Look at the influence it has over people, how it can change their attitude, perspectives, relationships, and perception of what is important in life.  

My perception has always been that it's a little more blue collar but when I asked around, a lot of people have said it's a depressed area and I'm better off sticking to the Chicago suburbs. 

A large number of foreclosures hurt your resale value as it hinders perception and may affect appraisal value.  

When a woman becomes the President of the United States, it will be HUGE news.Women can do ANYTHING a man can do, but societal morals and mores have prevented woman from some fields. 

Everyone comes here with perceptions of dealing in real estate as if it were a train load of shoes.

But bigotry does not make negative perceptions any less of a handicap in this world.And how bad is the dropout stereotype going to be in 2030, when our OP here is in his late 20s?

And note, I didn't say no "deals" are done, I am highlighting the reality of it, because I hear a lot of perception that one joins and "POW" there's deals left right and center flying around as though it's plugging oneself into a vibrant deal-flow, which is nothing at all what it is. 

The rest, as they say, is immaterial and perception, in my opinion.I've also been in the "professional working world" for 12 years, and I can honestly say that your college, to a recruiter, is like "oh, that's a good school" or "oh, i never heard of them" -- once you get the experience nobody gives a damn about your GPA or your school.

Just my perception. 

And how does that perception get corrected?