Service Academies should not be ranked with LACs

[Anonymous]

USNWR ranks service academies amongst national LACs, but this makes no sense given their specialized purpose, the narrow opportunities for application, and their relatively low test scores.

Perhaps, they excel at upward social mobility, but the quality of student - based on test scores - pales in comparison to the schools they’re typically ranked amongst (LAC top 10). For example, most service academies have SAT 25/75 around 1200/1400. That means the top 25% of academy kids are the 25th percentile of the schools they’re ranked amongst. Makes no sense.

Thoughts?

[Anonymous]

Who cares.

[Anonymous]

My first thought is that thinking that SAT scores indicate the "quality" of the student is what is ridiculous.

The USNWR ranking categories sometimes make sense and sometimes they don't. RISD or Berklee as a "regional university" makes less sense than a service academy as an LAC.

[Anonymous]

It is what it is. Service Academies don’t have graduate programs, correct?

Feels like Caltech should be ranked as a LAC like Mudd…but they offer graduate programs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:USNWR ranks service academies amongst national LACs, but this makes no sense given their specialized purpose, the narrow opportunities for application, and their relatively low test scores.

Perhaps, they excel at upward social mobility, but the quality of student - based on test scores - pales in comparison to the schools they’re typically ranked amongst (LAC top 10). For example, most service academies have SAT 25/75 around 1200/1400. That means the top 25% of academy kids are the 25th percentile of the schools they’re ranked amongst. Makes no sense.

Thoughts?

No different than the university rankings having test blind UCs all up the T15-40 when the student bodies are not nearly as smart as the other unis around them.

[Anonymous]

Hot take: colleges should not be ranked at all.

[Anonymous]

Thanks but nobody cares what you think.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:USNWR ranks service academies amongst national LACs, but this makes no sense given their specialized purpose, the narrow opportunities for application, and their relatively low test scores.

Perhaps, they excel at upward social mobility, but the quality of student - based on test scores - pales in comparison to the schools they’re typically ranked amongst (LAC top 10). For example, most service academies have SAT 25/75 around 1200/1400. That means the top 25% of academy kids are the 25th percentile of the schools they’re ranked amongst. Makes no sense.

Thoughts?

I agree 100% it makes no sense. Because of their specialized purpose. (Makes no difference if the SAT scores are like scores at top LACs or not.) Service academies are impressive but are only of interest to people who want to join the military.

US News has national universities and LACs on separate lists but those have much more in common than service academies and LACs have in common.

I think there should be a list for impressive but very specialized schools. Could have the service academies, music schools like Juliard, art schools like RISD, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:USNWR ranks service academies amongst national LACs, but this makes no sense given their specialized purpose, the narrow opportunities for application, and their relatively low test scores.

Perhaps, they excel at upward social mobility, but the quality of student - based on test scores - pales in comparison to the schools they’re typically ranked amongst (LAC top 10). For example, most service academies have SAT 25/75 around 1200/1400. That means the top 25% of academy kids are the 25th percentile of the schools they’re ranked amongst. Makes no sense.

Thoughts?

I agree 100% it makes no sense. Because of their specialized purpose. (Makes no difference if the SAT scores are like scores at top LACs or not.) Service academies are impressive but are only of interest to people who want to join the military.

US News has national universities and LACs on separate lists but those have much more in common than service academies and LACs have in common.

I think there should be a list for impressive but very specialized schools. Could have the service academies, music schools like Juliard, art schools like RISD, etc.

I also agree 100%.

Service academies, schools of music, & small, highly specialized programs like CalTech, minig schools, naval architecture schools, etc. should be ranked or notated separately in a special category. Ranking CalTech with National Universities is ridiculous; it's like just ranking a separate school/college/or department of a National University.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:USNWR ranks service academies amongst national LACs, but this makes no sense given their specialized purpose, the narrow opportunities for application, and their relatively low test scores.

Perhaps, they excel at upward social mobility, but the quality of student - based on test scores - pales in comparison to the schools they’re typically ranked amongst (LAC top 10). For example, most service academies have SAT 25/75 around 1200/1400. That means the top 25% of academy kids are the 25th percentile of the schools they’re ranked amongst. Makes no sense.

Thoughts?

Okay.

[Anonymous]

Service academies based on their enrollment alone do not belong in the LAC category.

[Anonymous]

The service academies are very difficult to get into and take high caliber applicants.

I really don’t care if they are ranked or not. Why does it matter to you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The service academies are very difficult to get into and take high caliber applicants.

I really don’t care if they are ranked or not. Why does it matter to you?

Op hates the military, Op is one of those. But Op is the first to scream where's the military when her city is in trouble.

[Anonymous]

Why does this matter? So Pomona, Swarthmore, and Wellesley can be tied for 3rd instead of 4th? WTF cares?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why does this matter? So Pomona, Swarthmore, and Wellesley can be tied for 3rd instead of 4th? WTF cares?

Exactly. OP, why is this an issue?