Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
There is no doubt you have to be a smart to get into Case Western. How selective a university is as well as the price tag people are willing to pay gives people that shock-and-awe prestigious label. If the alumni kick butt, that will also help their prestige. Just look at the college endowment to see of the alumni are doing. Case Western has deep pockets so they are doing something right.
Harvard has a 6% acceptance rate. Yet Cornell has a 16% acceptance rate. So Harvard is more prestigious.
But acceptance rates IMHO help make the "prestigious" camp more than any other variable. After all, more people want them than they are willing to let in. Stare at this list Top 100 - Lowest Acceptance Rates | Rankings | US News to see the lowest acceptance rate colleges.
Most of these schools raise some eyebrows (especially the top 50). Nearly all of them are prestigious and they are very well known by your next door neighbor. The Service Academies don't have tuition and small tradition endowments (they have something called "Association of Graduates" non-profits which have deep pockets). My DS is at one of these listed Service Academies. Eyebrows raise all of the time when people ask where he goes to college. At the same token, I bet over 50% of the people don't realize that West Point or the Navel Academy is a college let alone USAFA.
I have never heard of is Cooper Union and it is in the top 25. I probably should have.....
If say comparing the average freshman profile is the most accurate way.
What's prestigious in the East will not be prestigious in a place like Southern California. Where Ivy League does not turn heads. However Katiana's husband's degree from Cal Tech?
What's prestigious in the East will not be prestigious in a place like Southern California. Where Ivy League does not turn heads. However Katiana's husband's degree from Cal Tech?
Oh, yes indeedy.
Harvard, Yale, and Princeton turn heads anywhere. The less-well known Ivies (Cornell, Brown, etc.), not so much out West, although they're known.
Stanford, Cal Tech, and Berkeley turn heads anywhere. Although some people do confuse Cal Poly with Cal Tech on the east coast.
I grew up out West. Some of the super highly selective schools out east, where I now live? I literally had never heard of them. University of Richmond, in the city I live in now, is spectacular, highly selective, and competes for students with University of Virginia, Wake Forest, William and Mary, etc. But when I first heard of it, I thought it was a state college.
Harvard, Yale, and Princeton turn heads anywhere. The less-well known Ivies (Cornell, Brown, etc.), not so much out West, although they're known.
Stanford, Cal Tech, and Berkeley turn heads anywhere. Although some people do confuse Cal Poly with Cal Tech on the east coast.
I grew up out West. Some of the super highly selective schools out east, where I now live? I literally had never heard of them. University of Richmond, in the city I live in now, is spectacular, highly selective, and competes for students with University of Virginia, Wake Forest, William and Mary, etc. But when I first heard of it, I thought it was a state college.
I'm very familiar with all three of these schools but I think if you asked the average (and non-academic) person on the street in Pennsylvania, most would be familiar with Stanford. Some would be familiar with Berkeley because they associate it with the hippies and flower children of the 60s. Most would not have heard of Cal Tech or think it is another name for UCLA.
Another example is Washington University in St. Louis. Washington University's undergraduate program is ranked 14th in the nation and 7th in admissions selectivity by U.S. News and World Report. The university is ranked 30th in the world by the Academic Ranking of World Universities. But again, if you asked the average non-academic on the street in Pennsylvania, most would think you were referring to the University of Washington in Seattle. This goes back to my theory that a school playing D-1 football or basketball is much more likely to be considered prestigious than a school that is not D-1. MIT and possibly Carnegie Mellon are the only non D-1 schools that I think really have a national reputation among average people.
I'm very familiar with all three of these schools but I think if you asked the average (and non-academic) person on the street in Pennsylvania, most would be familiar with Stanford. Some would be familiar with Berkeley because they associate it with the hippies and flower children of the 60s. Most would not have heard of Cal Tech or think it is another name for UCLA.
