<p>^^
Why does is matter? I doubt very seriously that an employer will have two candidates from WashU and Northwestern, and pick the Northwestern grad over the WashU grad b/c it’s more “prestigious”.
What matters so much more than “prestige” is what you do with you education. Once you get in the top 20 schools, individual prestige/rank doesn’t matter, because prestige is relative. I personally think WashU is a better school than NU b/c it has good academics and an active social scene, so it’s students get more adapted to interacting with people as opposed to sitting in their dorms. That’s my personal opinion. Someone else’s personal bias shouldnt be the determining factor in your life.</p>