What is Marquette's national reputation/perception?

[WarriorDoc]

I just read on the UWM forums that, in summary, the only school who has their heads up their own asses more than Marquette is Notre Dame. 

That got me thinking.  We all love Marquette and think it's a great school with great athletics.  But what does the actual general public think?

We have things going for us and against us.  We're consistently in the top 80 nationally in the US News Rankings.  We have a solid alumni base in the Milwaukee and Chicago area, and a decent one nationally.  We have a great basketball program.  Yet, many people still ask where Marquette is.  They know the school only because of Wade.  And let's face it, in terms of Catholic universities we are consistently shoved aside for Georgetown, Boston College, Notre Dame, and a few others. 

So, what is our actual national perception?  For an incoming freshman applicant, what would they think of when they think Marquette?  The place where the ND rejects go, or the most up-and-coming Cathoic U?

[MUMac]

I can answer from my own personal experience.  Since I attended MU, I have lived in the Southeast, East, Southwest and Midwest.  In all those areas, mentioning MU brought positive reactions.  Yes, some thought it was in the UP of Michigan.  Most, though, knew where it was.

I think, outside of the communist fringe who call themselves badger fans, MU is positively viewed.  I may add to UWM's perception of MU fans, but I don't really care what they think.  To me, UWM is still a large commuter school with no real identity.

[GGGG]

Positive view as a very good...but not great...academic school. 

[MerrittsMustache]

When I say that I went to Marquette the most standard answers are, "That's a good school" and/or "They have a good basketball program up there" and/or something about Dwyane Wade. As MUMac said, there are quite a few people who think it's in Michigan but my overall impression is that the national perception of Marquette is that it's a good school with a good basketball team that Dwyane Wade once played for. That's about it.

[4everwarriors]

Middle of the road school that is not on the radar screen of most folks, especially non-Catholics.

[JimmyB!]

College basketball fans think positively of Marquette. A lot of people have never heard of it.

[jmayer1]

Middle of the road school that is not on the radar screen of most folks, especially non-Catholics.

You're so predictable.

[WellsstreetWanderer]

people I run into still remember AL.  I got to find a younger crowd.

Mostly I find a positive basketball image for MU on the West Coast.

[GGGG]

I don't know what you mean by "on the radar."  Harvard and yale aren't on the radar for most folks too. Marquette isn't all that different than many private schools in that regard.

[Dr. Blackheart]

A school in the UP...

On another note, it is interesting to review the inside buzz as voted on College Prowler as most prospective students today rely more on the social media reputation.  A's in Athletics, Nightlife and Transportation.  B+ on Academics, Girls and Local Atmosphere,  C range for Diversity (C-), Facilities, Off Campus Dining, Strictness, Weather and Parking.  Pretty accurate...MU needs to continue to push the capital upgrades in facilities and to unify the neighborhood.

http://collegeprowler.com/marquette-university/

[4everwarriors]

I don't know what you mean by "on the radar."  Harvard and yale aren't on the radar for most folks too. Marquette isn't all that different than many private schools in that regard.

"on the radar" implies that the school would be forefront in one's mind for a variety of reasons. I don't mean necessarily to attend. In that regard, I don't think people in general have MU on the tip of their tongue. Harvard and Yale would be, however.

[GGGG]

"on the radar" implies that the school would be forefront in one's mind for a variety of reasons. I don't mean necessarily to attend. In that regard, I don't think people in general have MU on the tip of their tongue. Harvard and Yale would be, however.

So you mean it's not well known??  Honestly, I have no idea what you are talking about.  You say "middle of the road," but it is ranked toward the higher end of the USN&WR rankings.  I guess it is "middle of the road" if you view it from a "what a top high school student would chose to attend" kind of viewpoint, but I am not sure if that viewpoint speaks to the majority of high school students out there.

