<p>
People who like to impress others by dropping the name of their school are naturally attracted to the schools with the biggest names. In general, this means the Ivies, other well-known private universities, and flagship state universities. </p>
<p>This is not to imply that everyone at such schools is stuck-up. They obviously aren’t. However, those people who do happen to be stuck-up are attracted to big-name schools like moths to a flame. </p>
<p>Liberal arts colleges, even the top-rated ones, rank much lower in terms of general name recognition, and are less attractive to name-droppers for that reason. </p>
<p>In general, schools with well-developed Greek systems (or other selective student social clubs) attract the stuck-up, as they provide additional opportunities for social climbing and snobbery (again, this does not mean that all members of such organizations are stuck-up or snobs). Schools where selective clubs are banned or deemphasized, and where everyone has more or less the same social opportunities, have less appeal.</p>