First top 5 US universities you think of

Nope given the fact that most would be thinking about general prestige and not limiting it to one subject and how do you define what university has the best medical school?

Because I figured that some people on here were medics and knew about it. Other example then, take Chicago, no one had mentioned them (for the first few pages), when in fact they are one of the best universities in the US.

If someone was to ask you to name 5 US universities that you think are some of the best, what would you say?

Nope given the fact that most would be thinking about general prestige and not limiting it to one subject and how do you define what university has the best medical school?

That's not to say that I perceive the Ivy League institutions as the gold standard of US universities.

They are to be fair and not just for the US, but gold standards for universities in the world.

Well it depends. As a medical student you aren't going to consider the London School of Economics or Princeton as one of your destinations are you?

General prestige is rather subjective. If you're basing it on research output then Johns Hopkins is right up there, infact I think it's the most cited institution in research papers worldwide.

If we want to pick a specific top 5 based on "prestige" then we need to define the term. Are we talking about standard of undergraduate education, postgrad education, research output, citations, the number of Nobel Prize winners associated with them, the number of US Presidents or UK PMs they've produced?

I had never heard of the likes of Stanford, Berkley, Caltech, USC until I came onto TSR. For me when I think of US universities, the first ones that spring to my mind are the Ivy League Universities, MIT and Johns Hopkins because of my link with Medicine.

That's not to say that I perceive the Ivy League institutions as the gold standard of US universities. There are many US and international institutions that based on rankings you'd place above say Brown or Dartmouth. However, the Ivy League institutions have a long and distinguished history and are synonymous with high academic standards (and sport) hence why they will always be held in high regard, irrespective of the numerous league tables you have.

I mean the THES would rate Manchester as top 40 in the world based on research output but in terms of academic standards, entry standards and undergraduate education quality and national rankings, it struggles to make the top 30 nevermind the top 20 or top 10.

They are to be fair and not just for the US, but gold standards for universities in the world.

I'd say for the world, well English-speaking world, Oxford and Cambridge very much set the benchmark.

I wouldn't say that all 8 of the Ivy Leagues are the 8 best universities in the world as there are many I would rate above the likes of Dartmouth and Brown in terms of research outpute.

However when I'm told about Dartmouth and Brown, ideas of academic excellence and prestige spring to mind, irrespective of their standings in the research tables. That's a reputation made over hundreds of years. A lot of universities in the rankings built their reputation in recent decades by improving their research output and entry standards. Dartmouth and Brown occupy a high level (rightly or wrongly) by virtue of the fact they are part of the Ivy League and amongst the oldest and most famous universities in America.

I mean I'm looking into electives abroad and I'm keen on either University of Tokyo in Japan or going to the USA. As far as the USA is concerned, my first choice would be one of the Ivies or Johns Hopkins. Personally I have a liking towards Dartmouth. Sure it may not have the long list of Nobel Prize winners or US Presidents or British PMs like say Harvard, Oxford and Cambridge, but it's still a very very good university and I'd jump at the chance to spend a few months there on an elective exchange.

Going back to the "gold standard", I don't think anywhere else in the world can match the history, prestige and sheer grandeur of Oxford and Cambridge. Infact it was their alumni that founded most of the Ivy League institutions. Harvard may be top of rankings purely because it has the financial clout but in terms of grandeur, it doesn't come anywhere close to Oxford or Cambridge. They're the two oldest institutions in the English-speaking world and have for almost a 1000 years set the standard and no doubt they'll continue to do so.

I'd say for the world, well English-speaking world, Oxford and Cambridge very much set the benchmark.

By Ivy League I really meant HYP, which are wholly better regarded than Oxbridge around the world in my experience - HYP for me set the gold standard, with Oxbridge following.

Harvard of course being the ultimate holy grail (Oxbridge doesn't even compare to it in my view).

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So on what basis have you reached that judgement? If anything I'd think Oxbridge have a greater amount of international prestige certainly more so in Asia than for the Ivy Leagues.

And to say that Oxbridge don't even compare to Harvard, well that's just silly. Hasn't Cambridge graduated more Nobel Laureates than any other university in the world?

Well what made you reach the judgement that Oxbridge is the gold standard then? That's just silly. As for Asia, as someone who has been born and raised in the region, the Ivy League has a much greater reputation - i.e. its seen as the pinnacle of education. Its one of the things I hate about my culture (i.e. the need to one-up the next person), but when a parent goes "My child got into HYP", that pretty much trumps "My child got into Oxbridge" any time, as the latter isn't as well regarded (relatively speaking of course).

Harvard has been ranked internationally as the best university in the world, more times than any university (be that Oxbridge, Yale, Princeton etc) - league tables, despite their foibles, are really the only objective measure we have. In which case Harvard >> Oxbridge

Oh and regarding Nobels, considering Cambridge has a couple of hundred years head start on HYP, its only expected they found their footing earlier on, so thats hardly a fair/objective measure now is it

I agree with this.

With all due respect, I don't think your personal experience of growing up in an Asian household and your ideas of trying to score one over your peers is any means to rank Harvard above Oxbridge. Cambridge was recently ranked as the top University in the world by some ranking system THES or the Shanghai one, I'm not 100% sure.".