter the girl is, the quicker you must be on your feet. If you come across as a bit slow, she'll move on.
Ivy League Guys
* Most Ivy League guys are alpha males. They all have gotten to where they are through demonstrating, in their college applications, excellence not only in studies and academics, but also in leadership roles. There are a minority who are exceedingly awkward in social situations and a handful of AFCs, but for the most part, Ivy League guys are alpha males, especially in their native campus environment.
* They may have famous parents. For example, if your last name is Spielberg, you're probably going to be a chick magnet (he is). This works for girls too, but guys tend to flaunt this kind of thing far more often and use it to get girls into bed.
* They will challenge you. Directly. Ivy league guys like to be first in everything. This means that even when you think you've isolated a HB, look to see some douchebag come and ruin it for you.
* They know better than to brag. Being smart or wealthy entails acting like it's no big deal. I did not know my friend's parents produced Gladiator until they brought Martin Short along when they visited him.
The Environment
* Ivy League campuses are small. In a class of say 1000 students, word spreads quickly. Tools like facebook only shrink campus sizes further. In other words, you might be trying to pick up the best friend of last week's lay. And you won't even know it. This can make your job frustrating at some times and maddeningly complicated at others.
* Girls and guys will naturally pair up (if they want to). In other words, at say, a frat party, most of the girls will already be spoken for. The rest will probably not be actively looking for a guy. This is a social thing, brought about by the fact that something like 75% of ivy league students marry other ivy league students. Once again, their world is small.
* Intelligence is prized. If I told you how many hot chicks my friend - who is a certified no-joke genius - picked up merely by virtue of his crazy smarts, you wouldn't believe me. He got some play at home, but what he gets at school is crazy. This is due to a variety of factors, but chief among them is the fact that very few people can actually appreciate his intelligence. (It's like in Good Will Hunting, where the math professor says that he is probably one of only a handful of people who can tell the difference between himself and Will). Also, intelligence is a very large component of confidence at a top university (if you're smarter, you'll view yourself better). He is therefore more confident as a result.
* Peacocking does not work. There's a reason there's a haircut called the "ivy league". If you wear a funny hat, you will not get much positive attention. Period. It merely looks low-class such a (frankly, snobbish and pretentious) institution. Facial hair, weird hair cuts, odd clothing (say, anything more edgy than Urban Outfitters), or gaudy tacky jewelry will not fly. Consider that the girl you're trying to pick up probably has a tiffany bracelet in her coach bag.
* It's immature, insular, and judgmental. All college environments are immature, but this is a particularly important fact for pick-up in the ivy league. People judge each other quickly. Girls will judge you on your controlled (read: clothing, grooming, etc) appearance or the way you talk. A smooth-talking clean-shaven well-dressed average-looking guy will get a lot farther than a guy who looks and talks like Leonardo DiCaprio from the Departed. When Matador came for a presentation on hookup at Yale, you will not believe how many girls' first reaction was "look at how trashy his clothes are". Automatic turn-off, right there. Girls in clubs are far less judgmental.
Hope this helps!
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