<p>And these Wharton's graduates who went to Wall Street royally screwed up the economy.</p>
<p>"And these Wharton's graduates who went to Wall Street royally screwed up the economy."</p>
<p>Whether accurate or not, a lot of people nowadays obviously feel that way. Which perhaps may relate somewhat to the topic of this thread.</p>
<p>
[quote]
The posters on this site who think that people who don't know about Penn are unsophisticated are living in a bubble. There are a lot of perfectly intelligent people out there who don't know a whole lot about colleges.
[/quote]
People who have never heard of UPenn may not be dumb but they're definitely not sophisticated.</p>
<p>"And these Wharton's graduates who went to Wall Street royally screwed up the economy."</p>
<p>Well, it's not like those responsible came just from Wharton, or Penn, but they came from elite schools from all over the country.</p>
<p>I'm sure a lot came from Duke too. I have been told by many here that Duke is one of the best schools to go to if you want to head to Wall Street.</p>
<p>Luckie,
Re your comment about sophistication, if you asked about U Penn of someone who is a regular reader of the NYT and lives in or close to the Northeast, then you might have a point. But there is something to be said for familiarity and what the local media do to inform of distant colleges. For example, do you think most folks in the Northeast that you would consider "sophisticated" would know much about Rice? Or would've known much about Vanderbilt until about 5-10 years ago? Or how about smaller colleges like Pomona or Harvey Mudd or Carleton? Etc. Etc. There are plenty of good schools around the country and if someone in Florida or Texas or Phoenix or Denver doesn’t' know much about U Penn, I wouldn't automatically jump to the conclusion that they are unsophisticated.</p>
<p>Absolutely, I would look down on anyone in the U.S. (ESPECIALLY someone in the Northeast) who had never heard of Rice, Vanderbilt, Pomona, Harvey Mudd, Carleton, etc. Seriously, it means they are not sophisticated.</p>
<p>Never heard of Pomona, Harvey Mudd or Carleton till my oldest starting looking at colleges a few years ago. Guess my top 20 university and Ivy league law school done taught me nothing!! (although I grew up in PA so I have always known the difference between Penn and Penn State).</p>
<p>^^ Well, you know them now so I'll count you as sophisticated.</p>
<p>Look, I'm not saying people who haven't heard of these schools are complete morons. But let's face it, there are TWO KINDS OF PEOPLE IN THIS WORLD:</p>
<p>People who know UPenn and those who think it's Penn State. </p>
<p>This may sound snobbish but it's the truth.</p>
<p>Well, you're half right. It's definitely snobbish.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Absolutely, I would look down on anyone in the U.S. (ESPECIALLY someone in the Northeast) who had never heard of Rice, Vanderbilt, Pomona, Harvey Mudd, Carleton, etc.
[/quote]
please there is a difference between knowing Penn, an elite ivy league institution and Carleton a small good LAC. I would expect people to know Rice and Vanderbilt, but honestly if you don't know the ivies, HYPSM and a few others for their excellence then you are unsophisticated in my book.</p>
<p>penn doesn't have a prestige issue. i'll admit that it could use a more distinctive name, but it has decent prestige because
1) it's in the ivy league
2) wharton
3) it was ranked 4 in USnews a few years ago. currently 6 (i think)
4) it's as old as princeton. it has been around for a while.</p>
<p>hawkette
[quote]
I don't think U Penn has a prestige problem, at least not with the current generation. IMO, the name issue is a minor matter.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Your are reading too much into the question. The OP is not questioning the well known quality of UPenn. The "prestige" problem, is actually more of a "recognition" problem or "confusion" problem, and it does exist, even in the current generation. It has to do ONLY with its rather common name, just like University of Chicago's perceived "prestige" problem because it is mistaken as part of the University of Illinois system.</p>
<p>The common person continues to have that issue. Most professionals do not.</p>
<p>Just be glad it is not something like WashU...where the Board of Trustees actually changed the name to reflect location as a private university located in Missouri and to make apparent that it not a part of the University of Washington state system. Not to bash WashU or anything. Just another example of naming issues with universities.</p>
<p>Maybe Penn should change their name to "The Benjamin Franklin University in Philadelphia" (BFUP) or something of that nature. UChicago should become "The only school that matters" or whatever. :-P That will get some ppl's attention lol.</p>
<p>^ Well, Columbia's official name is "Columbia University in the City of New York," so I guess "Washington University in St. Louis" is in good company. Just in case you were going to confuse Columbia with any of the other Columbias out there, of which there are several. I guess that would be "CUCNY" if they were to follow the WUSTL model.</p>
<p>I think Penn should change its official name to "The University of Pennsylvania--No Not Penn State, the Ivy League School in Philadelphia" (UPNNPSILSP). That would clear up any confusion.</p>
<p>^ Of course, the odd thing about Washington University in St. Louis is that it's not actually IN St. Louis. It's in a suburb. So in the interest of accuracy it should be Washington University in Suburban St. Louis (WUSSTL).</p>
<p>Clayton University.</p>
<p>I've always felt they should have taken Joseph Wharton's donation in the late 19th century as an opportunity to rename the school to Wharton University. Then we'd just have Wharton Med, Wharton Law, Wharton College, Wharton Business School, etc.....</p>
<p>They should rename it The Donald Trump University of Pennsylvania... then everyone will know it.</p>
<p>i think Penn's "prestige problem" is more of a blessing than a curse. obviously employers are aware of Penn and its reputation. however, the average person will probably assume you went to a decent state school, which is not a bad thing. you weren't going to win many points with the elitist stigma that comes with an ivy league degree in the eyes of most people.</p>