<p>Haven't checked this in a week or so, never thought I'd get so many responses...</p>
<p>To those who think I should stop whining, you're right.</p>
<p>To everyone who provided me with comforting words, you're right, too. I already knew all of those things...they still don't manage to improve things, since it somehow matters to me whether or not the guy in the elevator recognizes the name on my sweatshirt.</p>
<p>That said, it doesn't really matter all that much, and I'm happy with what I have. Middlebury was amazing when I visited. Definitely going.</p>
<p>Once you're a few years into your careeer, no one will know or care where you went to college. My sister has a very successful career. Very. Highly respected in her field. Years ago for college she went to North Adams State College. Ever heard of it? No. Does that detract from the happiness and success of her life? No. (actually she had a really good time at that college)
Get over yourself.</p>
<p>spikemom,</p>
<p>will do. thanks for the advice. i really appreciate it.</p>
<p>As a matter of fact, I have heard of North Adams State College.</p>
<p>It's a bit of an exageration, though, to say that "a few years into your career, no one will know or care where you went to college." Most people won't know, unless you make a point of telling them. Some will care a lot. Some will form an immediate impression of you, either good or bad, based on where you went to school. (Going to a famous school doesn't mean that their reactions will be uniformly good; see my post #37.) That may make them shallow, but we do have to deal with shallow people from time to time.</p>
<p>I grew up in a small town, far away from where I now live. On those rare occasions when I meet someone from the same town, or from a nearby small town (there are no big towns nearby) we each experience a visceral thrill. You have to be from a small town to experience that sort of thing; other people in the room who grew up in big cities are generally baffled when that sort of thing happens.</p>
<p>I would guess that graduates of smaller schools like Middlebury experience something similar when they meet each other later in life.</p>
<p>Dear OP,
Believe me, it's not just LACs people haven't heard of. In certain circles, people who have intelligent children who are in the process or have been in the process of searching for a college, people in academia, etc. THEY know the upper level schools, whether they be a top 25 or a top LAC. SO MANY others have not a clue.</p>
<p>Several examples:<br>
My nephew from the midwest (as we are) is going to Northwestern. SEVERAL people have already come up to my sister and said, "WHY is he going to Marysville - we thought he was smarter than THAT?!?!" There is a small, not even ranked, state type school in Marysville, MO - Northwest Missouri or some such name. They have NO idea.
Our daughter is going to Washington University in St. Louis. If we don't add the "in St. Louis", people around here (another midwestern state) think she is going to the StateU in the STATE of Washington!!! We've also had MANY people say, "OH MAN, I can't believe she gave up a full ride to
___________(StateU that has TWENTY-FIVE THOUSAND STUDENTS) to go to that Washington place!!!" They truly cannot fathom WHY she would do that!
ALSO, around "these parts", if you were to say you graduate from John Hopkins Medical School, the patient would say, "oh" in a worried sort of way. If you would say you graduated from StateU medical school, they would say "OH!!" in a very impressed tone of voice!!<br>
As my mother use to say, "You can't win for losing!!"
