Top universities with "perceived" prestige.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think most of us here are "in the know"

Harvard, Stanford, and Yale have global name recognition. Beyond that, the lay prestige varies considerably by region in the US and country abroad.

Lay prestige is a contradiction in terms.

"Prestige" means where do the parents of kids at Dalton and Harvard-Westlake and Groton want their kids to go. It's not Duke and Cornell, and it's not Chicago or JHU. To be honest, it's not MIT or Caltech....

We have two kids at elite east coast boarding schools, and you don’t seem to understand where these kids want to go. MIT and Duke are highly desirable, and very difficult to get into. Georgetown, Cornell, and Chicago are not the first choice for most, but they’re known to accept a lot of kids from the two schools so they’re good options that are attainable for many. JHU and Caltech are seen as more niche, with low overall interest in Caltech.

+1 most posters here don’t understand the elite boarding school mentality, and most of the true elite boarding schools are in NY and MA

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think most of us here are "in the know"

Harvard, Stanford, and Yale have global name recognition. Beyond that, the lay prestige varies considerably by region in the US and country abroad.

Honestly Yale isn’t really global the way Harvard and Stanford are. Internationally Yale and Columbia probably hold the same weight

Yes, many people overseas have never heard of Yale but definitley know Harvard, actually the only US school with branding overseas.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think most of us here are "in the know"

Harvard, Stanford, and Yale have global name recognition. Beyond that, the lay prestige varies considerably by region in the US and country abroad.

Lay prestige is a contradiction in terms.

"Prestige" means where do the parents of kids at Dalton and Harvard-Westlake and Groton want their kids to go. It's not Duke and Cornell, and it's not Chicago or JHU. To be honest, it's not MIT or Caltech....

We have two kids at elite east coast boarding schools, and you don’t seem to understand where these kids want to go. MIT and Duke are highly desirable, and very difficult to get into. Georgetown, Cornell, and Chicago are not the first choice for most, but they’re known to accept a lot of kids from the two schools so they’re good options that are attainable for many. JHU and Caltech are seen as more niche, with low overall interest in Caltech.

I have a kid at one of the schools I named. Duke is not "highly desirable," and MIT, while very difficult to get into indeed, is far less coveted than Harvard or Stanford, which cater to very hooked kids. Brown and Penn are often the next choice for those shut out of the HYPS. etc.

[Anonymous]

You just need to think about which schools are talked about in famous movies or series.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You just need to think about which schools are talked about in famous movies or series.

Middleburry & Northeastern.

[Anonymous]

Agree with Northeastern

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think most of us here are "in the know"

Harvard, Stanford, and Yale have global name recognition. Beyond that, the lay prestige varies considerably by region in the US and country abroad.

Lay prestige is a contradiction in terms.

"Prestige" means where do the parents of kids at Dalton and Harvard-Westlake and Groton want their kids to go. It's not Duke and Cornell, and it's not Chicago or JHU. To be honest, it's not MIT or Caltech....

We have two kids at elite east coast boarding schools, and you don’t seem to understand where these kids want to go. MIT and Duke are highly desirable, and very difficult to get into. Georgetown, Cornell, and Chicago are not the first choice for most, but they’re known to accept a lot of kids from the two schools so they’re good options that are attainable for many. JHU and Caltech are seen as more niche, with low overall interest in Caltech.

+1 HPS are of highest interest across the board, with strong interest in MIT for the serious STEM kids, and Yale for the serious humanities kids. Then after that you have Columbia, Duke, Penn, and Brown with high interest

[Anonymous]

Northeastern has gamed the system to become more "prestigious." It was a nothing back when parents of current college students were going to college. It appeals to those who are obsessed with US News Rankings.

It is a perfectly fine school now - don't get me wrong. I wouldn't be shocked if my less academic younger child ends up there, though I would probably save my money and send them to a public. But it is outpunching its weight. Not sure if I would want my kids to go to school with all the kids of US News obsessed tiger moms. I prefer IYKYK types who know how to act like they've been there before.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think most of us here are "in the know"

Harvard, Stanford, and Yale have global name recognition. Beyond that, the lay prestige varies considerably by region in the US and country abroad.

Lay prestige is a contradiction in terms.

"Prestige" means where do the parents of kids at Dalton and Harvard-Westlake and Groton want their kids to go. It's not Duke and Cornell, and it's not Chicago or JHU. To be honest, it's not MIT or Caltech....

We have two kids at elite east coast boarding schools, and you don’t seem to understand where these kids want to go. MIT and Duke are highly desirable, and very difficult to get into. Georgetown, Cornell, and Chicago are not the first choice for most, but they’re known to accept a lot of kids from the two schools so they’re good options that are attainable for many. JHU and Caltech are seen as more niche, with low overall interest in Caltech.

+1 most posters here don’t understand the elite boarding school mentality, and most of the true elite boarding schools are in NY and MA

Sounds like a wonderful atmosphere. Special kids im sure. Parents sound wonderful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think most of us here are "in the know"

Harvard, Stanford, and Yale have global name recognition. Beyond that, the lay prestige varies considerably by region in the US and country abroad.

