<p>I have extensive international connections both professionally and personally.</p>
<p>Regarding international reputation of US top schools, one of the reasons why schools like MIT and U Chicago consistently do better than the likes of Duke and even Stanford is because international opinion makers couldn’t care less about sports and other non-academic/research related extra curricula activities. In USNWR ranking, there is a plenty of room for things like sports to impact the ranking, NOT because USNWR has a sports ranking as an explicit scoring criterion, but because assessment from guidance counselors, general reputation, and what not do reflect the “name recognition factor” (it’s human nature. can’t avoid it).</p>
<p>On the other hand, international reputation is mostly built around academic reputation, international alumni network and their success, research activities, etc. Just my personal observation: on the international business/academic circle, U Chicago is considered to be more prestigious than Columbia. On par with MIT, just below Harvard. Above Columbia, UPenn. Lower Ivies and Duke are hardly ever mentioned. Caveat: my personal observation. Other people may have different observations.</p>