<p>“I wonder if anyone thinks by going to U of C, you are at least partially sacrificing a degree for a better education, because that seems to be suggested here by some people. That, or I’m reading things wrong. I think there is probably some truth to that statement however.”</p>
<p>One friend told me that. He ended up choosing Penn even though he seemed to like Chicago better. It’s hard to knock the Ivy League.</p>
<p>Here’s the thing: name recognition is important, I don’t care what you guys say. I’m going to this school not because I don’t care about name recognition, but because everything else outweighs that. That said, I still get miffed when people insinuate that having a caring about having strong brand name is counter to the University’s goals. </p>
<p>There’s no doubt in my mind that Chicago will give you probably the best education in the US. But it doesn’t mean that schools people like to bash (Harvard, primarily) are insufficient. Sometimes people act like all Ivy League schools languid hellholes of ignorance, cruel professors, and cut throat future investment bankers. </p>
<p>Why do so many people keep bashing Harvard? Someone said that they know people who respect a Harvard degree less than Chicago degree…nice anecdote, but it’s still extremely rare. Probably 5 standard deviations if you ask me. </p>
<p>Fact of the matter is that reputation is important. College lasts four years. Your degree stays with you the rest of your life. If you’re a Harvard alum, Chicago alum, Michigan alum…you are and will be for the rest of your life. Some people like to know that they have a good label on this. It draws more respect, and whether you care or not about other people’s opinions, it’s always good to have their respect.</p>
<p>So I personally applaud Zimmer and his goals to move Chicago into a bigger position nationally.</p>