Anonymous
Post 09/04/2022 12:31     Subject: Forbes and Washington Monthly college rankings for 2022 just released this week

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:No one cares about these rankings. It's the US News ranking that matters.


You were ahead with the first sentence. Then the second sentence showed up. Sad.


You clearly aren't a college counselor


Maybe they're not, but I am. You're not doing your students any favors if you're advising them that the US News rankings matter.



You can ignore the gold standard all you want and keep saying USNWR doesn’t matter but it is the reason schools are behaving the way they are about admissions …. Everything is tied to the reporting of stats to USNWR. I’m not saying that’s correct but it is what it is. Hence the fuss over number of acceptances and focus on yield, stats, gpa and test scores. This problem is what us driving admissions offices and marketing for our nation’s institutions of higher learning. To ignore that is foolish. All of the other ranks started because everyone realized there is money in rankings (wash Monthly sells ads to institutions hoping for a good rating; also pants and students subscribe to see the list).


This isn't quite right. Yield doesn't impact USNWR rankings--colleges care about that because they care about managing enrollment. A lot of the admissions factors have nothing to do with rankings--they have everything to do with enrollment. Admissions is a relatively small aspect of USNWR rankings but a critical part of colleges being able to pay their expenses.

Some colleges care a lot about USNWR and adjust their behaviors to its measures. Most colleges care somewhat. But I work in higher ed, the impact of the rankings is waning rather than growing.



Let's hope you are correct. Pursuit of rankings has probably driven up hundreds of billions in costs and debt.
Anonymous
Post 09/03/2022 17:57     Subject: Forbes and Washington Monthly college rankings for 2022 just released this week

Did they calculate Forbes correctly? Pomona fell by 60+ spots while the methodology is similar and so are the institutional characteristics. It has been ranked in the top 20 for the last decade or so.
Anonymous
Post 09/03/2022 16:56     Subject: Forbes and Washington Monthly college rankings for 2022 just released this week

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:No one cares about these rankings. It's the US News ranking that matters.


You were ahead with the first sentence. Then the second sentence showed up. Sad.


You clearly aren't a college counselor


Maybe they're not, but I am. You're not doing your students any favors if you're advising them that the US News rankings matter.



You can ignore the gold standard all you want and keep saying USNWR doesn’t matter but it is the reason schools are behaving the way they are about admissions …. Everything is tied to the reporting of stats to USNWR. I’m not saying that’s correct but it is what it is. Hence the fuss over number of acceptances and focus on yield, stats, gpa and test scores. This problem is what us driving admissions offices and marketing for our nation’s institutions of higher learning. To ignore that is foolish. All of the other ranks started because everyone realized there is money in rankings (wash Monthly sells ads to institutions hoping for a good rating; also pants and students subscribe to see the list).


This isn't quite right. Yield doesn't impact USNWR rankings--colleges care about that because they care about managing enrollment. A lot of the admissions factors have nothing to do with rankings--they have everything to do with enrollment. Admissions is a relatively small aspect of USNWR rankings but a critical part of colleges being able to pay their expenses.

Some colleges care a lot about USNWR and adjust their behaviors to its measures. Most colleges care somewhat. But I work in higher ed, the impact of the rankings is waning rather than growing.



Yield is most definitely reported. It was the only thing that the admissions office at Princeton cared about when DS applied SCEA. "If DS is admitted SCEA, will they absolutely attend?"
Anonymous
Post 09/03/2022 16:55     Subject: Re:Forbes and Washington Monthly college rankings for 2022 just released this week

Anonymous wrote:
I wish the OP who keeps posting these would stop. Or just stick with USNWR. Wash. Monthly has no staff to really research this and write it up. Same with CollegeNiche, whom someone posted last week. It is all USNWR.


Pretty funny that in a year when USNWR actually had to de-list the university it had ranked number 2 in the entire country because of submission of suspect (and unverified) data that USNWR relied on - leaving just as much egg on USNWR's face as on Columbia's -- some DCUMer is arguing that USNWR rankings serve as some sort of gold standard and that no other publication devotes the resources to the task that USNWR does.



false equivalents. USNWR does police its submissions. A lot of colleges have been caught in submitting things that were "off" but from an administrative point of view it's very confusing and costly to supply all the material USNWR wants. And not every administrator at every college in the US who reports gets it right.
Anonymous
Post 09/02/2022 17:59     Subject: Forbes and Washington Monthly college rankings for 2022 just released this week

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:No one cares about these rankings. It's the US News ranking that matters.


