I didn’t go to either Northwestern or U of C (call me Joel from Risky Business…“looks like University of Illinois!”), but my mother is a Northwestern alum, and I know plenty of folks who are grads of one or the other. I would definitely agree that I would put U of C above Northwestern in terms of academic reputation (sorry, mom!) Don’t get me wrong, Northwestern is a fine school, but U of C is REALLY prestigious, I think. Like an Ivy League or even better than some of them.
Of course, for some majors, I would definitely pick Northwestern, like for journalism, and if you are talking business schools, the two are pretty much on par, but overall, I think U of C is the best you can get in this part of the country.
My dad has barely ever had his off his finger for 45 years, but sometimes people know him for many months or even a couple years without finding out what that is.
Yeah, according to The Times Higher Educational Supplement, U of C is #11 in the world, although Northwestern isn’t too shabby, coming in at #42 (though behind several state schools).
Fascinating list. I’m feeling better now that I see that Illinois comes in at #77. Not TOO bad!
It’s interesting to me that Michigan is ranked higher than Northwestern. I would have expected NU to be the best in the Big 10, although I know Michigan is always ranked right up there with them.
It always depends on the list and the criteria, though. Who knows. For example, this list has U of C #14, Northwestern #16, and Mich #23 in terms of prestige.
Of course, you are right. I can’t take the list you linked to seriously, though, since they had Wisconsin ranked in the top 50. (Kidding, for all you Badgers out there! Kidding!)
I think the appropriate response to someone dropping the “H-Bomb” (or any school reference) is “wow…I bet your mom’s friends and your high school classmates are super impressed”
Do you really want your surgeon to have graduated in the 76th percentile?
Harvard of the Midwest: Washington University in St. Louis, plus the University of Kansas, the University of Michigan, Truman State University (which also refers to itself as the “Princeton of the Prairie”), Eastern Illinois University, Medical University of Ohio, and “dozens” more
Harvard of the North: McGill, McMaster, Queen’s, Toronto, Western Ontario, and sometimes Waterloo
It might be interesting to find the most prestigious school (by any list you care to consult) that has never been referred to, either by itself or by numerous alumni, as the Harvard of its geographical region or area of academic emphasis.
My Russian TA did his undergrad at Harvard, and the only thing he ever said about it was that it’s the most overrated school in the universe. sigh He was so cute, in that harried grad student way…
My general rule is competent people rely on their current achievements to demonstrate their worthiness. Anyone who relies on their school’s reputation does so because they have nothing else to offer.
