<p>as many people have already noted, while uchicago doesn’t have the instant, universal name recognition associated with, for instance, harvard, people in academia and business (i.e. those who it eventually becomes important to impress with your academic credentials) are very aware of it. at the high school level, though i get the sense that very few of my classmates have heard of uchicago, i have received many congratulations from, among others, the guidance counselors (who were surprisingly impressed and excited…apparently it’s been awhile since someone from my school’s attended/been accepted), my english teacher, who went a bit berserk and rattled off some statistic about nobel laureates to the class, and my physics teacher. </p>
<p>i have also heard multiple times from multiple sources that name recognition and prestige for uchicago is actually much stronger internationally than it frequently is domestically. first nuclear chain reaction, economics, etc. this seems a bit strange, honestly, but i’m not completely surprised, and it may be some solace to you. </p>
<p>on the other hand, uchicago is a fantastic school, regardless of whether your friends and family have heard of it, which is what really matters.</p>