<p>Question says it all.</p>
<p>Here in Boston, people don't even know what state ND is in. Tufts is considered very good... there's Harvard, MIT, and then Tufts for the rest of us mortals.</p>
<p>Actually, while we're at it, I might as well throw some other schools into the mix. Where does regional bias place schools like Hopkins, Georgetown, Berkeley, USC, UNC, Cornell, Northwestern, and Chicago, in addition to Tufts?</p>
<p>in response to your first post: living in the midwest, basically Northwestern and ND have the high profile reputation as being "dream schools"</p>
<p>as for tufts, i did not hear about it until i started the college search process...</p>
<p>don't know how big reputation is for employers, but definitely for the average midwesterner, a mention of Tufts would warrant a "huh?" in stark contrast to a mentioning of ND</p>
<p>I would disagree about ND being "unknown." Considering the incredibly strong Irish population in Boston, people might not know where ND is, but they certainly know what it is. I'm from New York, but my roommate who is from Boston confirms the similarity in dynamic.</p>
<p>Well sure, a lot of people know the fighting irish; I never claimed that notre dame was "unknown". I said people don't know where it is. This is true.</p>
<p>right y7bbb6, it sounded like you were saying that since no one knew where it was it must be unknown... however, i'm pretty sure ND is pretty well-known just about everywhere</p>
<p>i know that's not the case... nd alumni are all over the world and i'm sure they're definitely in a big city like boston</p>
<p>I grew up in northeastern Massachusetts and had never heard of Northwestern until my (now) husband decided to attend grad school there. Now I live in a small midwest town and my daughter has been accepted to Berkeley; when people ask where she's going to college next year and I say, "probably Berkeley," they say something like, "Oh. Where's that?" Honestly, I had never heard of it until a cousin married someone who went there.</p>
<p>I do think regional biases matter quite a bit. If you're planning on staying put upon graduation, it makes sense to go to a school in your area--you're more of a "known commodity" to prospective employers. If you're open to moving around it's probably less important to stay local when choosing a school and a school's notoriety may be more of a factor. </p>
<p>It's been my experience that every commonality between oneself and the employer helps. If they've hired a lot of people from Notre Dame and been happy with them as employees, being a ND grad will give one a leg up. Being a Tufts grad who grew up in the South Bend area, given full qualification for the job, can also help if the person doing the hiring is an ND grad. If a midwest company with no particular concentration of grads from any particular schools is choosing between a Tufts grad and an ND grad of equal qualifications, the ND grad is likely to get the job. I imagine the same in reverse would be true in Boston.</p>
<p>When my husband was in grad school I worked for an executive recruiter in Chicago. There's no doubt that being an NU grad carried weight. UMich and ND too. And others in the midwest. But we certainly didn't discriminate against like schools because we researched the schools we were not familiar with.</p>
<p>Nope, I'm with y7bbb6 on this one. When I got in I was all excited and told my physics teacher that I got into the University of Notre Dame. He said congratulations, then asked where that was. I don't even think he knew what school I was talking about.</p>
<p>wow thanks for the posts, everyone.</p>
<p>let me try and get some more input on this tufts ND issue though... how about this: which is more prestigious?</p>
<p>okay, when put that way, i certainly think ND. to be honest, i didn't even know about Tufts until my friend decided he was going there.</p>
<p>ND has gained a reputation through football but is now known for almost everything.</p>
<p>I think ND is much more widely known than Tufts and has a great reputation no matter where you are.</p>
<p>Among certain circles Tufts is a well-known and respected university. However, Notre Dame has better name recognition among the general public because of its sports. And, amongst Catholics it is beloved. US News rates Notre Dame higher than Tufts. The reaction in Indiana and most of the midwest to the name Tufts would be "never heard of it" since they don't play in the NCAA basketball tournament and are not a BCS school.</p>
<p>We are on the west coast--there IS something about the ND name--especially among Catholics, and surprisingly....Mormons. People are coming out of the woodwork to help D. land a summer job--a couple of the people who are most helpful are BYU alums. They "get" the whole community thing of ND.</p>
<p>People all over the country do know the ND name, if for no other reason, for its storied football history. And when you're in a med school or job interview, any connection you can make with the interviewer benefits you. I don't think Tufts ignites that same spark outside of the East coast, but if you like Tufts better, you should go there. Name recognition will contribute little to your college experience.</p>
<p>My high school physics teacher wrote my recommendation to Notre Dame. He knew where it was because he is a Domer. I think he convinced four people from that class to go to ND. Pretty good recruiting considering that Californians don't like to leave.</p>
<p>I'm sure people in Boston 'love' Notre Dame. Remember Jack Nicholson is wearing an ND shirt when he is killed in The Departed.</p>
<p>I'm from wisconsin and half the people I talk to don't know what state it's in. I get Ohio, Massachusetts, and even Maine lol</p>
<p>Well Boston is weird...I wouldn't base my decision on what people in New England think about colleges. To them, Harvard and MIT are commuter schools because they are on the red line.</p>
<p>Notre Dame was mentioned last night on Desperate Housewives. The comment" just cause you mow the lawn wearing a Notre Dame sweatshirt doesn't mean you Catholic" seems to sum it up, most people associate ND with being Catholic and have heard of it. As far as not knowing what state it is in, I don't think that is indicative of not knowing the reputaion of the school. I wonder what % of the general public knows what state Brown or Yale are in, but I am sure they have heard of the schools and their reputation. I was at a Michigan Admitted Student's Open House 2 weeks ago and a mom from the east coast asked what the Big Ten was, so I guess there is a fair bit of regional ignorance. I wouldn't let that influence your decision. They are both good schools, find which fits you best.</p>
<p>Agree with above posters that just because someone doesn't know what state ND is in does not mean they don't know the reputation of ND. Lots of people don't know where Indiana is, what goes on in Indiana or what time it is here. That has nothing to do with ND...it just means no one cares about Indiana! (sign...I'm a Hoosier) Agree with above, most people in the midwest don't know what state Yale or Brown are in.</p>
<p>We were in New England and Florida/deep south last summer. S was wearing ND shirts. It was amazing how many people struck up conversations with him regarding ND. The school appears very well known across the country.</p>
<p>Agree very much with posters who said ND is beloved by Catholics. I have been very surprised by the amount of attention he has garnered from my husband's relatives and other Catholic friends. Those same people were not the least bit impressed he was admitted to several other top schools.</p>
<p>As far as regional reputation and the weight accorded to known colleges in close proximity, he received this comment multiple times between Dec. and April: "Well, I guess you could always go to Yale if you don't get into ND..." (he had been admitted EA)</p>
<p>What's their lit say? "No place else like Notre Dame." Growing up as a midwesterner, I had never heard of Tufts until my then fiance's sis decided to attend there (from NYC). </p>
<p>"Tufts" if I owned a furniture store and wanted to cater to 20 somethings, that's what I'd call it.</p>
<p>I wore my ND shirt on the U of Oregon campus and some guy said something favorable--ironic because I was heading into the bookstore to get a Duck sweatshirt (my alma mater). </p>
<p>The only reason I wear the ND hoodie is that it is the warmest hoodie in my rotation, but now I have the duck shirt I'm happy.</p>