<p>I was just admitted to 'Gate for the class of 2017 absolutely love the school, but my one worry is that I intend to live on the wast coast(specifically California) after college and am worried that employers outside of New England will not recognize the Colgate name. Could anyone shed some light on how employers in the west view 'Gate?</p>
<p>Well - you’re probably right - most west coasters will think of toothpaste, not education, when you list Colgate on your resume. </p>
<p>There might be strong alumni networks in the larger cities you could connect with.</p>
<p>New York is not in New England BTW. :-)</p>
<p>I won’t speak for west coast USA employers as I am not one myself.</p>
<p>Just remember that you are going to a top flight LAC for what it offers and for what you can do there as you develop your intellect and distinguish yourself through your achievements and the relationships you engender.</p>
<p>You are not representing Colgate unless of course you join its admissions or advancement office in California. You are representing yourself. And it will be on that basis that you secure employment. Simple as that.</p>
<p>That said, if you believe that employers who review your credentials will not appreciate your portfolio on the basis that you were out of state for university or something like that, I would suggest you might as well look at other employers. Having lived and worked in several countries since my graduation, I would recommend that you keep your options fully flexible.</p>
<p>Best of luck with your choice of LAC- whatever that might be!</p>
<p>As a Colgate alum who lives in California, you are correct. But the same could be said of graduates of Amherst, Williams, Swarthmore, and Bowdoin, schools which would get quizzical looks from many people in California. Everyone in California knows USC, UCLA, and so on. But so what? If you’re choosing a college in order to “network” (and I think that’s a terrible reason to choose a college), your best choice is whatever the popular school is in your area. Here in Los Angeles, “everyone” who’s anyone is connected to USC. Is USC a school I’d attend? Probably not since it just does not appeal to me. </p>
<p>Among educated people, I’ve rarely had to explain what Colgate University is even here in California. Among most people, though, they’re not quite sure they’d heard of it. “Oh, do you mean Cornell?” “Uh, no, definitely not Cornell.” </p>
<p>But anyone who knows colleges pretty well is generally going to recognize the Colgate “brand” as a very good one just as they would Williams or Bowdoin or Amherst. Those that are looking for USC grads . . . well, that’s their problem, I guess.
I just wouldn’t worry about it even slightly. In a lot of ways, an east coast liberal arts college of a somewhat elite reputation – and there are at least 20 such schools – impresses people in California a lot more than more famous big state schools do. Maybe it’s the snob effect? Again, I wouldn’t worry about it. Get the best education you can. You go to college for that and for the college experience.</p>