University Rankings in 1925:Not much has changed

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The biggest change is Wisconsin. They really dropped off from their high ranking.

Wisconsin went from #5 to #35. 12 other public schools have since passed it up. I had no idea that Wisconsin dropped that much. Thanks to the OP for bring this to my attention. Shows how Wisconsin hasn’t kept pace with other top publics.

UVA is next. They are dropping more and more every year.

What are you talking about? They went from 25 to 24 this year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://talk.collegeconfidential.com/t/the-best-universities-in-1910-and-1925/1311042

If the link does not work, the rundown is
Top 10 (1925)
1. Chicago
2. Harvard
3. Columbia
4. Yale
5. Wisconsin
6. Princeton
7. Johns Hopkins
8. Michigan
9. Berkeley
10. Cornell

The only difference is that the "Big 3" went from Harvard-Chicago-Columbia, to Harvard-Yale-Princeton. Furthermore, Berkeley eventually eclipsed Wisconsin and Michigan for the top public university spot, which was pretty inevitable given their faculty. Wisconsin is placed higher than say Cornell back then simply due to department strength and college administrators; Charles Van Hise ( Wisconsin's President just before this) is widely considered to be the most important public university president of all time.

Here is the 1910 list:

Harvard
University of Chicago
Columbia
Yale
Cornell
Johns Hopkins
Wisconsin
U. S. Geological Survey
Dept. of Agriculture
MIT
Michigan
California
Carnegie Institute
Princeton
Stanford
Smithsonian
Illinois
Pennsylvania
Bureau of Standards
Missouri

Why is nobody talking about how far the US Geological Survey, Department of Agriculture and Bureau of Standards have fallen.

They aren't even ranked anymore they are so bad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The biggest change is Wisconsin. They really dropped off from their high ranking.

Wisconsin went from #5 to #35. 12 other public schools have since passed it up. I had no idea that Wisconsin dropped that much. Thanks to the OP for bring this to my attention. Shows how Wisconsin hasn’t kept pace with other top publics.

UVA is next. They are dropping more and more every year.

What are you talking about? They went from 25 to 24 this year.

It's best to just no respond to these people lest they call you a booster and start complaining about rampant UVA boosterism. It's a weird dynamic that exists here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://talk.collegeconfidential.com/t/the-best-universities-in-1910-and-1925/1311042

If the link does not work, the rundown is
Top 10 (1925)
1. Chicago
2. Harvard
3. Columbia
4. Yale
5. Wisconsin
6. Princeton
7. Johns Hopkins
8. Michigan
9. Berkeley
10. Cornell

The only difference is that the "Big 3" went from Harvard-Chicago-Columbia, to Harvard-Yale-Princeton. Furthermore, Berkeley eventually eclipsed Wisconsin and Michigan for the top public university spot, which was pretty inevitable given their faculty. Wisconsin is placed higher than say Cornell back then simply due to department strength and college administrators; Charles Van Hise ( Wisconsin's President just before this) is widely considered to be the most important public university president of all time.

Here is the 1910 list:

Harvard
University of Chicago
Columbia
Yale
Cornell
Johns Hopkins
Wisconsin
U. S. Geological Survey
Dept. of Agriculture
MIT
Michigan
California
Carnegie Institute
Princeton
Stanford
Smithsonian
Illinois
Pennsylvania
Bureau of Standards
Missouri

Why is nobody talking about how far the US Geological Survey, Department of Agriculture and Bureau of Standards have fallen.

They aren't even ranked anymore they are so bad.

You haven't heard? Scott Walker and the evil GOP ruined them also.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The biggest change is Wisconsin. They really dropped off from their high ranking.

Wisconsin went from #5 to #35. 12 other public schools have since passed it up. I had no idea that Wisconsin dropped that much. Thanks to the OP for bring this to my attention. Shows how Wisconsin hasn’t kept pace with other top publics.

UVA is next. They are dropping more and more every year.

What are you talking about? They went from 25 to 24 this year.

UVA is currently in a four way tie at the #24 spot meaning they are somewhere in the 24-27 range. There is no difference from last year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://talk.collegeconfidential.com/t/the-best-universities-in-1910-and-1925/1311042

If the link does not work, the rundown is
Top 10 (1925)
1. Chicago
2. Harvard
3. Columbia
4. Yale
5. Wisconsin
6. Princeton
7. Johns Hopkins
8. Michigan
9. Berkeley
10. Cornell

The only difference is that the "Big 3" went from Harvard-Chicago-Columbia, to Harvard-Yale-Princeton. Furthermore, Berkeley eventually eclipsed Wisconsin and Michigan for the top public university spot, which was pretty inevitable given their faculty. Wisconsin is placed higher than say Cornell back then simply due to department strength and college administrators; Charles Van Hise ( Wisconsin's President just before this) is widely considered to be the most important public university president of all time.

