<p>
Ok, thanks. I was pretty sure I’d heard that, but I stand corrected. :)</p>
<p>Harvard. </p>
<p>I work in the least populated state in the nation at a place that gets visitors from all over the world. Virtually every American adult I’ve spoken to about where I go to school instantly recognizes the University of Oklahoma. If I claim I go to Emory, as I’ve done to test out its “Joe Schmo” reputation, very few non Georgians recognize it. </p>
<p>UPenn is an Ivy.</p>
<p>What about Jane Shmo? I don’t think we should limit ourselves to regular joes.</p>
<p>If I hear someone goes to “Florida” I just assume the U of Florida I barely have a clue that there are two other state universities in FL. (Well I do have a clue because of CC and one real life friend from Tallahassee, but I’d never heard of any of them when I was in high school.) </p>
<p>Florida has 12 public universities. Additionally, Florida has state colleges and community colleges throughout the state.</p>
<p><a href=“Universities - State University System of Florida”>http://www.flbog.edu/aboutsus/universities/</a></p>
<p>Dh ran off a bunch of the big football colleges starting with Notre Dame, his alma mater, his former state flagship when he was in high school, Harvard, Princeton, Yale and then had to stop and think. Then added Columbia, NYU , Duke, and the schools he recently visited with our son, before having to pause and think again. He still doesn’t get how the SUNY schools work though he did list the city of the one where our son went. Oddly he left out the schools where the other kids have gone and where he got his graduate degree. I"m sure he would get to them, but these are what came to mind first. </p>
<p>Where I come from, “Go Blue!” is instantly recognizable. On the other hand, I’m ashamed to admit this truth: as a freshman at U-M in the 70’s, I did not know that the University of Michigan and Michigan State University were different schools. I thought they were just different ways to say the same thing. I was enlightened come football time – not an intramural game.</p>
<p>(Even more embarrassing: I grew up within 45 mins of Ann Arbor, not an out-of-stater.)</p>
<p>Even though Florida is now probably America’s 3rd most populated state, Florida doesn’t have a top 25 ranked university which is a semi-sore subject with many in Florida. In the big picture, Florida is still a relatively young state which had its tremendous population growth in the decades after WW II. Schools like Harvard have been around for hundreds of years. Until 1960, UF, FSU, and FAMU were the only state universities open in Florida…9 public universities have been added since. The Florida universities most recognized by American Joe Shmoe are surely publics UF and FSU, and private Miami because of all the national championship titles their football teams have accumulated in recent decades. Florida colleges are still working on improving and gaining more recognition for academic excellence…Rome wasn’t built in a day.</p>
<p>So legally, there is no University of Nevada. You have University of Nevada, Reno and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Those who go to UNR commonly refer to themselves as Nevada as does some of the national sports media. UNLV is the more recognizable, but outside of sports or Hotel Management academics, it is unknown outside of the area.</p>
<p>Most states have a ‘University of <state name="">’ and a <state name=""> State University. There are a few notable exceptions. Interestingly, there is a Texas State U, but it is far down on the heirarchy of Texas colleges. Minnesota State University was a product of the TV show coach. Before that time, the non-flagship schools were either UM-<city or="" region="" name=""> or <city or="" region=""> State U.</city></city></state></state></p>
<p>I think MIT is as recognizable as Yale or Harvard, but fewer could tell you what it stands for or where it is. The premise mentioned earlier is quite valid. Most Americans know the school based on athletic prowess, not academics.</p>
<p>Oh, and Oklahoma is like Texas, Michigan and Florida in the sense that one need not mention ‘university’ to know you mean the Sooners.</p>
<p>Many do not realize that Cal and Berkeley are the same place.</p>
<p>Here’s a trivia question…name 4 major colleges in the US that do not have college or university in their name.</p>
<p>^^
I guess it depends how you define major.
MIT, CalTech, USMA (Wespoint), USNA (Annapolis), Julliard</p>
<p>If someone says the go to Florida, one should assume University of Florida. It’s the only university referred to as such. </p>
<p>If someone says they go to Florida State, don’t assume they attend FSU.</p>
<p><a href=“http://fscj.edu/”>http://fscj.edu/</a></p>
<p>It’s an understandable assumption. </p>
<p>Could be a wrong assumption though. :)</p>
<p>I would take a stab that most people everywhere would recognize the name berkley. This is obviously regional but which schools are recognizable everywhere? I like the joe schmo experiments!</p>
<p>^ I would disagree about Berkeley being known pretty much everywhere. Where I grew up people would be more likely to know Berklee (Music).</p>
<p>In Asia (at least in the Far East), everyone has heard of Berkeley.
BTW, it is really Cal and not Berkeley. :o)</p>
<p>“When you say Wisconsin, you’ve said it all” or something like that is one of those home football game cheers that came into being after my time. A takeoff on a beer commercial. My H had heard of UW in India.</p>
<p>Duke- you need to learn to spell Berkeley. I always was aware of it because it and Madison were known as the two most radical campuses in the Vietnam War era. btw- Kent State also had violence but not chronic protests as at the two big schools. </p>
<p>Of course in WI we never used “The” for Ohio State- would have made fun of it… Knew the Big Ten (when there were ten) schools, so of course knew of the two Michigan schools- and Iowa ones (one in one not in the Big Ten).</p>
<p>Everything is regional, dependent on one’s background. We had a classmate from LA in a WI medical school who claimed hockey wasn’t a major sport because it wasn’t in CA. Years later I wish I could have pointed out how hockey’s primo player was working in his hometown…</p>
<p>Name recognition can be from notoriety as well as academics or sports. Has nothing to do with anything.</p>
<p>I have spent time traveling in England. When people there find out that I’m from North Carolina, the university that they most frequently ask me about and say they would like to visit, is UNC-Wilmington. It apparently has a lot of name recognition in the UK.</p>