Is Anyone Familiar with Malibu High School?

[Tommy_B]

I appreciate your take. It goes with the caveat that there's a 10-year difference your college application era (I'm assuming it's this year or next year with you being 17) and the college application era of 1999-2000, but I'm going to say frankly that I had a really, really hard time believing that a party kid like Darius would get into Berkeley, even in 2000. I know Mark's used the George Bush-going-to-Yale example, but that was in the ''60s and the Ivies have the legacy deal to contend with. I'm assuming legacy didn't matter as much to places like California, especially by the late 1990's. And none of his relatives there are actually alumni of Berkeley anyway.

 

I think another option for someone like Darius might be Pepperdine University- it doesn't look that competitive.

 

I don't know if the guy is smoking some medicinal weed, but he, for what it's worth, got accepted to UC Santa Barbara on a 3.5 GPA in 2002, so who knows? a 3.1 IS a lot different from a 3.5, though.

 

The other question I'm wondering about- is there any kind of significant military prescence in Santa Monica/Malibu? Is it unusual to see a guy walking around in military shirts, etc etc? Does Malibu High or high schools in the surrounding area have any Iraq War veterans? In my experience that was true- I did know A LOT of guys who went into the military, but I'm also from the East Coast and my state has a large airforce base. I've told Mark I think characters from the class of 2005 would have at least one friend who is in Iraq, but now I wonder if the Iraq War had any effect on people from the Malibu/Santa Monica area. Did it? Or did the area exist as a total bubble where none of the kids had any friends who were in the military? My experience was that there was a massive build-up of the military in the United States after 9/11 so I knew an increasing amount of people in the military, but that might not be true for contemporaries who grew up in the Santa Monica/Malibu area.

 

One of the things I've always appreciated about Mark Arbour's writing is his ability to capture the milleu of the place and time he's writing about, so that's why I, as his research assistant, am asking these questions. LOL. Mark has written Darius as being a party kid, so he figured he'd go to party schools like UCLA or something. From what you're saying, Berkeley and even UCLA would be out of the cards for this character.

 

Not a lot of military types coming out of Malibu, but a few. I know a couple have gone to the Naval Academy, a couple joined the Marines and one guy who wants to be a SEAL, but in general, you don't see guys in uniform, there really aren't any bases close by.

 

UCSB & UCSC are the party schools of the UC system. All my friends at Santa Barbara seem to do is surf and party, but how may universities have their own surf break, so maybe it is okay.

 

I can't see a 3.5 getting into Cal or maybe even UCLA unless they had ultra high SATs or PSATs without being an athlete or Steven Spielberg's kid.

[methodwriter85]

Not a lot of military types coming out of Malibu, but a few. I know a couple have gone to the Naval Academy, a couple joined the Marines and one guy who wants to be a SEAL, but in general, you don't see guys in uniform, there really aren't any bases close by.

 

UCSB & UCSC are the party schools of the UC system. All my friends at Santa Barbara seem to do is surf and party, but how may universities have their own surf break, so maybe it is okay.

 

I can't see a 3.5 getting into Cal or maybe even UCLA unless they had ultra high SATs or PSATs without being an athlete or Steven Spielberg's kid.

 

So then a kid from there WOULD likely have one friend in Iraq- not a ton of friends, but one or two. That makes sense.

 

The OTHER character(class of '05 gay kid, not the party kid class of '00 one) we're talking about is a mix of an academic AND a surfer, so I wonder if UCSB would be a fit for him, or he'd forsake the surfing break to go to a more prestigious school. I don't think he'd really be that into a party school.

Edited October 20, 2010 by methodwriter85

[option]

So then a kid from there WOULD likely have one friend in Iraq- not a ton of friends, but one or two. That makes sense.

 

The OTHER character(class of '05 gay kid, not the party kid class of '00 one) we're talking about is a mix of an academic AND a surfer, so I wonder if UCSB would be a fit for him, or he'd forsake the surfing break to go to a more prestigious school. I don't think he'd really be that into a party school.

