<p>its not a huge deal for me. it is a bit but i was just trying to make a point.</p>
<p>
[quote]
honestly, in terms of prestige, its foolish to think any comes even close to Harvard. not even close. Obviously, academically wise , its more close and some may argue schools such as Princeton and Stanford are on par with it. However, based solely on prestige globally Harvard kills everything! Random people halfway around the world who are homeless have heard of Harvard and not anything else. You may feel im exaggerating but thats what i think.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>So, if a homeless guy halfway around the world has heard of Britney Spears, is she now the epitomy of prestige? </p>
<p>Harvard is popular and famous. I, personally, don't have a very high regard for it after knowing graduates and studying there and certainly wouldn't assume a graduate is simply brilliant just for going there. I've known too many, and was really disappointed in both the facilities (really old) and the teaching.</p>
<p>Actually, if you think about it, Mashrur has the right idea. Harvard has the most prestige in the world- it's pretty self evident. No one's name recognition can match Harvard's, and the school is most recognized for academic excellence. </p>
<p>I disagree with the assertion that other names aren't even close, but the fact remains that they aren't as powerful as Harvard's name. </p>
<p>applejack - Your personal experience there has no bearing on whether or not other people around the world recognize the name.</p>
<p>People around the world recognize McDonald's, Starbucks, the University of Miami, Oklahoma State, and General Motors?</p>
<p>What does prestige have to do with being popular? </p>
<p>Oh, that's right. Nothing. </p>
<p>Most people obsessed with prestigious things would take great pride in the rabble not knowing anything about their lofty tastes.</p>
<p>In fact, many of the world's leading CEOs of fortune 500 companies have military leadership experience.</p>
<p>I personally feel that West Point, Annapolis stands on its heels alone when it comes to classifying prestige. Its not apples to apples, its incomparable to compare Annapolis or West Point to Harvard.</p>
<p>Harvard ppl would say in their own right that West Point is equally prestigious and well regarded in its own rights. Its as if any foreign dignitary doesn't know of the world's foremost military academy officier training school...but to that effect, West point and Annapolis are very very good schools.</p>
<p>Yeah, but they recognize those things for their product. Harvard's not recognized for producing the best athletes or the funniest comedians (save Conan O'brien), they're known for their academic excellence, and isn't that what we've been talking about the whole time in terms of prestige.</p>
<p>I agree with a lot of the points on here and you still have to give credit where it's due to Harvard and the other schools that quickly come to mind when you think of college reputations. At the end of the day, I still think prestige in undergrad depends on where you're at geographically and who you're talking to and what they value. There are all kinds of ways to evaluate prestige whether it be academic, social, business, athletic, etc.</p>
<p>I agree with applejack. Harvard may have name recognition and ‘prestige’. However, for any college, name recognition and prestige do not necessarily equate with academic excellence. Academic excellence has to do with an institution’s quality of teaching, availability of good mentoring and advising, accessibility and availability of professors, whether or not education is a top priority of the institution, etc.</p>
<p>Some things to think about: What is the quality of the education? Do the faculty value teaching? Are faculty rewarded for teaching quality or mainly for their research? Are students taught mostly by TAs? Do graduate students have first priority, or does a true commitment to undergraduates exist?</p>
<p>from The Boston Globe:</p>
<p>"Student life at Harvard lags peer schools, poll finds"</p>
<p>By Marcella Bombardieri, Boston Globe Staff</p>
<p>“Student satisfaction at Harvard College ranks near the bottom of a group of 31 elite private colleges, according to an analysis of survey results that finds that Harvard students are disenchanted with the faculty and social life on campus. . . . . The 21-page memo, from staff researchers at Harvard to academic deans, documents student dissatisfaction with faculty availability, quality of instruction, quality of advising, and student life factors such as sense of community and social life on campus.” </p>
<p>The article also notes that
[quote]
. . . students can go through four years on campus with limited contact with professors. They often take large lecture classes, divided into sections headed by graduate student ''teaching fellows." Small classes are frequently taught by temporary instructors instead of regular, tenure-track professors. And in many cases, advisers are not professors, either, but graduate students, administrators, or full-time advisers.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>What is important to you as you consider where you will apply for undergraduate education? Will you just look at name recognition/ prestige, or will you consider carefully academic excellence and true educational quality?</p>
<p>Levels of "wow":</p>
<p>Harvard, MIT, Caltech</p>
<p>Yale, Princeton</p>
<p>Stanford, Columbia, Dartmouth, Chicago</p>
<p>Penn, Brown, Northwestern, Duke, Cornell, Hopkins</p>
<p>Georgetown, Berkeley, Michigan, Rice</p>
<p>I think Caltech is a double wow considering there is only 800 undergrads/300 million Americans.</p>
<p>Triple wow. I've only see five Caltech alumnis (on TV) and know of one matriculating Caltech person in my life (he is pretty damn smart).</p>
<p>I wouldn't really say caltech has that wow factor, considering I bet most HS students and college grads have never even heard of it.
Wow factor
HPSM
Caltech (for those who know it), Penn, Duke (kind of undecided on this one), Columbia
Dartmouth, Brown
Cornell, Hopkins, Wash U, Northwestern, Chicago
Georgetown, Berkeley, Michigan, Emory, Rice, Vanderbilt</p>
<p>"Wow" Factor
H, Y, M
P, S
Cornell, Hopkins, Northwestern, Chicago, Dartmouth, Brown, Penn, Columbia, Caltech
Georgetown, Berkeley, Michigan, Emory, Rice, Vanderbilt, Wash U
ITT Tech, University of Phoenix, Duke</p>
<p>Noobcake, your so humble. </p>
<p>Wow Factor</p>
<p>A.1 - Princeton, Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Yale
A.2 - Columbia, Penn, Duke
A.3 - Cornell, Hopkins, Northwestern, Chicago, Dartmouth, Brown, Caltech
A.4 - Georgetown, Berkeley, Michigan, Emory, Rice, Vanderbilt, Wash U</p>
<p>In academic circles:</p>
<ol>
<li>HYPMS,Chicago, Columbia, Dartmouth,Caltech, Berkeley</li>
<li>Duke, Hopkins,NW, Brown, Cornell, Gtown, Mich, Emory, Rice ,Wash U</li>
<li>Vanderbilt, etc.</li>
</ol>
<p>Outside of people who need to know and CC people, I wouldn't say Penn, Dartmouth, etc. really have much of a wow factor. Many people don't even know about Dartmouth (the people who need to know do), and lots of people confuse Penn with Penn State. I also agree with Bescraze (for once :) ) that Caltech doen't have much of a wow factor, because most people don't know what it is.</p>
<p>This topic and similar topics have been beaten to death on CC, but I still would like to see how you guys incorporate other universities in the world into your American "wow" factor tiers.</p>
<p>Beefs, in Academic circles, you just have to look at the PA. That is a pretty clear and accurate indication of reputation in Academic circles.</p>
<p>Also, what universities (anywhere in the world) would you say are very good, but have almost no recognition or "wow" factor among average joes. I want to hear of places less well known than Caltech and Chicago (which people all-to-often say lack proper recognition).</p>
<p>^^ Caltech, Chicago, WUStL, Tufts, UNC-CH, Vanderbilt, Emory...</p>
<p>I think that all of those schools carry some weight in their region...with UNC and Vanderbilt being nationally recognized because of their major sports programs. Tufts borders on anonymity...but think even more obscure. For example, most Americans couldn't tell you anything about McGill, but it's a pretty darn good university.</p>