@Chico Escuela posted: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.
Just as an example, my kid had heard a lot from his peers about how great Elon was but had no idea about Tufts or Middlebury . . . or Amherst or Swarthmore or . . . .
(Not knocking Elon, it's very popular among Atlanta suburbanites who can't get into UGA, but it is not Amherst.)