What do people consider the most prestigious college in the Midwest?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Washington University

I went to Washington University.

It's a great school, but I don't think it's nearly as well known to the general public as Notre Dame.

From the perspective of people who are into school prestige rankings, I don't think it has as much raw academic prestige as the University of Chicago. Maybe it's comparable to Northwestern.

Nobody knows what Wash U is. I only know now because I am in the throws of college applications with my DS and that one of his friends is going there. When the dad told me he was going to Wash U, I wasn't sure what that meant...a school in DC? Then he added, "in St. Louis." I went back and did some research, and yes it is a very good school. But it's sad that he had the specify the location to differentiate the school from the many schools in the DC area (or perhaps in the Northwest). My son isn't interested in Wash U for a number of reasons...but he sure is very excited to be an applicant at ND. No that's a school with some name recognition -- no explanation needed!!

OP asked what is considered prestigious in the midwest

Wash U is considered almost on par with ivies in the midwest and definitely one of if not the most prestigious school in the midwest to people in the midwest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Washington University

I went to Washington University.

It's a great school, but I don't think it's nearly as well known to the general public as Notre Dame.

From the perspective of people who are into school prestige rankings, I don't think it has as much raw academic prestige as the University of Chicago. Maybe it's comparable to Northwestern.

But to people in the midwest, it is Notre Dame and Wash U as the most prestigious schools. Wash U for academics and Notre Dame for overall experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Washington University

I went to Washington University.

It's a great school, but I don't think it's nearly as well known to the general public as Notre Dame.

From the perspective of people who are into school prestige rankings, I don't think it has as much raw academic prestige as the University of Chicago. Maybe it's comparable to Northwestern.

But to people in the midwest, it is Notre Dame and Wash U as the most prestigious schools. Wash U for academics and Notre Dame for overall experience.

Midwesterner here. I disagree totally. I’d say Notre Dame and Northwestern.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Washington University

I went to Washington University.

It's a great school, but I don't think it's nearly as well known to the general public as Notre Dame.

From the perspective of people who are into school prestige rankings, I don't think it has as much raw academic prestige as the University of Chicago. Maybe it's comparable to Northwestern.

But to people in the midwest, it is Notre Dame and Wash U as the most prestigious schools. Wash U for academics and Notre Dame for overall experience.

Midwesterner here. I disagree totally. I’d say Notre Dame and Northwestern.

Different Midwesterner here. My list in order of prestige would be:

1) Chicago
2) Northwestern
3) Michigan
4) Washington University
5) University of Illinois
6) Notre Dame
7) Oberlin College
8) Carleton College
9) Grinnell College
10) Macalester College

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Washington University

I went to Washington University.

It's a great school, but I don't think it's nearly as well known to the general public as Notre Dame.

From the perspective of people who are into school prestige rankings, I don't think it has as much raw academic prestige as the University of Chicago. Maybe it's comparable to Northwestern.

But to people in the midwest, it is Notre Dame and Wash U as the most prestigious schools. Wash U for academics and Notre Dame for overall experience.

Midwesterner here. I disagree totally. I’d say Notre Dame and Northwestern.

Another Midwesterner here.

I would say Wash U, U Chicago, Northwestern, and Michigan.

[Anonymous]

Another Midwesterner here. I’d say Northwestern, Notre Dame, Chicago, WashU and maybe Michigan. Grinnell, Mac, Carleton, and Oberlin are good but much niche.

When I was in high school (affluent suburb of Chicago - Glenbrook North - graduated in 1988) Washington University really wasn’t mentioned alongside Northwestern/ND/etc. But it’s definitely gotten really good since then. And UChicago was a place for really quirky, weird kids. Like, you didn’t apply there if you were remotely conventional. Seems like it still has pockets of that vibe today but also attracts far more of your typical UMC Ivy League gunner types.

Northwestern and Notre Dame were very strong then and still are.

[Anonymous]

Much more niche* ^^

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Another Midwesterner here. I’d say Northwestern, Notre Dame, Chicago, WashU and maybe Michigan. Grinnell, Mac, Carleton, and Oberlin are good but much niche.

