@LuckyCat posted:What would you consider an "insigificant" or "no reputation private?" I think there is a broad spectrum of private colleges in this country. Many in the middle have little name recognition outside their region but are giving their students good educations. There may be lots of reasons to send your kid to one of them if you can afford it that have nothing to do with snobbery.
RJM, you are crazy if you try to answer that one with specific examples.
I'd suggest that any given person hiring for any given job has schools in mind they think of as "good schools" and others they hold in less esteem. It's also true that some schools are highly regarded locally or regionally, but aren't well known in other places--which can lead to an HR person tossing a resume because it shows a diploma from a school s/he is not familiar with. When choosing a college, IMO it's smart to think about a school's reputation as one significant factor. But one factor among many. A school with a "good reputation" may not be a good fit for other reasons.
And "reputation" is a slippery and context-specific notion. My son expressed concern that several NESCAC schools were places he had never heard of, and neither had his friends. My wife and I explained to him that the opinions of 16- and 17-year-olds in Charlotte might not necessarily be indicative of how future employers regard, say, Middlebury or Tufts.