Ivy Caliber

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And you will use this "information" how?

Yeah, I also wondered what the point is of compiling a list like this. Then I wondered if the OP (or OP's kids) went to one of the schools in the list, and OP gets some personal enjoyment in thinking about how good it is. Possibly one of the schools that seems like the odd-one-out in one of the categories.

[Anonymous]

There is no way that Wash U is better than Cornell and Brown. C'mon. If you do give up a spot at Brown to go there, people will rightly think you are an idiot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is no way that Wash U is better than Cornell and Brown. C'mon. If you do give up a spot at Brown to go there, people will rightly think you are an idiot.

Of course Wash U is better than those low tier ivies - especially in STEM programs. Brown is a druggie school and Cornell is a hotel and ag school. Those with serious STEM aspirations won't choose Brown or Cornell.

[Anonymous]

This thread is like ships passing in the night: some noting the flaws in the USNEWS rankings; some noting the importance of the USNEWS rankings and some saying they don’t think the USNEWS rankings should be important. The truth is 1) the rankings are far from perfect; 2) the USNEWS rankings matter a lot to the schools because the USNEWS rankings influence school selection; and 3) yes, USNEWS profits from their rankings and does so because they matter. It is foolish to deny either the imperfection or the importance of the USNEWS rankings.

[Anonymous]

... and the most successful people I know didn't go to any of these schools (although DH and I did).

[Anonymous]

Brown's "slide" is the major surprise. I would have thought it ranked higher.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This thread is like ships passing in the night: some noting the flaws in the USNEWS rankings; some noting the importance of the USNEWS rankings and some saying they don’t think the USNEWS rankings should be important. The truth is 1) the rankings are far from perfect; 2) the USNEWS rankings matter a lot to the schools because the USNEWS rankings influence school selection; and 3) yes, USNEWS profits from their rankings and does so because they matter. It is foolish to deny either the imperfection or the importance of the USNEWS rankings.

Thanks, Socrates.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:... and the most successful people I know didn't go to any of these schools (although DH and I did).

I wonder how many successful people began with $200K in college debt? "Buying" more college than you can afford just isn't smart.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The USNEWS ratings for the Ivy caliber schools haven't changed much, but it's clear that the Ivy caliber schools (all terrific, of course) are falling into tiers.


Top Tier IVY

Princeton University
Harvard University
Yale University
Columbia University

Top Tier IVY Comparable

Stanford University
University of Chicago
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Duke University

Mid- Tier IVY
University of Pennsylvania
Dartmouth College

Mid- Tier IVY Comparable
California Institute of Technology
Johns Hopkins
Northwestern University
Washington University in St. Louis

Lower Tier IVY
Cornell University
Brown University

Lower IVY Comparable
University of Notre Dame
Vanderbilt University

I think your kids would do fine at any of these colleges and universities.

[Anonymous]

^^
Agreed. Affordability should be the deciding factor. Don't take on debt if you don't have to.

[Anonymous]

After reading College Admissions Mystique by Bill Mayher and The Price of Admission by Daniel Golden, it seems like Brown is really more of a 'fluff' school.