The Absurdity of U.S. News College Rankings - Per Malcolm Gladwell

[Anonymous]

“ I think NYU is moderately prestigious, but it does not belong in the absolute upper crust of American higher education, which most would agree is the top ~20 schools in the nation.”

I was referring to this quote. After HYPSM there are at least 15 schools, not necessarily the top 20 at USNWR, that could be considered the “upper crust of American higher education.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:“ I think NYU is moderately prestigious, but it does not belong in the absolute upper crust of American higher education, which most would agree is the top ~20 schools in the nation.”

I was referring to this quote. After HYPSM there are at least 15 schools, not necessarily the top 20 at USNWR, that could be considered the “upper crust of American higher education.”

I don't think most people would disagree, but NYU wouldn't exactly belong to that group.

In my mind, the truly elite schools in this country comprise of the Ivy League and their immediate peers, as well as the top LACs, rankings be damned.

Harvard Yale Princeton Columbia Cornell Penn Brown Dartmouth
Stanford Berkeley MIT Hopkins Chicago Caltech Northwestern Duke
Williams Amherst Swarthmore Pomona

After that, there are about 20 or 30 schools that all have a valid claim to being moderately elite or prestigious. NYU might belong that next list, but does it then make it "arguably the best school in the US" as one PP upthread posited, and better than the other schools mentioned above? No.

NYU has an elite law school, a prestigious medical school, and some other great departments. Let's not overshoot our shot and start talking about how it's one of the best schools in the country because some rich kids from Saudi Arabia go there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lmao at the suburban vanilla Karens lecturing about what is or isn't en vogue with international students. Probably hasn't even had a proper conversation with anyone from these aforementioned regions, like, ever.

What is with this creepy obsession with "international reputation" on DCUM? Getting the vibe it's some Indian caste status obsession thing. Because 99% of students will never work outside the U.S., and even even those that do, nobody really gives a damn about their undergraduate college.

Fake news. We are in a global system. Your attitude contributes to US decline.

[Anonymous]

NYU is embarrassing on a number of different levels. The school, and its boosters apparently, are completely out of touch. This is a widespread opinion held by many New Yorkers, including myself.

[Anonymous]

I would put NYU in a category with Emory Boston University Rice Tulane etc

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would put NYU in a category with Emory Boston University Rice Tulane etc

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NYU is embarrassing on a number of different levels. The school, and its boosters apparently, are completely out of touch. This is a widespread opinion held by many New Yorkers, including myself.

Wow. That video is very weird.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I also don't understand the importance of international reputation.

This thread has "USN rankings" in the headline. NYU is ranked #30 out of 3,000 or so. I am not gifted in the maths, but doesn't that put it in the top 1%?

Someone needs to define what percent is "elite". If that number is 0.25%, then NYU is not elite.

So what is the number?

It's the NYU boosters bragging about NYU being the bests school in the nation, in part because of their supposed international reputation and because the "newly wealthy" in Middle East and Asia are apparently just dying to attend. It's like orientalist but 100% more self-serving and oblivious, which is saying a lot.

I think NYU is moderately prestigious, but it does not belong in the absolute upper crust of American higher education, which most would agree is the top ~20 schools in the nation.

The MOST elite undergraduate schools in this country are HYPSM. That’s it.

Did anyone say otherwise?

Not that I have seen. They question is where does the definition of elite stop? Someone above suggested #20, and since NYU is #30 that would qualify. Others might disagree with that math.

Where does any adjective stop? "Tall", for instance? At what height is someone not tall? Or a building not tall?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I also don't understand the importance of international reputation.

This thread has "USN rankings" in the headline. NYU is ranked #30 out of 3,000 or so. I am not gifted in the maths, but doesn't that put it in the top 1%?

Someone needs to define what percent is "elite". If that number is 0.25%, then NYU is not elite.

So what is the number?

It's the NYU boosters bragging about NYU being the bests school in the nation, in part because of their supposed international reputation and because the "newly wealthy" in Middle East and Asia are apparently just dying to attend. It's like orientalist but 100% more self-serving and oblivious, which is saying a lot.

I think NYU is moderately prestigious, but it does not belong in the absolute upper crust of American higher education, which most would agree is the top ~20 schools in the nation.

The MOST elite undergraduate schools in this country are HYPSM. That’s it.

Did anyone say otherwise?