 

Why Iraq?

its not the only place the US military are in

 

also, Annapolis is 4years

so if someone graduated HS in 2005, they wouldnt graduate from Annapolis till 2009

with Annapolis being the other side of the country, isnt it likely that people will have lost contact?

 

 

Tommy_B has said that they know a couple joined the marines:

is that a couple of people from one year of MHS? or just a couple of people from the area?

even if it was 2 from the same year at MHS, thats from a year of ~200 pupils, so 1%

 

the Marines were out of Iraq by Jan2010

theyve had a much larger presence in Afghanistan

 

"So then a kid from there WOULD likely have one friend in Iraq- not a ton of friends, but one or two. That makes sense."

I think its more likely that they WOULDNT have a friend serving in Iraq or anywhere else.

 

 

 

 

 

as for which uni/campus someone would end up at, that depends on what theyre studying

[Matthew k]

So then a kid from there WOULD likely have one friend in Iraq- not a ton of friends, but one or two. That makes sense.

 

The OTHER character(class of '05 gay kid, not the party kid class of '00 one) we're talking about is a mix of an academic AND a surfer, so I wonder if UCSB would be a fit for him, or he'd forsake the surfing break to go to a more prestigious school. I don't think he'd really be that into a party school.

 

I think more to the point, they might know someone who is in the military, but not necessarily a friend and remember not all kids in Malibu go to Malibu High, a good number go to Harvard-Westlake, Crossroads, Brentwood School, St. Monica's and Loyola. A few, especially colony and Hollywood types, are at Choate, Phillips Exeter and maybe one or two in prep schools in Switzerland.

 

As to UCSB and UC Santa Cruz being party and surfer schools, it is all relative. Being UC schools they are still tough academically and are on the quarter system so it means no screwing around, or at least not too much. I suppose as much surfing happens at UC San Diego, they do have Black's Beach right below the campus as well as Scripps Pier, where the school started, but a good bit less partying I would think since it seems everyone there is pre-med and ultra competitive.

 

And who knows what is in the mind of an 18 year old and what is important. I know I changed my mind a bunch of times in school about which way to go and even agonized over where to go, prestige vs close, being able to start my freshman year vs. riding the bench for two years, important stuff like that

[methodwriter85]

Why Iraq?

its not the only place the US military are in

 

 

Because one of the things Arbour likes to do is hit on the major issues of the day, and the Iraq War is one of them. Having one of the characters have a friend or something there is a way to tie that in personally. So I guess it's not "likely", but it's not particulary unlikely, either. It's got plausibility, especially if the person is the type of guy with a really wide social circle.

 

 

As to UCSB and UC Santa Cruz being party and surfer schools, it is all relative. Being UC schools they are still tough academically and are on the quarter system so it means no screwing around, or at least not too much. I suppose as much surfing happens at UC San Diego, they do have Black's Beach right below the campus as well as Scripps Pier, where the school started, but a good bit less partying I would think since it seems everyone there is pre-med and ultra competitive.

 

 

Thanks for your take!

 

So riding the bench? Football or basketball? I'm guessing basketball. That sport is bigger in CA, it seems.

Edited October 21, 2010 by methodwriter85

[Greedya]

OMG! *drools*

 

Their water polo team is a really good team.

 

http://www.malibuwaterpolo.org/images/shark_water_polo_v_team.jpg

 

[Matthew k]

Thanks for your take!

 

So riding the bench? Football or basketball? I'm guessing basketball. That sport is bigger in CA, it seems.

 

Actually volleyball and I have a good number of USC friends who would punch you in the nose for the football vs basketball comment and UCLA friends who would kiss you.

 

Water polo is of course the other big west coast sport. No university team outside of California has ever won a men's or women's NCAA Championship.

[methodwriter85]

Well, it's got to be true, though. Texas is the state that's big on high school football. California seems bigger on basketball and water polo.

