<p>Yes, we all know never to completely trust the U.S. News rankings. But, seriously, name recognition is still kinda important. Let's say that for someone who wants to do something science related, is it better to go to a school with a bigger name like Harvard or Yale, or to go to a school that's science and technology oriented like MIT (which in my opinion has a big name too...).</p>
<p>MIT is not far enough down to see a significant decrease in name recognition. MIT is just as good of a school as Harvard or Yale, and some departments are even better. A friend of mine just chose MIT over Harvard and Yale. </p>
<p>In general, overall name recognition is not that important. If you intend to go to law school or medical school (and I assume it is similar for other professional schools), undergrad name means little to nothing. If you want to do something else, it is best to look for the school with the best program for the specific field in which you are interested. Employers or grad schools in that field will know what schools produce strong graduates.</p>
<p>Correct me if I’m wrong, but is there a sense among employers (or the public in general) that people who come from technology schools like MIT or Caltech for that matter “only knows science”? I know that when applying to college, it’s good to have a broad range of interests. Is that also true for life after college? Do people view graduates from Harvard and Yale differently from graduates from MIT or Caltech simply because they had a liberal arts education?</p>