And for Norma L. Moore '68, being outside what she calls the "good 'ole boys" network that was comprised of graduates of the state university system made her job search significantly more difficult.

"When I lived in Texas, it was hard to get a job if you didn't go to school in Texas," says Moore, who is now president of the Rocky Mountain Harvard Club, based in Denver. "There, if you went to Harvard, people just knew it as somewhere that wasn't in Texas."

And even in Colorado, New York native Barbara L. Connors '69 says she was surprised by the contrast in perception of the Harvard moniker.

"When you say you go to Harvard in New York, everyone sort of snores, but here, it cuts both ways," Connors says.

Connors says that when she tells people that she graduated from Harvard, about half think she's either smart or a bit obnoxious. The other half , she says, "just draw a blank."

"Mainly around here there are lots of people who've never heard of [Harvard]," she says.

Fast Track to Royalty

But clear across the Pacific Ocean, the significance of the Harvard name can be taken out of proportion. "If you went to Harvard, or graduated from there, you are automatically elevated to some sort of 'elite' realm," says Misasha C. Suzuki '99, a Japanese citizen who works for JP Morgan in Tokyo. "Harvard is the key to basically opening up whatever you want in Japan."