<p>Maybe it’s just wishful thinking from someone who is insecure about attending neither the #1 “ranked” (#3! My inferiority!) nor the #1 “perceived” (tied for 2nd! Oh the ignominy!) university in the nation / planet / galaxy, but is this not a bit of a ridiculous discussion?</p>
<p>If it gives you jollies to know that you can walk up to a vendor in Colombia and tell him that you went to Harvard and have him immediately believe that you are a demi-god amongst mere men, that’s great.</p>
<p>And if you want to prize your cherished #1 ranking for the best undergraduate experience in the nation, that’s great too. Princeton it is.</p>
<p>And if you want to look down on these accolades as meaningless praise from the hoi polloi or as based on arbitrary weighting systems, yet secretly seethe that your institution isn’t #1 in either category, then go to Yale.</p>
<p>I’m being glib, but seriously, folks. Once you get to the level of HYP, I think you can stop worrying about whether or not your employers are going to respect your degree! And I don’t think you have to worry about whether Princeton is going to be as respected as Harvard! Harvard may be perceived by most people to be the World’s Greatest University. But even if the average Colombian is in love with Harvard but has never heard of Princeton and can’t even pronounce “Yale” right, it really doesn’t matter. It is unlikely that that Colombian will be the one hiring you (though maybe it matters to you if you want everyone you meet to be impressed with where you went to school). It matters what that i-banking, Wall Street slick thinks about H or Y or P. And he will have heard about all three universities. And he will probably have attended one. And that is probably the best one to have on your resume.</p>
<p>Best,
DMW</p>