USNWR Military Academy ratings are a joke

[Anonymous]

Let’s be clear, the military academies are awesome schools, the cadets are full of character and discipline, BUT the school's don’t merit their super-high ranking.

Let’s break it down. In 2020, the Air Force Academy was ranked 39, the Naval Academy 17, and West Point 21. In the newest edition, the respective rankings are 8, 4, and 8. What happened?

Basically, USNWR changed its methodology in ways that help schools that focus on social mobility. Think about it. The academies typically take in smart, but less affluent kids, and pay for their schooling. Also, the academies graduate nearly everyone, and the Services provide jobs for everyone. So, think about the USNWR boxes: 1) Pell grant kids. Check. 2) make college affordable. Check. 3) graduate them. Check. 4) get a good job. Check.

But what about academics? The typical SAT 25/75 for the academies is 1200/1400. That’s great, but the schools they’re ranked amongst have range scores of 1475/1550.

In sum, the academies have rocketed up the rankings not because they are suddenly WASP, but because they provide a solid education for smart, less wealthy kids. Sound familiar? Same formula that’s boosted the UC publics.

[Anonymous]

Why is it so hard for people to get over SAT scores? A student from a well resourced environment with tutoring since grade school is expected to have higher scores than "Pell grant kids".

The ranks don't matter, but I have no problem with putting school that accept students with less resources, educate them ,and get them jobs being ranked higher than schools full of students who already have a headstart in life.

[Anonymous]

What if providing a solid education for smart kids at a reasonable price is actually what makes a school great? Just a thought.

[Anonymous]

Sure the kids have lower sat, but their curriculum is on average much harder than the liberal arts college grads, and that's coming from one.

[Anonymous]

Op, you're pathetic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Let’s be clear, the military academies are awesome schools, the cadets are full of character and discipline, BUT the school's don’t merit their super-high ranking.

Let’s break it down. In 2020, the Air Force Academy was ranked 39, the Naval Academy 17, and West Point 21. In the newest edition, the respective rankings are 8, 4, and 8. What happened?

Basically, USNWR changed its methodology in ways that help schools that focus on social mobility. Think about it. The academies typically take in smart, but less affluent kids, and pay for their schooling. Also, the academies graduate nearly everyone, and the Services provide jobs for everyone. So, think about the USNWR boxes: 1) Pell grant kids. Check. 2) make college affordable. Check. 3) graduate them. Check. 4) get a good job. Check.

But what about academics? The typical SAT 25/75 for the academies is 1200/1400. That’s great, but the schools they’re ranked amongst have range scores of 1475/1550.

In sum, the academies have rocketed up the rankings not because they are suddenly WASP, but because they provide a solid education for smart, less wealthy kids. Sound familiar? Same formula that’s boosted the UC publics.

almost none of usnwr is academics or peer quality. we all have to move on . the rankings are not useful for selecting peer cohort academic fit

[Anonymous]

Are you just going to post some variation of this every day? Is your kids trying to get in and this is a scheme to dissuade others from applying? Because this is exhausting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why is it so hard for people to get over SAT scores? A student from a well resourced environment with tutoring since grade school is expected to have higher scores than "Pell grant kids".

The ranks don't matter, but I have no problem with putting school that accept students with less resources, educate them ,and get them jobs being ranked higher than schools full of students who already have a headstart in life.

No. Pell grant kid who always had top 1% scores, and so did my ivy pell peers, and my T3 med school pell peers and first gen peers for that matter! We did not announce being poor/1st gen then, or wear it like a badge, but it came up and we were treated the same. Now many poor kids are treated as though they snuck in, are not as smart--much more imposter syndrome among the poorer kids now. They used to let in only top pells, no bar lowering. AND NO ONE assuming the poor kids did not earn it! It should go back to how it used to be. The significantly lowered bars for pell, first gen, URM, etc do much more harm than good.

[Anonymous]

^public school, no tutoring, and neither did my pell and first gen friends.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What if providing a solid education for smart kids at a reasonable price is actually what makes a school great? Just a thought.

Community colleges do that well. Good as Harvard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why is it so hard for people to get over SAT scores? A student from a well resourced environment with tutoring since grade school is expected to have higher scores than "Pell grant kids".

The ranks don't matter, but I have no problem with putting school that accept students with less resources, educate them ,and get them jobs being ranked higher than schools full of students who already have a headstart in life.

Because people like OP can’t buy a school ranking like they can SAT prep for their kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are you just going to post some variation of this every day? Is your kids trying to get in and this is a scheme to dissuade others from applying? Because this is exhausting.

I think their kids go to a school ranked lower than the service academies and they are extremely wounded by this.

[Anonymous]

OP, are you really ready to support DC's requirement to serve in the military following graduation?

[Anonymous]

If your kid can’t score well on a SAT, you’re not going to like the SAT. But, the facts are the facts, and multiple studies show - and many of our elite schools now agree - that the SAT is a strong predictor of college readiness. Sure, a kid might slip into Harvard TO and graduate, but that’s because these schools don’t want their graduation rate to dip. The proof of their conviction is in how their changing their admission policies back to requiring test scores. It’s also reflected in the fact that the majority of the admitted class at top schools have submitted scores.

[Anonymous]

UC Merced is basically a top 50 school according to US News.

Its 25% SAT is 990 (last reported)

THINK ABOUT THAT.

990.

US News has jumped the shark and is a joke of a publication. With the advent of the internet, prospective students don't need a click bait former magazine.

Student selectivity matters, as much as US News pretends that it doesn't.

Supply and demand for a university's freshmen seats tells you all that you need to know about what the market perceives as the top schools.