Not that I have seen. They question is where does the definition of elite stop? Someone above suggested #20, and since NYU is #30 that would qualify. Others might disagree with that math.

Where does any adjective stop? "Tall", for instance? At what height is someone not tall? Or a building not tall?

I think the objection is to the people saying NYU is one of the best schools in the country and better than the Dukes and UChicagos of the world.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I also don't understand the importance of international reputation.

This thread has "USN rankings" in the headline. NYU is ranked #30 out of 3,000 or so. I am not gifted in the maths, but doesn't that put it in the top 1%?

Someone needs to define what percent is "elite". If that number is 0.25%, then NYU is not elite.

So what is the number?

It's the NYU boosters bragging about NYU being the bests school in the nation, in part because of their supposed international reputation and because the "newly wealthy" in Middle East and Asia are apparently just dying to attend. It's like orientalist but 100% more self-serving and oblivious, which is saying a lot.

I think NYU is moderately prestigious, but it does not belong in the absolute upper crust of American higher education, which most would agree is the top ~20 schools in the nation.

Here we go again with the "Top 20" schools, unless that list includes the top SLACs.

Vanderbilt and Washington University have more common with Wake Forest and Case Western Reserve than with Harvard or MIT.

The true absolute upper crust of higher education is HYPSM, Caltech, perhaps Columbia and Penn recently. Yale is becoming questionable.

Chicago, Duke, Hopkins and Northwestern boosters will continue to somehow include those universities in the list. Doing so is going far down past the crust.

[Anonymous]

NYU and USC have both soared up the rankings and have become increasingly highly selectivity because of their location. Rudy and Mike Bloomberg made that area around NYU boom; the Villages, Soho. I can't speak to how it was in the 70s, 80s, 90s but I know a lot of very wealthy and connected smart millennials who have gone to NYU over the last 20 years who certainly could have gone to other selective colleges. Didn't even the Olsen twins go to NYU?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I also don't understand the importance of international reputation.

This thread has "USN rankings" in the headline. NYU is ranked #30 out of 3,000 or so. I am not gifted in the maths, but doesn't that put it in the top 1%?

Someone needs to define what percent is "elite". If that number is 0.25%, then NYU is not elite.

So what is the number?

It's the NYU boosters bragging about NYU being the bests school in the nation, in part because of their supposed international reputation and because the "newly wealthy" in Middle East and Asia are apparently just dying to attend. It's like orientalist but 100% more self-serving and oblivious, which is saying a lot.

I think NYU is moderately prestigious, but it does not belong in the absolute upper crust of American higher education, which most would agree is the top ~20 schools in the nation.

The MOST elite undergraduate schools in this country are HYPSM. That’s it.

Did anyone say otherwise?

Not that I have seen. They question is where does the definition of elite stop? Someone above suggested #20, and since NYU is #30 that would qualify. Others might disagree with that math.

Where does any adjective stop? "Tall", for instance? At what height is someone not tall? Or a building not tall?

I think the objection is to the people saying NYU is one of the best schools in the country and better than the Dukes and UChicagos of the world.

Exactly who has said that NYU is better than U. Chicago or Duke?

[Anonymous]

“The true absolute upper crust of higher education is HYPSM, Caltech, perhaps.” Full stop

[Anonymous]

NYU is overrated. Case closed. Move on with your lives.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I also don't understand the importance of international reputation.

This thread has "USN rankings" in the headline. NYU is ranked #30 out of 3,000 or so. I am not gifted in the maths, but doesn't that put it in the top 1%?

Someone needs to define what percent is "elite". If that number is 0.25%, then NYU is not elite.

So what is the number?

It's the NYU boosters bragging about NYU being the bests school in the nation, in part because of their supposed international reputation and because the "newly wealthy" in Middle East and Asia are apparently just dying to attend. It's like orientalist but 100% more self-serving and oblivious, which is saying a lot.

I think NYU is moderately prestigious, but it does not belong in the absolute upper crust of American higher education, which most would agree is the top ~20 schools in the nation.

Here we go again with the "Top 20" schools, unless that list includes the top SLACs.

Vanderbilt and Washington University have more common with Wake Forest and Case Western Reserve than with Harvard or MIT.

The true absolute upper crust of higher education is HYPSM, Caltech, perhaps Columbia and Penn recently. Yale is becoming questionable.

Chicago, Duke, Hopkins and Northwestern boosters will continue to somehow include those universities in the list. Doing so is going far down past the crust.

What school did you attend?