 

Hey, I have to wonder- do people in SoCal wear Northface jackets, or is that strictly an East Coast deal? I know Uggs are/were worn there, so it doesn't seem like the weather would really restrict the clothing that much. Since about 2005, I seriously haven't walked around a college campus in the fall without seeing at least one person wearing Northface.

[Matthew k]

Well, it's got to be true, though. Texas is the state that's big on high school football. California seems bigger on basketball and water polo.

 

Hey, I have to wonder- do people in SoCal wear Northface jackets, or is that strictly an East Coast deal? I know Uggs are/were worn there, so it doesn't seem like the weather would really restrict the clothing that much. Since about 2005, I seriously haven't walked around a college campus in the fall without seeing at least one person wearing Northface.

 

You have to remember CA is not a "beach state", it is like several different states or even countries. Along the coast are most of the major cities, but inland is totally different and then you have the mountain areas and the wooded areas. CA is mostly an agricultural and cow state. In Bakersfield you'd swear you are in Oklahoma and you wouldn't be too far wrong since lots of Okies moved there in the Dust Bowl days to work in the oil fields. In Tahoe, you'd think you were in CO or UT and even Los Angeles has 6 or seven major ski areas with in an hour and half from downtown.

 

 

You'd more likely find Northface in northern Cal, than southern, although some people do wear it. Uggs used to be a big thing in the surfing/swimming/water polo crowd, but i think a bit less now. Northern Cal isn't even really San Francisco, that is actually the middle of the state, northern Cal is more like Chico, Arcata, Yreka, Redding and those cities and as different from rest of the populous coastal part of the state as Bakersfield is. Those areas are more like Oregon than what people think of CA being. You would for sure see Northface gear at Humboldt & Chico State.

 

Fall at So Cal colleges you'd still see shorts and sandals, they won't wear a jacket until winter starts to show up in Nov. I know that is fall still technically, but feels like the start of winter.

Edited October 22, 2010 by Matthew k

[methodwriter85]

You'd more likely find Northface in northern Cal, than southern, although some people do wear it. Uggs used to be a big thing in the surfing/swimming/water polo crowd, but i think a bit less now. Northern Cal isn't even really San Francisco, that is actually the middle of the state, northern Cal is more like Chico, Arcata, Yreka, Redding and those cities and as different from rest of the populous coastal part of the state as Bakersfield is. Those areas are more like Oregon than what people think of CA being. You would for sure see Northface gear at Humboldt & Chico State.

 

Fall at So Cal colleges you'd still see shorts and sandals, they won't wear a jacket until winter starts to show up in Nov. I know that is fall still technically, but feels like the start of winter.

 

Male Uggs. God, I remember those. So a surfer boy from Malibu would have a pair of Uggs circa 2005? (We're thinking in terms of 2005.) He'd own a pair of Vans, likely those Adidas white throwback sneakers with the black stripes, and Etnies. I think he'd wear beanie hats and a lot of basketball shorts as well. Is that it for a standard surfer boy uniform?

 

A preppier kid in my parts would have had their standard uniform as a pair of pre-distressed designer jeans(likely Diesel), a Lacoste Polo shirt over a long-sleeved shirt with the collar popped, and a pair of flip-flops or Birkenstock sandals. Is that true for SoCal, or no? I remember after the O.C. came out A LOT of people started dressing like the characters- with the t-shirts layered over longer shirts and the girls wearing peasant skirts.

 

One of things that Mark likes to do in his stories is describe how his characters dress so that we get a feel for the era and place. So I appreciate the feedback!

[B1ue]

UCSB & UCSC are the party schools of the UC system. All my friends at Santa Barbara seem to do is surf and party, but how may universities have their own surf break, so maybe it is okay.

 

I can't see a 3.5 getting into Cal or maybe even UCLA unless they had ultra high SATs or PSATs without being an athlete or Steven Spielberg's kid.

 

 

Yeah, that was pretty much the weekend at UCSB. We weren't called the University of Casual Sex and Beer for nothing.