You were ahead with the first sentence. Then the second sentence showed up. Sad.


You clearly aren't a college counselor


Maybe they're not, but I am. You're not doing your students any favors if you're advising them that the US News rankings matter.



You can ignore the gold standard all you want and keep saying USNWR doesn’t matter but it is the reason schools are behaving the way they are about admissions …. Everything is tied to the reporting of stats to USNWR. I’m not saying that’s correct but it is what it is. Hence the fuss over number of acceptances and focus on yield, stats, gpa and test scores. This problem is what us driving admissions offices and marketing for our nation’s institutions of higher learning. To ignore that is foolish. All of the other ranks started because everyone realized there is money in rankings (wash Monthly sells ads to institutions hoping for a good rating; also pants and students subscribe to see the list).


I wasn't claiming college counselors should tell their students the rankings don't matter to colleges. They should be telling them they don't matter with regard to the students' future success.
Anonymous
Post 09/02/2022 16:04     Subject: Re:Forbes and Washington Monthly college rankings for 2022 just released this week

Both US News and the Wall Street Journal / Times Higher Education ratings systems provide a wealth of information for readers to use or to ignore.

No one forces anyone to read, respect, or to use either or any rating & ranking system. They just provide information.

Interesting how some disparage rating and ranking systems, yet blindly buy into anecdotes of a happy parent who is pleased that his or her student reportedly loved or enjoyed the experience at XYZ school.
Anonymous
Post 09/02/2022 15:19     Subject: Re:Forbes and Washington Monthly college rankings for 2022 just released this week

I wish the OP who keeps posting these would stop. Or just stick with USNWR. Wash. Monthly has no staff to really research this and write it up. Same with CollegeNiche, whom someone posted last week. It is all USNWR.


Pretty funny that in a year when USNWR actually had to de-list the university it had ranked number 2 in the entire country because of submission of suspect (and unverified) data that USNWR relied on - leaving just as much egg on USNWR's face as on Columbia's -- some DCUMer is arguing that USNWR rankings serve as some sort of gold standard and that no other publication devotes the resources to the task that USNWR does.
Anonymous
Post 09/02/2022 14:50     Subject: Forbes and Washington Monthly college rankings for 2022 just released this week

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:No one cares about these rankings. It's the US News ranking that matters.


You were ahead with the first sentence. Then the second sentence showed up. Sad.


You clearly aren't a college counselor


Maybe they're not, but I am. You're not doing your students any favors if you're advising them that the US News rankings matter.



You can ignore the gold standard all you want and keep saying USNWR doesn’t matter but it is the reason schools are behaving the way they are about admissions …. Everything is tied to the reporting of stats to USNWR. I’m not saying that’s correct but it is what it is. Hence the fuss over number of acceptances and focus on yield, stats, gpa and test scores. This problem is what us driving admissions offices and marketing for our nation’s institutions of higher learning. To ignore that is foolish. All of the other ranks started because everyone realized there is money in rankings (wash Monthly sells ads to institutions hoping for a good rating; also pants and students subscribe to see the list).


This isn't quite right. Yield doesn't impact USNWR rankings--colleges care about that because they care about managing enrollment. A lot of the admissions factors have nothing to do with rankings--they have everything to do with enrollment. Admissions is a relatively small aspect of USNWR rankings but a critical part of colleges being able to pay their expenses.

Some colleges care a lot about USNWR and adjust their behaviors to its measures. Most colleges care somewhat. But I work in higher ed, the impact of the rankings is waning rather than growing.
Anonymous
Post 09/02/2022 14:44     Subject: Forbes and Washington Monthly college rankings for 2022 just released this week

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:No one cares about these rankings. It's the US News ranking that matters.


You were ahead with the first sentence. Then the second sentence showed up. Sad.


You clearly aren't a college counselor


Maybe they're not, but I am. You're not doing your students any favors if you're advising them that the US News rankings matter.



You can ignore the gold standard all you want and keep saying USNWR doesn’t matter but it is the reason schools are behaving the way they are about admissions …. Everything is tied to the reporting of stats to USNWR. I’m not saying that’s correct but it is what it is. Hence the fuss over number of acceptances and focus on yield, stats, gpa and test scores. This problem is what us driving admissions offices and marketing for our nation’s institutions of higher learning. To ignore that is foolish. All of the other ranks started because everyone realized there is money in rankings (wash Monthly sells ads to institutions hoping for a good rating; also pants and students subscribe to see the list).
Anonymous
Post 09/01/2022 09:23     Subject: Forbes and Washington Monthly college rankings for 2022 just released this week

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:No one cares about these rankings. It's the US News ranking that matters.