Here is the 1910 list:

Harvard
University of Chicago
Columbia
Yale
Cornell
Johns Hopkins
Wisconsin
U. S. Geological Survey
Dept. of Agriculture
MIT
Michigan
California
Carnegie Institute
Princeton
Stanford
Smithsonian
Illinois
Pennsylvania
Bureau of Standards
Missouri

Why is nobody talking about how far the US Geological Survey, Department of Agriculture and Bureau of Standards have fallen.

They aren't even ranked anymore they are so bad.

You haven't heard? Scott Walker and the evil GOP ruined them also.

It was the Taft administration that ruined them. Apparently his support of the implementation of a federal income tax (can you imagine the horror of present-day Republicans) pissed off the college reviewers. They never forgave.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The biggest change is Wisconsin. They really dropped off from their high ranking.

Wisconsin went from #5 to #35. 12 other public schools have since passed it up. I had no idea that Wisconsin dropped that much. Thanks to the OP for bring this to my attention. Shows how Wisconsin hasn’t kept pace with other top publics.

UVA is next. They are dropping more and more every year.

What are you talking about? They went from 25 to 24 this year.

UVA is in a four-way tie, and it is arguably the worst of them. I won't be surprised if UVA falls into the T30 range this year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The biggest change is Wisconsin. They really dropped off from their high ranking.

Wisconsin went from #5 to #35. 12 other public schools have since passed it up. I had no idea that Wisconsin dropped that much. Thanks to the OP for bring this to my attention. Shows how Wisconsin hasn’t kept pace with other top publics.

UVA is next. They are dropping more and more every year.

What are you talking about? They went from 25 to 24 this year.

UVA is in a four-way tie, and it is arguably the worst of them. I won't be surprised if UVA falls into the T30 range this year.

Would be lucky to remain T40 given how weak they are in STEM and CS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://talk.collegeconfidential.com/t/the-best-universities-in-1910-and-1925/1311042

If the link does not work, the rundown is
Top 10 (1925)
1. Chicago
2. Harvard
3. Columbia
4. Yale
5. Wisconsin
6. Princeton
7. Johns Hopkins
8. Michigan
9. Berkeley
10. Cornell

The only difference is that the "Big 3" went from Harvard-Chicago-Columbia, to Harvard-Yale-Princeton. Furthermore, Berkeley eventually eclipsed Wisconsin and Michigan for the top public university spot, which was pretty inevitable given their faculty. Wisconsin is placed higher than say Cornell back then simply due to department strength and college administrators; Charles Van Hise ( Wisconsin's President just before this) is widely considered to be the most important public university president of all time.

Here is the 1910 list:

Harvard
University of Chicago
Columbia
Yale
Cornell
Johns Hopkins
Wisconsin
U. S. Geological Survey
Dept. of Agriculture
MIT
Michigan
California
Carnegie Institute
Princeton
Stanford
Smithsonian
Illinois
Pennsylvania
Bureau of Standards
Missouri

Why is nobody talking about how far the US Geological Survey, Department of Agriculture and Bureau of Standards have fallen.

They aren't even ranked anymore they are so bad.

Proud USDA grad school enrollee from the 90s! Stop picking on my alma mater! /s

[Anonymous]

These lists are self perpetuating. It’s why USNWR feels the need to constantly change their methodology - to stay relevant

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think Wisconsin took a dive about the time margarine became a big deal.

The real dive for Wisconsin occurred when Scott Walker was governor. Like DeSantis, he attacked the state university to "own the libs." I suspect a similar fate will befall the University of Florida. It's hard to recruit good faculty and top students when the politicians are actively trying to undermine the state flagship.

It's why the top private universities will always be qualitatively better than state flagships over the long run. They don't have the same pressures - from both progressives and the right wing - that state schools need to deal with every year.

Another myth. Wisconsin hasn’t declined all that much, they still have some of the best graduates schools in the nation. What decline they have experienced is not because of Walker, though his idiocy didn’t help. Incompetency is the main cause, though endowment management, hiring management, ignoring undergraduates etc. The budget cuts never mattered, because the state was hardly giving anything anyway; less than 15% of the budget is from state funding.