 

And Tommy, I did. I am not a star athlete or Steven Speilberg's kid. I did have high SAT scores, but they weren't off the chart high. It really was a different world ten years ago.

 

"So then a kid from there WOULD likely have one friend in Iraq- not a ton of friends, but one or two. That makes sense."

I think its more likely that they WOULDNT have a friend serving in Iraq or anywhere else.

 

as for which uni/campus someone would end up at, that depends on what theyre studying

 

It is really difficult to overstate the number of people that have gone into uniform in the last decade. Yes, it's only 1% of the US population, probably closer to .5%, but nearly all of those people come from the same age group. If you're my age, you have to try pretty hard to avoid having at least one acquaintance that's serving or has served. Personally, two of my siblings and nearly all my friends from high school enlisted, and my father plus both my grandfathers are veterans.

[methodwriter85]

It is really difficult to overstate the number of people that have gone into uniform in the last decade. Yes, it's only 1% of the US population, probably closer to .5%, but nearly all of those people come from the same age group. If you're my age, you have to try pretty hard to avoid having at least one acquaintance that's serving or has served. Personally, two of my siblings and nearly all my friends from high school enlisted, and my father plus both my grandfathers are veterans.

 

You found us, Blue! Glad to have you here.

 

I agree with you on the military thing....I don't think Darius, Will, and JJ are going to have a TON of friends in the military, but they will have a few.

 

And right now I'm going with Darius gets rejected from Berkeley, waitlisted at UCLA, accepted by UC Irvine, and accepted by UC Davis. That way, Darius could run into the girls of MTV's Sorority Life.

Edited October 23, 2010 by methodwriter85

[Tommy_B]

Yeah, that was pretty much the weekend at UCSB. We weren't called the University of Casual Sex and Beer for nothing.

 

And Tommy, I did. I am not a star athlete or Steven Speilberg's kid. I did have high SAT scores, but they weren't off the chart high. It really was a different world ten years ago..

 

So I am not sure if you mean you got into Cal or UCLA or both with less than a 3.5 and you aren't Spielberg's kid...... I guess I know more about Cal since that is where Tim and a lot of his family and friends went and I think it has been very tough to get into for a long time. UCLA I just know is pretty tough now, but I know some guys who backdoor it by going to SaMo City College and get into UCLA automatically if they follow the transfer procedures and classes.

 

If Darius goes to UCI he better be into Asian guys since UCI stands for University of Chinese Immigrants... about 65% last I heard...

[methodwriter85]

Darius is a straight character. He'd be going for the Asian chicks, not guys. He's the party kid graduating from Malibu High School in 2000 with the 3.1.

 

Will's the gay character I'm talking about who graduates from Malibu High School in 2005. He'll be a surfer kid AND an academic, which could be interesting. I'm sure he'll have a 4.0 or close to it. We're not really debating colleges yet for him, because the year is currently very late 1999 in Mark Arbour's Chronicles of An Adademic Predator saga. I kinda like the idea of him going to Virginia Tech or Duke University, though.

[Matthew k]

Darius is a straight character. He'd be going for the Asian chicks, not guys. He's the party kid graduating from Malibu High School in 2000 with the 3.1.

 

Will's the gay character I'm talking about who graduates from Malibu High School in 2005. He'll be a surfer kid AND an academic, which could be interesting. I'm sure he'll have a 4.0 or close to it. We're not really debating colleges yet for him, because the year is currently very late 1999 in Mark Arbour's Chronicles of An Adademic Predator saga. I kinda like the idea of him going to Virginia Tech or Duke University, though.