But I work for a decidedly average public university.  95% of our students would *love* to be able to attend a school like Marquette...Butler...Notre Dame...De Paul...  But they can't for a variety of reasons.  I guess it is about perspective.

[warriorchick]

I grew up as a Catholic in the south, and the first time I had heard of them was in 1977, when my dad jokingly told me I would get ex-communicated if I didn't root for them in the National Championship game.

And you are right; people think it is in Michigan, even some in the Chicago area.

That being said, I think Marquette has a much stronger National reputation than when I went there.  It has gone from  being 25% commuter students in my day to  less than 10%.  I was considered an oddball for being from so far away, even though I pointed out it didn't take me any longer to get home than some of my friends who lived in the Northern part of Michigan and had to drive around the lake.  It was a regional thing.  

I still think Marquette has some work to do to attract top applicants from schools other than their traditional feeders (Wisconsin high schools and Chicago-area Catholic schools).  Other than a boy who was an Evans Scholar, my daughter's west suburban Chicago public high school had not sent a kid to Marquette in years.  Most of the top students apply to the Ivies and then wind up at U of I if they don't get in.  My daughter got several of her friends to consider Marquette and two of them (both finishing Top 10 in their HS class) wound up enrolling with her.  

Marquette has a reputation for being a rich kid's school, but most people don't realize that with scholarships, it can actually be less expensive than going to a state school that is stingier with them.

[jsglow]

I'm convinced that in the last 15-20 years Marquette has elevated itself from Milwaukee's Jesuit school (not materially different from Loyola or SLU, etc.) to the realm of 'destination' school, especially here in the midwest.  MU is on the short list for top midwestern kids and has a national following.  Of course it is not Harvard or Yale, but it is more in the conversation with Georgetown and Boston College than when I attended 30 years ago.  Much of that credit goes to Fr. Wild who brought us a long way from the 'dark days' of the late 1980s and early 1990s.

[GGGG]

Marquette has a reputation for being a rich kid's school, but most people don't realize that with scholarships, it can actually be less expensive than going to a state school that is stingier with them.

One of MU's weaknesses is that its scholarship/financial aid endowment is poor relative to its size.  They aren't able to meet all unmet financial need like other universities can.  For instance, my son goes to Butler and they can meet all financial need that the feds can't.  MU doesn't have that capability, and that why it tends to be more of a "rich kids school" than other privates.

[4everwarriors]

Check the class profiles of MU vs Georgetown. These horses are runnin' in different races. Then compare endowments and report back.

[mu_hilltopper]

A review from 'Prowler:

Here at Marquette attractiveness is sad beyond belief. 1 out of 25 girls is attractive, the rest are stuck up daddy's girls who aren't the least bit attractive. It is sad to see a school that got top catholic party school, because the parties consist of a bunch of dudes huddled around a keg with 5 girls at the entire party not a single bit attractive. Beer goggles are a must but even then they do not help.

If you are looking for attractive girls. Stay away from Marquette!

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

I'm convinced that in the last 15-20 years Marquette has elevated itself from Milwaukee's Jesuit school (not materially different from Loyola or SLU, etc.) to the realm of 'destination' school, especially here in the midwest.  MU is on the short list for top midwestern kids and has a national following.  Of course it is not Harvard or Yale, but it is more in the conversation with Georgetown and Boston College than when I attended 30 years ago.  Much of that credit goes to Fr. Wild who brought us a long way from the 'dark days' of the late 1980s and early 1990s.

I played golf with an old HS classmate and a couple of other mutual friends.

In the foursome:
Notre Dame
Boston College
Georgetown
Marquette

I'm not kidding. Our schools came up in conversation. BC, Notre Dame, Georgetown are probably the top 3 Catholic schools in terms of academics and national rep. (go anywhere in the country and people have heard of it, and know it's a good school).

But, they all were hard pressed to name the "4th", and the consciousness was that MU was in the conversation.

