Anonymous
04/13/2013 16:37
Subject: Which rankings are most important?
Anonymous
04/13/2013 16:34
Subject: Which rankings are most important?
Anonymous wrote:Everyone seems to hate the US News rankings, but they are the gold standard for now.
Gold standard of what? Hype? Their attempt to quantify colleges means they pick "objective" criteria that are not most people's criteria, and that can be and are juiced by the colleges. How do you measure attention paid to undergraduates? Quality of life? Rigor of teaching? These are the factors most sane people will be looking at and they aren't captured by these ridiculous rankings.
Anonymous
04/13/2013 14:19
Subject: Which rankings are most important?
Do you have links to the WSJ rankings?
Anonymous
04/13/2013 13:58
Subject: Which rankings are most important?
the two that i think needs to be expanded are WSJ's top feeder school list (i.e. it ranks based on what percentage of the graduating class of a particular college goes on to an elite professional grad program..md,jd,mba) - it is not fleshed out well though (since it leaves of top phd programs) or done every year.
the others would be my own custom ranking...i'd select schools then call up or email to their career services and get a list who comes to campus for OCS/OCI and strongly recruits kids.
The wsj 'top recruiter' school ranking is stupid as it ranks PSU number one but trust me McKinsey and its ilk are not sending anyone to PSU for recruiting compared to somewhere like Dartmouth.
Between those two rankings i'd get an idea of what schools do the best job in preparing kids for top future academic programs or jobs.
the others would be my own custom ranking...i'd select schools then call up or email to their career services and get a list who comes to campus for OCS/OCI and strongly recruits kids.
The wsj 'top recruiter' school ranking is stupid as it ranks PSU number one but trust me McKinsey and its ilk are not sending anyone to PSU for recruiting compared to somewhere like Dartmouth.
Between those two rankings i'd get an idea of what schools do the best job in preparing kids for top future academic programs or jobs.
Anonymous
04/13/2013 12:09
Subject: Which rankings are most important?
Anonymous wrote:Everyone seems to hate the US News rankings, but they are the gold standard for now.
I agree, US News is the one everyone talks about. But Huffington does have some good ones if you want to get a little more tailored in your decision-making, like "10 colleges with most athletic women" and "10 best value private colleges" and "10 best value public colleges" and "10 best colleges for IT" and more.
Anonymous
04/13/2013 12:05
Subject: Which rankings are most important?
Everyone seems to hate the US News rankings, but they are the gold standard for now.
Anonymous
04/13/2013 09:43
Subject: Which rankings are most important?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:For you numbers geeks out there, http://metauniversityranking.com/worlds-top-50-universities-metascore/
"Meta University Ranking combines the three major university rankings – ARWU (Academic Ranking of World Universities), QS (QS World University Ranking) and THE (Times Higher Education World University Ranking) – and averages them to provide a more objective view about which colleges really stand out."
One person's "objective" is another person's nonsense. Wisconsin and UCSD better than Brown? Riiiiight
There seems to be an emphasis on research - which means little to most undergrads
Point taken. Although to be fair, this is a mashup of international rankings, and the emphasis is supposed to be research. If you're looking for "12 free tuition colleges" or "best satellite campuses" or "colleges with best dorms" or even "best party school," then Huffington Post's numerous lists might be a better bet: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/college-rankings/
Anonymous
04/13/2013 09:26
Subject: Which rankings are most important?
Anonymous wrote:For you numbers geeks out there, http://metauniversityranking.com/worlds-top-50-universities-metascore/
"Meta University Ranking combines the three major university rankings – ARWU (Academic Ranking of World Universities), QS (QS World University Ranking) and THE (Times Higher Education World University Ranking) – and averages them to provide a more objective view about which colleges really stand out."
One person's "objective" is another person's nonsense. Wisconsin and UCSD better than Brown? Riiiiight
There seems to be an emphasis on research - which means little to most undergrads
Anonymous
04/13/2013 08:22
Subject: Which rankings are most important?
For you numbers geeks out there, http://metauniversityranking.com/worlds-top-50-universities-metascore/
"Meta University Ranking combines the three major university rankings – ARWU (Academic Ranking of World Universities), QS (QS World University Ranking) and THE (Times Higher Education World University Ranking) – and averages them to provide a more objective view about which colleges really stand out."
"Meta University Ranking combines the three major university rankings – ARWU (Academic Ranking of World Universities), QS (QS World University Ranking) and THE (Times Higher Education World University Ranking) – and averages them to provide a more objective view about which colleges really stand out."
Anonymous
04/13/2013 07:50
Subject: Which rankings are most important?
The USNEWS Guidance Counseler rankings are eye opening. Though generally similar to the main rankings there are some differences.
http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities/high-school-counselor/spp%2B50
These rankings are more difficult to manipulate.
http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities/high-school-counselor/spp%2B50
These rankings are more difficult to manipulate.
Anonymous
04/08/2013 17:27
Subject: Which rankings are most important?
For those of you who follow college sports, think of academic ratings as every bit as reliable as the rankings before the NCAA basketball tournament. Hint: You won’t see Gonzaga, Kansas, Indiana . . . on your TV tonight. Use the rankings as a tool. Research the schools; visit the schools; talk to students at the schools and apply to enough schools to make sure you have a good option.
Anonymous
04/08/2013 14:59
Subject: Which rankings are most important?
They are just another tool and to be used as a guideline. And in my opinion there isn't much difference in the school ranked #6 and the school ranked #15. Once you get into the 35+ rankings, though, you really are talking about a different caliber of student and the test scores, etc. pretty much bear this out. Surely we are not saying that the student bodies of all schools are exactly the same. Can there be a student at UMBC who is every bit as capable as a student at Brown or Dartmouth - there was a student in my child's graduating class that got into all 3 schools but simply couldn't afford Brown or Dartmouth.
And the PP who thinks employers aren't aware of the rankings I also think you're kidding yourselves. Otherwise they wouldn't know how to target on-campus recruiting.
And the PP who thinks employers aren't aware of the rankings I also think you're kidding yourselves. Otherwise they wouldn't know how to target on-campus recruiting.
Anonymous
04/08/2013 14:22
Subject: Which rankings are most important?
Everyone knows Darmouth - but in evaluating a resume from Colorado College against one from Beacon College wouldn't you be a little interested in their respective rankings?
Anonymous
04/08/2013 14:19
Subject: Which rankings are most important?
Anonymous wrote:Employers know about Dartmouth and other schools. if they care about such things they don't need nor will they consult US News. Its not like they are coming in from Mars with no other information sources. Why would they care that in one particularly year, more applicants said no to Middlebury and more said yes to Bowdoin?
There is no ranking that can tell you about the culture of a school, which is one of the most important aspects of a fit. I'll bet if your DC makes a list of what is important to him or her in a college, very few of the things on that list will be taken into account for rankings.
School visits are MUCH more helpful than rankings. My DC scratched some schools she had thought would be high on her list off completely after she saw them. And fell in love with others she hadn't thought would be high on her list.
Agree that school visits are MUCH more helpful than rankings - but where do you start? I'm one of those people who doesn't have time to visit 3.500 school. Best source of information is current students that you know.
Anonymous
04/08/2013 14:07
Subject: Which rankings are most important?
Anonymous wrote:Employers know about Dartmouth and other schools. if they care about such things they don't need nor will they consult US News. Its not like they are coming in from Mars with no other information sources. Why would they care that in one particularly year, more applicants said no to Middlebury and more said yes to Bowdoin?
Yes, you're right. You know more about what employers want than any of the rest of us. I stand down and bow to your superior knowledge, and I hope the other posters who disagreed with you will do the same.