 

I would think it highly unlikely for a Malibu High student to go to college in the south absent some family connection. The Malibu kids who go back east tend to go to the northeast to the Ivy League or the liberal arts colleges or the Catholic universities. If he is a committed surfer he is REALLY unlikely to go back east, Cal Poly SLO to UC San Diego (I mean that whole geographic swath that takes in those schools plus USC, UCLA, UCI, Pepperdine, LMU, Harvey Mudd, Cal Tech, etc.) would probably be the schools on his radar unless he was a solid Harvard, Yale, Princeton type and had enough foresight to know you don't skip Harvard for San Luis Obispo just 'cuz the break is rad. Edited October 24, 2010 by Matthew k

[B1ue]

When methodwriter said Will was a surfer, he probably should have capitalized it. He is at 13 evaluated to be near professional level by a couple people who know what they're talking about. So surfing, if he kept progressing in skill, wouldn't be a hobby as much as a part-time career by the time he gets into college, and so worthy of consideration in line with the academics of his school. There's always grad school for prestige, after all.

 

And Caltech bears thinking on, though I'm not sure how he'd feel about Pasadena.

 

Edit: to answer completely Tommy, it was Cal. UCLA did reject me, but as it was my last choice school I was not exactly put out by it. I also got into Davis and of course UCSB, and of course several out of state schools. Actually, I somewhat regret not going to Loyola, though Katrina would have placed a slight damper on my senior year anyways. I did not go to Cal ultimately because I took one look at the reccomended schedule they gave me along with the rest of the information about the program I'd been accepted into, and asked my science teacher (who'd been the one pushing me and pushing for me), "This looks great and all, but when will I have time to pee?"

[methodwriter85]

When methodwriter said Will was a surfer, he probably should have capitalized it. He is at 13 evaluated to be near professional level by a couple people who know what they're talking about. So surfing, if he kept progressing in skill, wouldn't be a hobby as much as a part-time career by the time he gets into college, and so worthy of consideration in line with the academics of his school. There's always grad school for prestige, after all.

 

I guess you've got a point. I kinda wanted Will to run into either the Duke Lacrosse boys or eye-witness the Virginia Tech massacre, though. I do think Will is likely to end up some kind of engineer(I think he's got that logical, engineer-type mind), and it'd be nice if he did indeed go Ivy League for at least grad school. It'd be weird if out of all the kids in Generation 4, Matt is the only one who is Ivy-League caliber.

 

Out of the three brothers, JJ seems the most likely to head out to the East Coast for college. I've checked ,and the best figure skating programs are either in Colorado or the East Coast. I'd like for Mark to send JJ to my alma mater, University of Delaware, which does have a top-notch figure skating program.

 

We're so getting way ahead of ourselves, though. Will and JJ are only in the seventh grade. LOL.

Edited October 24, 2010 by methodwriter85

[Tommy_B]

I guess you've got a point. I kinda wanted Will to run into either the Duke Lacrosse boys or eye-witness the Virginia Tech massacre, though. I do think Will is likely to end up some kind of engineer(I think he's got that logical, engineer-type mind), and it'd be nice if he did indeed go Ivy League for at least grad school. It'd be weird if out of all the kids in Generation 4, Matt is the only one who is Ivy-League caliber.

 

Out of the three brothers, JJ seems the most likely to head out to the East Coast for college. I've checked ,and the best figure skating programs are either in Colorado or the East Coast. I'd like for Mark to send JJ to my alma mater, University of Delaware, which does have a top-notch figure skating program.

 

We're so getting way ahead of ourselves, though. Will and JJ are only in the seventh grade. LOL.

 

If JJ is a figure skater he can stay in So Cal and train. Evan Lysacek and Mirai Nagasu both train here and Michelle Kwan did too.

 

Adam Rippon is stinking cute!

 

[methodwriter85]

If JJ is a figure skater he can stay in So Cal and train. Evan Lysacek and Mirai Nagasu both train here and Michelle Kwan did too.

Right, but El Segundo isn't actually a college program. JJ's actually going to train at El Segundo, but eh...I was trying to think of ways for Mark to get the characters OUT of California- make it a little-less West Coast-based. University of Delaware has a top-ranked figure skating program, and so do some schools out in Colorado and the East Coast. I think JJ would go for a college that had a top-ranked figure skating club, and that would suggest going out to either Colorado or the East Coast.

