<p>If you go to Asia, everyone (including the general public) knows the school. In the US, the general population tends to be considerably less educated about colleges. Which is fine… what really bothers me is when purportedly educated people like college counselors don’t know what it is. Considering Chicago’s contribution to academics, there simply isn’t an excuse. However arrogant it might seem though, college counselors aren’t a particularly elite or educated group of people whose opinions have consequences for your upward social mobility. That role lies in your employers, who are well educated about the prestige of the University. Just the other day at an interview for my top-choice job, one of my interviewers made a verbal note that I was on a “very elite track” with my study of mathematics at UChicago. In fact, the most pressing issue within that interview was that I was perhaps on such an elite track that I would soon quit my job at said company after being hired and go on to a more prestigious position. Make note that this was a job completely unrelated to academia and economics, and even in that sphere, Chicago makes its presence known.</p>
<p>It is true that Chicago will probably gain prestige in the next decade. This is the inevitable result of a considerably lower admissions rate, an expanding College, and a higher spot on the rankings list. However, I won’t pretend that it will reach Harvard any time soon.</p>