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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]It's fine if you want to live in the south. But outside of the south, it's not well-known.[/quote]

So what?  Most people don't know about small New England LACs outside of the Boston-DC corredor.  [/quote]

Not the PP, but the point is that Wake Forest might not be a good choice for students who don't want to stay in the south after graduation.  So, a kid from this area who isn't familiar with the south, but who's thinking, "well, I'll try living in the south for college and if I don't like it, I'll move elsewhere after graduation" might find it tough going to look for a job in other parts of the country.  A fair point, but maybe not determinative.  Keep in mind, school reputations rise and fall.  Not a lot of folks in this area had heard of Wash U 30 years ago, but it's a hot school now.

As far as your point about NE SLACs, I'd say it depends on the school -- Williams and Amherst definitely have national reputations; Middlebury, Bowdoin and Wesleyan somewhat less so, but they're certainly not unknown.  I'm a native Californian who went to one of these schools, so I speak with some experience on this point.

In general, though, when you consider a school's reputation or prestige, you need to define your terms -- do you mean bumper sticker cred? recognition by grad school admissions committees (if so, in which field)? value in searching for a first job (again, if so, in which field)? alum network?  For example: UMD computer science has a national reputation that far exceeds some other programs/departments.  So, CS grads have plenty of job offers and an advantage in grad school applications.  Additionally, they're building a strong alum network.  But the bumper sticker might not mean a lot to most folks in Mountain View or Austin . . . yet.  (For the record, I have no connection whatsoever to UMD, but my cousin recruits CS grads for Google.)            [/quote]

Not true. Early 2000s grad here. People know the school. I'm successful in my field and have attended grad school, including receiving prestigious scholarships. I have lived on both coasts and have never had a name recognition problem. People are aware of its educational reputation. Excellent education and incredible extra educational opportunities. Truly. Academically, I loved every minute. It was a lovely liberal arts education with small classes, dedicated professors who knew you well and rigorous standards. Student body leans old money, Greek and conservative. I am none of those. That was tough but I found my group and it was fine.  For our kids, I'd wait to see where we're living. Winston-Salem Salem is fine enough but I'd not want to fly and visit twice a year. [/quote]

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