<p>I'm going to be a freshman this fall and I've heard a lot of discussion about WashU's name recognition. I'm from the East Coast (right between Duke and UNC, actually) and excluding school personnel/other seniors, I've met literally three people who have heard of WashU (my boss-music director at a local radio station, a co-worker who went to Vandy, and a friend's mom who went to Vandy).</p>
<p>I didn't want to base my decision off the brand name and tried to pick the best fit (chose Washu over Duke, Cornell, Northwestern because I LOVE the school) but I plan to go into a career that combines politics and journalism, and I'm wondering if not having the East Coast/Ivy Brand name will hurt me when trying to find a job. </p>
<p>Has anybody felt restricted by this in trying to get a job or get internships? I know people in the midwest know WashU, but if I want to work in DC or NYC will I have a hard time getting my foot in the door? Can internships and work ethic make up for it?</p>
<p>And, just out of curiosity, is WashU's name becoming more recognizable?</p>
<p>I don't mean to be one of those kids who chooses a smaller name school and then complains about it. I'm just trying to get a feel for what it's actually like and how it could affect my options after I graduate, especially if I CAN make up for it in experience during school.</p>
<p>It’ll always be an issue among the general public. When I got into wash u, it was in top 10 USNWR and was still unheard of by many. Years later most people in my area (so cal) still haven’t heard of it.</p>
<p>I do believe that you won’t have any issues at well known places to work at. But I also don’t think the degree would mean much relative to an ivy league degree at a smaller operation on the coasts where HR managers may be unfamiliar with the school.</p>
<p>Any company people have heard of will certainly have hiring managers familiar with Wash U.</p>
<p>So a local TV station, for instance, may well be unfamiliar with it, while someplace like a CNN or NYT will be? Will those local firms also tend to have fewer applicants? I just remember my Duke interview telling me that Duke got him the job interview and his skills got him the job. I’m just wondering if they would look at WashU and not consider me because they think it’s some satellite campus of UDubs or some school they’ve never heard of or something…</p>
<p>Your first line pretty much sums it up. It’s kind of a coin flip with the Wash U name.</p>
<p>You made a great decision. I am a relatively recent grad of WashU and I can tell you that, as my Aunt told me when I matriculated, “anybody who needs to know about WashU knows.” For perspective, I’m now at an Ivy League law school and everyone knows and respects WashU. My career center even told me that adding “in St. Louis” to the end of the name on a resume was entirely unnecessary because the school is well known for producing exceptionally qualified students. Will you be able to wow someone standing line at the local supermarket? Maybe, maybe not. But I guarantee anyone in journalism or politics will know that you went to a top-notch institution. Great job choosing a great school - enjoy it and good luck!</p>
<p>
While yes, it is well known, it should be noted that the “in St. Louis” is officially the school’s name. It’s not something that students add just because they can.</p>
<p>IMO, it should be included, even if the location was only added in 1976. It seems a bit disingenuous to exclude it, especially when the name is so similar to both UDub & GWU. </p>
<p>Edit: I’m trying to think of a similar comparison, where changing the school’s official name can cause confusion but I’m having difficulty. I think the closest I can think of is Columbia. Sure, a lot of people hearing that may immediately think of the ivy. But Calling it Columbia University it distinguishes itself from Columbia College, an art school in Chicago (and other locations).
Same thing with Penn - UPenn vs Penn State.</p>
<p>The school is still officially chartered as “The Washington University.” In St. Louis was added on official materials and marketing materials in 1976, but the official name of the school has not changed. I see your point about confusion, and I am only saying that in the business world (this includes medicine, engineering, law, academia, etc.) there is absolutely no confusion.</p>
<p>EmilyRS, something else you should consider is graduate school. Wash U doesn’t have a journalism program, so you may end up going to grad school for that, for example. In many fields, graduate school names often mean far more than undergrad school names, so if you were to go to, say, Northwestern or Columbia, you would have no issues.</p>
<p>Even so, I agree with CollegetoLaw and his/her aunt that Wash U is sufficiently notable in the circles that matter.</p>
<p>Within the Midwest WashU is pretty well known by the educated individuals. People a bit older tend to be more familiar with it than the younger crowd. Nonetheless, it is a great school with a great reputation. I’ve never heard anyone familiar with it say that it provides less than an excellent education.</p>
<p>There was also an episode of the The Office where they made a shoutout to WashU. That happened I believe a year ago so hopefully the general public will be more familiar with it now.</p>