The schools you have listed are AMAZING schools. YOU know that, and in the end, that's all that matters!</p>
<p>Yesterday my friend and I were with a group of adults talking about colleges. I'm going to tufts. he's going to coast guard academy.</p>
<p>One of us got tremedous applause and congratulations, "wow that's so hard to get into"</p>
<p>the other got a "Oh...where is that?'</p>
<p>You can guess where I'm going with this. Nothing against coast guard, great school too.</p>
<p>I get the same response every single time, practically ad verbatim:</p>
<p>"Brandeis...now where is that again?...oh. You know it's cold there, right?"</p>
<p>Also, when I said I wanted to go to Reed, people were like, "You mean Reedley Community College?"</p>
<p>How come the JC has more recognition? It's not even one of the really good ones, as far as I know.</p>
<p>just to add something....when i was at University of Miami and said I wanted to transfer to Berkeley people had NO IDEA what I was talking about!!!</p>
<p>i will now sound a little like ahypocryotr , but bear with mE. I m going to johns Hopkins for pre-med ,but it was the last acceptance letter i got. Befor i got that letter i had benn narrowed it down to goergteon ,swarthmore,pomona, and cornel. Evyone told mE and is still telling me corenl , but i was leaning mostl towards pomona r swarthmore , why? Becaise of fit . I would get the most idiotic remarks when i told plp. that ; " did that school ..what didyou cal it pomona ,give you a free ride ", but i didn't cvAre. ollge is About fit, whEn i got int o Jons Hopkins that was th one i felt was the best fit for me , so that where i'm going. So go where you feel you fit best. Also plp. who mAtter know middlebury swarthmore and harvy mudd ect...If ghey weren't knwo they wouldn't be hArd to gEt in to.My best friend lAst yr. turned down YAle , the epitiamy of prestige , for middlebury , due to it being a bEttEr fit . So go where you feel you'do best And will be best for you ,, tell plp who say swA..who to go screw themslevEs</p>
<p>people at UMiami had never heard of Berkeley? thats pretty embarrassing</p>
<p>It is not possible for everyone to know all univerisities, so you should not sweat over it. You should attend a university you think is the best.</p>
<p>But mind when it comes to working you will have to go with other opinions and yours won't count.</p>
<p>So if you want to make a mark in the corporate world go to a more Universally recognize University that a smaller LAC.</p>
<p>^^I disagree. The overwhelming opinion of the thread and of the site in general is that people who need to know--grad school admissions and major employers--will know what X amazing LAC is. If you read through this thread, you will find that the only way to guarantee that people have heard of your school is if you go to HYPS--and even then, you are by no means guaranteed of a better reception and might be more likely to get a worse reception.</p>
<p>I don't think I'm wrong what I said that you should prefer a more known Bigger university than an excellent NE or LA college.</p>
<p>The LAC might be bettern known in NE or LA region but when it comes to global employment a top Universities (50 univerisites on the US News) might be a better choice than the 20 LAC on the US News.</p>
<p>Well, we'll have to agree to disagree, but large employers DO know and recruit from top LAC's. In addition, many LAC alums will more on to grad school, and there is no argument here--these schools are every bit as well-known and respected as any random top university, and if grad school is definitely in one's future you don't have to worry even for a second about any disadvantage coming from a top LAC--there won't be any.</p>
<p>BrownPlease, why did you post that you were rejected by Swat, then post that you're deciding between Swat and others?</p>
<p>I go to Amherst College, and I like that jaws don't drop when I tell people my school. That would embarrass me.</p>
<p>cause i was actually waitlisted...i never opened my teeny little envelope at the time since i assumed it was a reject...(i received a batch of rejects that day and was really discouraged)</p>
<p>my brother goes there, so they talked to my counselor and said as a legacy id get priority consideration on the waitlist and be accepted if a few spots opened up and if i said it was my first choice</p>
<p>i guess i sort of lied, but i just feel like going to swarthmore is a viable option based on that, so i said it</p>
<p>If people don't know Swarthmore, Haverford, Middlebury, Amherst, etc, they clearly are not familiar with the upper echelon of higher ed and their opinion need not be taken too seriously. Grad schools and major employers will know the merit of those schools, and you will have a wonderful education. Besides, you'll have amazing alumni groups to connect with for the rest of your life. </p>
<p>And jaws should drop when one mentions Amherst. Prestige is so in the eyes of the beholder.</p>
<p>
[quote]
The LAC might be bettern known in NE or LA region but when it comes to global employment a top Universities (50 univerisites on the US News) might be a better choice than the 20 LAC on the US News.
[/quote]
can you cite someone, or are you just pulling out crap? Employers who have never heard of or recognize the brilliance of Williams, Amherst, Middlebury are plain idiots</p>
<p>who cares? Work ethic/character is far more important to employers than if you went to a top LAC or top ivy league university...</p>
<p>good point.
would you rather work for someone who knows that a middlebury is actually a top school? or work for someone who has never heard of a middlebury but knows about an ohio state because they have good sports teams?</p>