Lay prestige is a contradiction in terms.

"Prestige" means where do the parents of kids at Dalton and Harvard-Westlake and Groton want their kids to go. It's not Duke and Cornell, and it's not Chicago or JHU. To be honest, it's not MIT or Caltech....

We have two kids at elite east coast boarding schools, and you don’t seem to understand where these kids want to go. MIT and Duke are highly desirable, and very difficult to get into. Georgetown, Cornell, and Chicago are not the first choice for most, but they’re known to accept a lot of kids from the two schools so they’re good options that are attainable for many. JHU and Caltech are seen as more niche, with low overall interest in Caltech.

+1 most posters here don’t understand the elite boarding school mentality, and most of the true elite boarding schools are in NY and MA

Sounds like a wonderful atmosphere. Special kids im sure. Parents sound wonderful.

😀

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think most of us here are "in the know"

Harvard, Stanford, and Yale have global name recognition. Beyond that, the lay prestige varies considerably by region in the US and country abroad.

Lay prestige is a contradiction in terms.

"Prestige" means where do the parents of kids at Dalton and Harvard-Westlake and Groton want their kids to go. It's not Duke and Cornell, and it's not Chicago or JHU. To be honest, it's not MIT or Caltech....

We have two kids at elite east coast boarding schools, and you don’t seem to understand where these kids want to go. MIT and Duke are highly desirable, and very difficult to get into. Georgetown, Cornell, and Chicago are not the first choice for most, but they’re known to accept a lot of kids from the two schools so they’re good options that are attainable for many. JHU and Caltech are seen as more niche, with low overall interest in Caltech.

I have a kid at one of the schools I named. Duke is not "highly desirable," and MIT, while very difficult to get into indeed, is far less coveted than Harvard or Stanford, which cater to very hooked kids. Brown and Penn are often the next choice for those shut out of the HYPS. etc.

I think anecdotes like this are very useful for students and families who are about to go through the college application process. There are a handful of private schools - mostly in NYC - that have very close relationships with Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, and Yale. A suburban valedictorian has no chance at HYPS when they are competing against students from Dalton, Collegiate, Riverdale, and a handful of other schools in NYC. Then add first gen and athletes and that's pretty much it for HYPS. Those four schools increasingly operate as a country club for the children of mostly Wall Street types, plus a little charity (first gen), and some entertainment on the side (athletes). I think everyone has to ask first, why bother applying, and second, do you really want to spend four years in that kind of environment? It can be very isolating for students who don't come from one of the dozen or so private schools that regularly send students to HYPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think two discussions are being had here, schools with lay prestige and schools that people “in the know” respect, both still focusing on academics.

Lay prestige:

1. Harvard
2. Stanford
3. MIT
4. Yale
5. Princeton
6. Duke
7. Caltech
8. Columbia
9. Penn
10. Berkeley

“In the know”:

1. Harvard
2. MIT
3. Stanford
4. Princeton
5. Caltech
6. Yale
7. Columbia
8. Penn
9. Duke
10. UChicago

From the elite boarding school perspective:

1. Harvard
2. Stanford
3. MIT
4. Princeton
5. Yale
6. Columbia (although dropping)
7. Caltech
8. Penn
9. Duke
10. Brown

[Anonymous]

https://d2e3a5v56wj8r4.cloudfront.net/files/SchoolProfile2023-2024.pdf

Over past 3 years, Duke has only received 5-9 students at Andover.

See Groton as well. https://www.groton.org/matriculations

Every single ivy, chicago, MIT, Stanford has done better. Duke is not as desirable despite what many duke alums here want you to think.

[Anonymous]

Same stories at Sidwell:

https://www.sidwell.edu/academics/college-counseling/college-matriculation

Choate too:

https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1698243303/choate/i3v8yxnp4pdstl9n8noo/School-Profile-23-24.pdf

Every single ivy is outplacing Duke often by multiples.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think most of us here are "in the know"

Harvard, Stanford, and Yale have global name recognition. Beyond that, the lay prestige varies considerably by region in the US and country abroad.

Lay prestige is a contradiction in terms.

"Prestige" means where do the parents of kids at Dalton and Harvard-Westlake and Groton want their kids to go. It's not Duke and Cornell, and it's not Chicago or JHU. To be honest, it's not MIT or Caltech....

We have two kids at elite east coast boarding schools, and you don’t seem to understand where these kids want to go. MIT and Duke are highly desirable, and very difficult to get into. Georgetown, Cornell, and Chicago are not the first choice for most, but they’re known to accept a lot of kids from the two schools so they’re good options that are attainable for many. JHU and Caltech are seen as more niche, with low overall interest in Caltech.

I am curious how the kids at your kids' boarding schools view Dartmouth, Columbia, Brown and Northwestern. Do they fall into the highly desirable bucket or the more attainable bucket?