When I was in high school (affluent suburb of Chicago - Glenbrook North - graduated in 1988) Washington University really wasn’t mentioned alongside Northwestern/ND/etc. But it’s definitely gotten really good since then. And UChicago was a place for really quirky, weird kids. Like, you didn’t apply there if you were remotely conventional. Seems like it still has pockets of that vibe today but also attracts far more of your typical UMC Ivy League gunner types.

Northwestern and Notre Dame were very strong then and still are.

I agree.

Grinnell, oberlin etc are not considered prestigious by people in the midwest.

[Anonymous]

Rich Catholics: ND
Rich Jews: Northwestern

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Rich Catholics: ND
Rich Jews: Northwestern

With Michigan and Wisconsin as backups.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another Midwesterner here. I’d say Northwestern, Notre Dame, Chicago, WashU and maybe Michigan. Grinnell, Mac, Carleton, and Oberlin are good but much niche.

When I was in high school (affluent suburb of Chicago - Glenbrook North - graduated in 1988) Washington University really wasn’t mentioned alongside Northwestern/ND/etc. But it’s definitely gotten really good since then. And UChicago was a place for really quirky, weird kids. Like, you didn’t apply there if you were remotely conventional. Seems like it still has pockets of that vibe today but also attracts far more of your typical UMC Ivy League gunner types.

Northwestern and Notre Dame were very strong then and still are.

I agree.

Grinnell, oberlin etc are not considered prestigious by people in the midwest.

You can't compare SLACs with national universities. They are different schools. Outside their immediate area, the general population has no idea what Williams, Pomona, Swarthmore, Amherst, Vassar, Oberlin are... They may know what the Kardashians had for breakfast, lunch, dinner all last week; they may know Harvard and Yale; they may know Prince William and Prince Harry, but they wouldn't know Williams, Vassar...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another Midwesterner here. I’d say Northwestern, Notre Dame, Chicago, WashU and maybe Michigan. Grinnell, Mac, Carleton, and Oberlin are good but much niche.

When I was in high school (affluent suburb of Chicago - Glenbrook North - graduated in 1988) Washington University really wasn’t mentioned alongside Northwestern/ND/etc. But it’s definitely gotten really good since then. And UChicago was a place for really quirky, weird kids. Like, you didn’t apply there if you were remotely conventional. Seems like it still has pockets of that vibe today but also attracts far more of your typical UMC Ivy League gunner types.

Northwestern and Notre Dame were very strong then and still are.

I agree.

Grinnell, oberlin etc are not considered prestigious by people in the midwest.

You can't compare SLACs with national universities. They are different schools. Outside their immediate area, the general population has no idea what Williams, Pomona, Swarthmore, Amherst, Vassar, Oberlin are... They may know what the Kardashians had for breakfast, lunch, dinner all last week; they may know Harvard and Yale; they may know Prince William and Prince Harry, but they wouldn't know Williams, Vassar...

So wrong. Any person of reasonable intelligence knows which are the best universities and the best slacs. Geography has nothing to do with it. Certainly, your child may prefer a university feel to a SLAC feel but Yale Law admissions knows exactly what these schools are and are not. Superb SLACs are an excellent way into grad school. Public universities are. Ivy universities are. The important thing is to find the right fit at the right price and get in - which is getting increasingly more difficult. And then your child needs to work as hard as possible to build up the record they need for grad school. Everyone in the campus counseling community knows that Carleton (SLAC) and U of Chicago are at the top of the heap and grade hard (as does Princeton). The others you cite aren't even in the midwest so I don't know what you are yammering away about - except that you worked William and Harry in there (?) so you must be young. Notre Dame is a prize only for Catholics. Northwestern is not at the top of the heap. Washington is not a SLAC

[Anonymous]

People from the midwest do not view Carleton as a top university.

They just do not.

[Anonymous]

1:37 has no clue about what is viewed as a top school by midwesterners.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People from the midwest do not view Carleton as a top university.

They just do not.

Carleton is not a university. Do you even know the difference between a college and a university?