There are a ton of regional catholic schools that are excellent, but in terms of Catholic schools with a national rep, MU is in the conversation.

[Skatastrophy]

A review from 'Prowler:

What's Prowler?

Travelling for work I was surprised how many people were familiar with MU.  Common reactions were "oh, that's a great school," "hell yeah, D Wade" and "Al McGuire was the man!"  A lot of people didn't know it was in Milwaukee, but I've never had to explain to anyone what Marquette was about.  It was a pleasant surprise

Edit:  This was Phoenix, Irvine CA, Houston and Boston for the most part.

[NYWarrior]

I'm convinced that in the last 15-20 years Marquette has elevated itself from Milwaukee's Jesuit school (not materially different from Loyola or SLU, etc.) to the realm of 'destination' school, especially here in the midwest.  MU is on the short list for top midwestern kids and has a national following.  Of course it is not Harvard or Yale, but it is more in the conversation with Georgetown and Boston College than when I attended 30 years ago.  Much of that credit goes to Fr. Wild who brought us a long way from the 'dark days' of the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Great assessment, and I completely agree.  Having spent the previous 15 years on the East Coast I think it is also important to note that MU's participation in the Big East created huge benefits. As an alumni volunteer we consistently saw more kids apply to MU from out east, and had more interest in staffing college fairs. Considering the corridor from Boston to DC has the highest concentration of Jesuit high schools in the country -- this is all good....greater interest in what has become a far better product in the last two decades.

[MUEng92]

I'm convinced that in the last 15-20 years Marquette has elevated itself from Milwaukee's Jesuit school (not materially different from Loyola or SLU, etc.) to the realm of 'destination' school, especially here in the midwest.  ...the 'dark days' of the late 1980s and early 1990s.

But, but.... I graduated from MU 20 years ago next May....  I went to MU in the late 1980's and early 1990's....
I rememeber MU playing Loyola of Chicago every year....

[ringout]

I was on the Bus Ad Alumni Board a few years back. 

David Shrock, Dean of the school at that time, reported that over his tenure, he went from accepting 80% of applicants to the low 60s%.  That was a dramatic change in less than 10 years.  MU national rep growing, and more academic rigor.  Thank God I went to MU before it became more difficult to be accepted.

[warriorchick]

A review from 'Prowler:


Quote

Here at Marquette attractiveness is sad beyond belief. 1 out of 25 girls is attractive, the rest are stuck up daddy's girls who aren't the least bit attractive. It is sad to see a school that got top catholic party school, because the parties consist of a bunch of dudes huddled around a keg with 5 girls at the entire party not a single bit attractive. Beer goggles are a must but even then they do not help.

If you are looking for attractive girls. Stay away from Marquette!

Very nice, MU Hilltopper.  There are 174 reviews from Marquette students on the Prowler website, and you chose to quote the one that said nearly all of the girls are ugly.

Here are the consolidated results from ALL of the reviews:

•
B+
Academics
•
A-
Athletics
•
B-
Campus Dining
•
B-
Campus Housing
•
C
Campus Strictness
•
B-
Computers
•
C-
Diversity
•
B-
Drug Safety
•
C+
Facilities
•
B+
Girls

•
B
Greek Life
•
B
Guys
•
B-
Health & Safety
•
B+
Local Atmosphere
•
A-
Nightlife
•
C+
Off-Campus Dining
•
B
Off-Campus Housing
•
C+
Parking
•
A
Transportation
•
C
Weather

As you can see, the overall score for "Girls" was a B+, which, by the way, is higher than the score for "Guys".

[GGGG]

Check the class profiles of MU vs Georgetown. These horses are runnin' in different races. Then compare endowments and report back.

OK, but that doesn't mean MU is "middle of the road."  Just not near the top.  That's like comparing MU's basketball program to Duke's.

[77ncaachamps]

I tell NorCal people that it's like Santa Clara...in Milwaukee...in the state of Wisconsin...only better.