<p>^Yes, very true. However, some people are blinded by egos. I too am myself a little, I can’t help it. But I admire those have none. To some it matters very much to impress the common folk. A sense of misguided superiority perhaps. But its a valid sense of accomplishment to belong to a part of an established group.</p>
<p>I simply listed universities that have that “ego boosting” factor. People among these forums in CC seem very interested in these:
Revised list:</p>
<p>Ranked in what I see as “prestige” order</p>
<p>Harvard
Yale
Stanford
MIT
Princeton
Caltech / Columbia
UPenn / Duke / UChicago
Dartmouth / Brown
Cornell / Johns Hopkins / Northwestern
(Before you start jumping on me, I must make a note that the “prestige” factor is not always too different among these universities. I’m sure your ego will be satisfied if you tell anyone that you’ll be going to these universities. Also, the academic caliber is none too different among these universities. Yes, gasp* I believe Harvard ain’t too different from Cornell in academics. Shoot me.)</p>
<p>Among public schools, there are </p>
<p>Berkeley
UVA
UMichigan</p>
<p>Those who are mind-bogglingly ambitious stick with the term
“HYPSM” to even further boost their egos to the extreme. I condemn such people.</p>