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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]We have a 9th grader and starting to think about college (in the “what should she be doing to be well-positioned” way, not in the “let’s go on college visits” way). We don’t know what her stats will be, though she’s on track to finish first semester with all As and one B (in an AP class). Obviously no test scores yet. In thinking about the types of school she should be targeting, should we be looking at acceptance rate or ranking? For example, I see Tulane mentioned here a lot and I think she’d be interested. Tulane has a low acceptance rate (11%), but it’s ranked 73 by USNWR. Not sure what to make of these different stats. [/quote]

Someone probably has already said this, but Tulane’s current ranking is a function of USNWR changing its ranking criteria this year to more emphasize what would currently be referred to as “equity” components which would have little effect on the quality of education a high stats kid would receive there. In previous years Tulane was consistently ranked much higher.[/quote]

By virtue of manipulating admissions to align with USNWR ranking criteria (taking almost all of the class ED and thus having a strospheric yield, plus making EA/RD admission very easy to access and targeting kids who aren’t academic fits just so they have a lot of kids to reject). Agree that NE and Chicago are also huge offenders in this area, as are a couple of the NESCACs (someone mentioned Bates, which is awful in the admit the whole class ED area.  But they aren’t the only high ranking SLAC doing this).

IMO, USNWR rankings have been incredibly damaging for US college admissions.  Looking at data is very important. Departmental outcomes?  Class size? Retention? 4 and 6 year graduation rates?  Salary (depending on major— a musician and a CS major are swimming in different pools)— important.   Looking at USNWR and choosing school A over school B solely because one is ranked in the high 30s and the other in the low 50s is lazy and dumb. [/quote]

Ironically, NE is top notch in retention rate, graduation rate, outcome, salary, those data that is hard to manipulate. 
I think these should be the primary criterion and NE seems to be underranked.

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