Another example is Washington University in St. Louis. Washington University's undergraduate program is ranked 14th in the nation and 7th in admissions selectivity by U.S. News and World Report. The university is ranked 30th in the world by the Academic Ranking of World Universities. But again, if you asked the average non-academic on the street in Pennsylvania, most would think you were referring to the University of Washington in Seattle. This goes back to my theory that a school playing D-1 football or basketball is much more likely to be considered prestigious than a school that is not D-1. MIT and possibly Carnegie Mellon are the only non D-1 schools that I think really have a national reputation among average people.
Very true. But (I'd hope) families/students don't spend $200K on tuition to gain respect from anyone other than the people that might be interested in hiring them. Shallow people tend to buy BMW's to impress the average folk.
I'm very familiar with all three of these schools but I think if you asked the average (and non-academic) person on the street in Pennsylvania, most would be familiar with Stanford. Some would be familiar with Berkeley because they associate it with the hippies and flower children of the 60s. Most would not have heard of Cal Tech or think it is another name for UCLA.
Among educated people in the East Coast, Berkeley has a very high reputation. If you mention you went there, you will be lauded. There's not that many Berkeley grads out on the right coast.
In contrast, in CA, Berkeley has a much lower reputation in my experience. It's such a big school that almost everybody knows somebody who went there who is a Average Joe, washout, or doofus. And employers may get 30 applicants from Berkeley for the same position. Little kids think highly of it. That's what I remember.
It's still good, but nowhere near what it is on the East Coast. FME...
A response you may get in Maplewood, NJ, "Wow. You went to Berkeley? That's a really good school."
A response you may get in Milpitas, CA, "Oh. My cousin went to Berkeley. He's in jail right now."
Among educated people in the East Coast, Berkeley has a very high reputation. If you mention you went there, you will be lauded. There's not that many Berkeley grads out on the right coast.
In contrast, in CA, Berkeley has a much lower reputation in my experience. It's such a big school that almost everybody knows somebody who went there who is a Average Joe, washout, or doofus. And employers may get 30 applicants from Berkeley for the same position. Little kids think highly of it. That's what I remember.
It's still good, but nowhere near what it is on the East Coast. FME...
A response you may get in Maplewood, NJ, "Wow. You went to Berkeley? That's a really good school."
A response you may get in Milpitas, CA, "Oh. My cousin went to Berkeley. He's in jail right now."
I would agree if by educated, you mean people with a Ph.D or maybe even a master's degree. If you're talking people with a bachelor's degree or less, I think Princeton, Columbia, Penn or even Penn State would have much more familiarity and reputation in New Jersey.
I think it's typically Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Stanford and despite my previous story LOL, MIT are the ones that travel well nationwide. Then, like was said, it's schools with big sports teams like Duke, Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, etc. Then it's whatever is popular in that region.
The rest depends on the circles you run in, the industry you work for, etc.
But the ones held in high esteem in academic circles as well as the wealthier classes do indeed open doors whether they have widespread name recognition or not.
Harvard, Yale, and Princeton turn heads anywhere. The less-well known Ivies (Cornell, Brown, etc.), not so much out West, although they're known.
Stanford, Cal Tech, and Berkeley turn heads anywhere. Although some people do confuse Cal Poly with Cal Tech on the east coast.
I understand the human desire to feel special, but this sort of trait (the need to have people 'turning heads' at your school of choice) highlights the problem with Ivy school grads - They are self-absorbed exclusivists.
I would agree if by educated, you mean people with a Ph.D or maybe even a master's degree. If you're talking people with a bachelor's degree or less, I think Princeton, Columbia, Penn or even Penn State would have much more familiarity and reputation in New Jersey.
Yes, familiarity is not high. It's because Cal sucks at sports. Sometimes people will ask and I'll say UC Berkeley or Cal and it'll just draw a blank stare. If I just say Berkeley, they think of a local for profit business college around here. Usually, I just say University of California and they'll just say, "Oh. OK."
If somebody cares/knows, then they'll ask which one.
Penn State's reputation in NJ is pretty much as an equal to Rutgers.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