None of them matter.


+1 I'm also glad to see more people are realizing this. USNWR is moving off its throne as more of these rankings multiply and people start to see the arbitrariness of it all by where different schools land when you shake out the data in different ways. Fortunately that just dismantles the idea of any ranking system being that meaningful rather than giving the throne to a new competitor. USNWR will likely continue to lead the rankings, but just fewer people will care about the enterprise at all. It already seems a little pathetic when a school obviously is "working" the rankings rather than just following its mission.

The shifts in colleges admissions policies with some going to test optional, some not reporting GPA on CDS due to variations in grading, some not reporting data to ranking systems at all, etc. are going to turn the tide away from this several decade way of focusing on ranking colleges because people will start to see they produce more "weird" results that don't align with reality (e.g., x school that gamed the ranking system didn't suddenly become so much better than y school that didn't). I think people will instead go back to something like the Princeton Review where they gather up a large group of colleges generally considered good and reputable and don't rank them. But I think the difference will be they add more targeted data and maybe even rankings within categories so you can look up what matters to you (e.g., career outcomes for psychology majors, alumni satisfaction with school, Med school admissions rates)plus more qualitative aspects about the schools to guide your decision-making.

It may take awhile, but I've already seen it happening.


Agreed. None of the rankings matter
Anonymous
Post 09/01/2022 08:38     Subject: Forbes and Washington Monthly college rankings for 2022 just released this week

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:No one cares about these rankings. It's the US News ranking that matters.


None of them matter.


+1 I'm also glad to see more people are realizing this. USNWR is moving off its throne as more of these rankings multiply and people start to see the arbitrariness of it all by where different schools land when you shake out the data in different ways. Fortunately that just dismantles the idea of any ranking system being that meaningful rather than giving the throne to a new competitor. USNWR will likely continue to lead the rankings, but just fewer people will care about the enterprise at all. It already seems a little pathetic when a school obviously is "working" the rankings rather than just following its mission.

The shifts in colleges admissions policies with some going to test optional, some not reporting GPA on CDS due to variations in grading, some not reporting data to ranking systems at all, etc. are going to turn the tide away from this several decade way of focusing on ranking colleges because people will start to see they produce more "weird" results that don't align with reality (e.g., x school that gamed the ranking system didn't suddenly become so much better than y school that didn't). I think people will instead go back to something like the Princeton Review where they gather up a large group of colleges generally considered good and reputable and don't rank them. But I think the difference will be they add more targeted data and maybe even rankings within categories so you can look up what matters to you (e.g., career outcomes for psychology majors, alumni satisfaction with school, Med school admissions rates)plus more qualitative aspects about the schools to guide your decision-making.

It may take awhile, but I've already seen it happening.
Anonymous
Post 09/01/2022 08:20     Subject: Forbes and Washington Monthly college rankings for 2022 just released this week

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:No one cares about these rankings. It's the US News ranking that matters.


You were ahead with the first sentence. Then the second sentence showed up. Sad.


You clearly aren't a college counselor


Maybe they're not, but I am. You're not doing your students any favors if you're advising them that the US News rankings matter.
Anonymous
Post 09/01/2022 05:41     Subject: Forbes and Washington Monthly college rankings for 2022 just released this week

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Washington Monthly has GW at 44! Highest I have ever seen. Let's see if US News puts it back in the top 50.


Well at least my kids will redeem me--two at two different Ivies though not HYP alas.


Redeem you for what?


For failing to get into an Ivy.


God help us if we need redemption for that.
Anonymous
Post 08/31/2022 23:50     Subject: Forbes and Washington Monthly college rankings for 2022 just released this week

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Washington Monthly has GW at 44! Highest I have ever seen. Let's see if US News puts it back in the top 50.


Well at least my kids will redeem me--two at two different Ivies though not HYP alas.


Redeem you for what?


For failing to get into an Ivy.
Anonymous
Post 08/31/2022 18:40     Subject: Forbes and Washington Monthly college rankings for 2022 just released this week

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:No one cares about these rankings. It's the US News ranking that matters.


You were ahead with the first sentence. Then the second sentence showed up. Sad.


You clearly aren't a college counselor