 

I think at least one of their kids should go East to school or something. It would make the family less West-Coast and Mid-west based and a little more Continental. Out of all of the current kids in the CAP saga, JJ seems the least Californian-like. Like he's not really into surfing or anything like that. I could picture him on the East Coast the most. It does feel like Mark is giving the CAP-saga, mostly based in Ohio and California, some East Coast ties. You guys have done a good job of showing why Darius and Will might not leave California, but I think it's at least plausible that the second kid, JJ, would actually have an incentive to live on the East Coast.

Edited October 24, 2010 by methodwriter85

[option]

When methodwriter said Will was a surfer, he probably should have capitalized it. He is at 13 evaluated to be near professional level by a couple people who know what they're talking about. So surfing, if he kept progressing in skill, wouldn't be a hobby as much as a part-time career by the time he gets into college, and so worthy of consideration in line with the academics of his school. There's always grad school for prestige, after all.

 

 

if the character turned pro, they wouldnt go straight to uni after high-school, theyd be picking up sponsors & going on the tour

[Mark Arbour]

Right, but El Segundo isn't actually a college program. JJ's actually going to train at El Segundo, but eh...I was trying to think of ways for Mark to get the characters OUT of California- make it a little-less West Coast-based. University of Delaware has a top-ranked figure skating program, and so do some schools out in Colorado and the East Coast. I think JJ would go for a college that had a top-ranked figure skating club, and that would suggest going out to either Colorado or the East Coast.

 

I think at least one of their kids should go East to school or something. It would make the family less West-Coast and Mid-west based and a little more Continental. Out of all of the current kids in the CAP saga, JJ seems the least Californian-like. Like he's not really into surfing or anything like that. I could picture him on the East Coast the most. It does feel like Mark is giving the CAP-saga, mostly based in Ohio and California, some East Coast ties. You guys have done a good job of showing why Darius and Will might not leave California, but I think it's at least plausible that the second kid, JJ, would actually have an incentive to live on the East Coast.

 

Mark likes California. He lives in the miserable Mid-West now. Why would he want to condemn a nice young man to the hell of Missouri, or Delaware?

[methodwriter85]

Mark likes California. He lives in the miserable Mid-West now. Why would he want to condemn a nice young man to the hell of Missouri, or Delaware?

 

Hey, it's not so bad. The East Coast is pretty cool. You could always send him to Duke University or something.

[Mark Arbour]

Hey, it's not so bad. The East Coast is pretty cool. You could always send him to Duke University or something.

 

Yeah, so some chick could do a powerpoint show and talk about how big his dick is?

[methodwriter85]

Yeah, so some chick could do a powerpoint show and talk about how big his dick is?

 

And so he could snort coke off a strippers ass at some lacrosse party in the spring of '06 while the guys keep muttering stuff about American Psycho.

 

Duke IS a fine school, though. And it's in North Carolina, so you'd still have access to the beach, although I don't think that'd be as big of a deal for JJ. Will would like Duke, too, and he could have some fun with those upstanding Duke lacrosse boys as well.

Edited October 25, 2010 by methodwriter85

[B1ue]

I think at least one of their kids should go East to school or something. It would make the family less West-Coast and Mid-west based and a little more Continental. Out of all of the current kids in the CAP saga, JJ seems the least Californian-like. Like he's not really into surfing or anything like that. I could picture him on the East Coast the most. It does feel like Mark is giving the CAP-saga, mostly based in Ohio and California, some East Coast ties. You guys have done a good job of showing why Darius and Will might not leave California, but I think it's at least plausible that the second kid, JJ, would actually have an incentive to live on the East Coast.

 

You do keep pushing this, but there's more to being in California than surfing. Will and Brad may disagree with that assesment, but we really do have it well here. And, ironically, not being properly Californian is a very strong Californian trait, probably the defining trait in fact. I will partially agree with you that JJ would more likely go out of state for school. He just had a terrible time of it in school, and may see going elsewhere a chance at a fresh start out from his brother's shadows.

 

But...won't his homeschooling make going to university at all pretty difficult? Especially if he's homeschooled all through High School?