When does an up & coming university finally become “elite”?

Pizzagirl
Wed, 26 Aug 2015 21:44:03 +0000

“I don’t think too many MWers have not heard of Brown, Cornell or Dartmouth, but maybe they are not at the top of their “elite” school list, where as maybe UIUC is.”

That answer (“do they know Brown, Cornell or Dartmouth?”) differs DRAMATICALLY if you’re living in Kenilworth or Winnetka or the Gold Coast (where the answer is - yes, of course!), versus if you live in, oh, let’s say Berwyn or the (non-Hyde Park / Kenwood) South Side of Chicago, versus if you live in a downscale rural area / farming community.

I might rephrase - I think perceptions are fueled both by socioeconomic status and regionality. My high school in Missouri had a higher sophistication level / more national aspirations than my kids’ high school in suburban Chicago. But my high school in Missouri was actually a more uniformly affluent population than my kids’ high school which is a mix of middle and upper middle.