<p>So, what makes a university/college prestigious? After all, there are plenty of universities/colleges that have outstanding programs and academic reputations but simultaneously lack the fame and prestige as some other places that might have an overall lower quality to them. </p>
<p>Maybe it's how old the university is? Oxford, Cambridge and Harvard are all extremely old and so have had the time to earn their reputations. But then again, The College of William and Mary and Rutgers are almost just as old (as Harvard, not Oxbridge) but not nearly as prestigious while Stanford is one of the America's youngest universities and is incredibly famous. </p>
<p>Maybe its the Ivy league title? But then again, I know plenty of people who've never heard of Dartmouth, Brown or Cornell. </p>
<p>Maybe its due to famous alumni? Yale certainly has been parasitically feeding off of the recent number of its grads that made it to the presidency. But then again, Eureka College has Ronald Reagan while W&M has media celebrities like Jon Stuart. But how many people honestly even know Eureka college exists? </p>
<p>Maybe it has to do with the size? This one seems slightly plausible, considering superb small LACs like Williams, Amherst, and Swarthmore, although highly ranked, are not incredibly famous. But then again, Ohio State University is the largest in the country but its not too prestigious. </p>
<p>So what is it that makes a place prestigious? What is it that some places absorb all the fame while others that are just as good get left in the dust?</p>