<p>Georgetown is underrated because one of its four undergraduate schools is rated on a par with the programs at the top 5 universities and because it has an alumni group at the highest reaches of power in the world (six current Heads of state, the Secretaryof Defense, the NSC Advsor, six current members of the US Senate, one of six schools with a Supreme court alum etc. etc.) on a level competitive with the top 5.</p>
<p>hawkette, the media does play a significant role in perpetuating the power and allure of the Ivy League schools. Let’s not also forget that a significant percentage of the CC parents and students live on both coasts. Are they reflective of the American population as a whole? No. But it does show that they prefer schools that carry a lot of prestige in their regions. It is only within the last two decades that families have noticed there are excellent schools east of the Hudson River and south of the Mason-Dixon line. It is also easier for Californians to gain admittance into out-of-state universities since Stanford and the top-tier UCs cannot admit everyone.</p>