No, Walker and the GOP gutted the UW budget and forced cuts in areas that materially impacted the classroom experience and competitive salaries for faculty.

What was there even to cut?? The state only provides 10% of the budget. And the good faculty didn't leave, if you search all the famous professors, they're still there. The reality is, UW's faculty will essentially never give up their positions, even if they are paid nothing, because there is a very limited number of schools which can compete with Wisconsin in the first place. Why leave, if you're already at the best?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think Wisconsin took a dive about the time margarine became a big deal.

The real dive for Wisconsin occurred when Scott Walker was governor. Like DeSantis, he attacked the state university to "own the libs." I suspect a similar fate will befall the University of Florida. It's hard to recruit good faculty and top students when the politicians are actively trying to undermine the state flagship.

It's why the top private universities will always be qualitatively better than state flagships over the long run. They don't have the same pressures - from both progressives and the right wing - that state schools need to deal with every year.

Another myth. Wisconsin hasn’t declined all that much, they still have some of the best graduates schools in the nation. What decline they have experienced is not because of Walker, though his idiocy didn’t help. Incompetency is the main cause, though endowment management, hiring management, ignoring undergraduates etc. The budget cuts never mattered, because the state was hardly giving anything anyway; less than 15% of the budget is from state funding.

No, Walker and the GOP gutted the UW budget and forced cuts in areas that materially impacted the classroom experience and competitive salaries for faculty.

What was there even to cut?? The state only provides 10% of the budget. And the good faculty didn't leave, if you search all the famous professors, they're still there. The reality is, UW's faculty will essentially never give up their positions, even if they are paid nothing, because there is a very limited number of schools which can compete with Wisconsin in the first place. Why leave, if you're already at the best?

If they were that great, they would get poached by other top schools. Especially if they were working for free. Get real.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The biggest change is Wisconsin. They really dropped off from their high ranking.

Wisconsin went from #5 to #35. 12 other public schools have since passed it up. I had no idea that Wisconsin dropped that much. Thanks to the OP for bring this to my attention. Shows how Wisconsin hasn’t kept pace with other top publics.

UVA is next. They are dropping more and more every year.

What are you talking about? They went from 25 to 24 this year.

UVA is in a four-way tie, and it is arguably the worst of them. I won't be surprised if UVA falls into the T30 range this year.

🙄 this is nonsense. You write as if you have some objective, empirical insight into how “good” colleges are. You don’t. Rankings are stupid. Especially pretending to distinguish between 24 and 27. So ridiculous. I’m not saying those colleges are the same. They aren’t. But, as in everything else, they have their own positives and negatives, and one person’s positive is another’s negative. Hence it’s folly to even attempt. And asinine for us to put any stock in it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The biggest change is Wisconsin. They really dropped off from their high ranking.

Wisconsin went from #5 to #35. 12 other public schools have since passed it up. I had no idea that Wisconsin dropped that much. Thanks to the OP for bring this to my attention. Shows how Wisconsin hasn’t kept pace with other top publics.

UVA is next. They are dropping more and more every year.

What are you talking about? They went from 25 to 24 this year.

UVA is in a four-way tie, and it is arguably the worst of them. I won't be surprised if UVA falls into the T30 range this year.

Would be lucky to remain T40 given how weak they are in STEM and CS

And to be clear, by "weak," we mean they are excellent. We're talking about the top universities in the country here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The biggest change is Wisconsin. They really dropped off from their high ranking.

Wisconsin went from #5 to #35. 12 other public schools have since passed it up. I had no idea that Wisconsin dropped that much. Thanks to the OP for bring this to my attention. Shows how Wisconsin hasn’t kept pace with other top publics.

UVA is next. They are dropping more and more every year.

What are you talking about? They went from 25 to 24 this year.

UVA is in a four-way tie, and it is arguably the worst of them. I won't be surprised if UVA falls into the T30 range this year.

🙄 this is nonsense. You write as if you have some objective, empirical insight into how “good” colleges are. You don’t. Rankings are stupid. Especially pretending to distinguish between 24 and 27. So ridiculous. I’m not saying those colleges are the same. They aren’t. But, as in everything else, they have their own positives and negatives, and one person’s positive is another’s negative. Hence it’s folly to even attempt. And asinine for us to put any stock in it.

So many factors are more important than a colleges "rank" when it comes to whether it is a good fit or whether you will be happy there and get a good education.

Yes, within reason. Being ranked last might mean something.