<p>I was waiting for some thread to sprout on the latest rankings.<br>
Isn't that an impressive showing?<br>
Do Carls care about these rankings or is it a 'Whatever, we know we are good' attitude? :)</p>
<p>I was very pleased and proud to see that Carleton moves up on the list every year. Particularly now that US News is using an MO that measures outcomes rather than reputation.</p>
<p>Here’s the part that I like: [Best</a> Undergraduate Teaching | Rankings | Top National Liberal Arts Colleges | US News](<a href=“http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-liberal-arts-colleges/undergraduate-teaching]Best”>http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-liberal-arts-colleges/undergraduate-teaching)</p>
<p>One of the truly impressive things about Carleton is that no matter which list you look at, it is always near the very top of the rankings for excellent teaching. </p>
<p>Here’s the component breakdown for the Forbes ranking:</p>
<p><a href=“CollegeLifeHelper.com”>CollegeLifeHelper.com;
<p>The ‘RMP’ column is their specially tweaked version of the ‘Rate My Professors’ website data and Carleton is way up at number 5 (and well above its peer institutions). Princeton Review also has it at #11 on its ‘Professors Get High Marks’ list. Both of these latter two metrics are based on student surveys, whereas the USNWR list is peer assessment.</p>
<p>No matter how you slice it, Carleton is right at the top of the heap when it comes to great teaching.</p>
<p>Yes, sunmachine. I think that is what good education is all about.</p>
<p>I am glad to see Carleton back up there. My friends and I used to joke about getting accepted to a top 5 school and graduating from a top 10 school. I am just sort of generally pleased to see Carleton get some recognition there. It is however one of those things where we realize that the difference between 10 and 6 is a matter of metrics rather than actual quality differences. I also know that Carleton has moved around some in past years, but I don’t really think it has anything to do with what is actually going on at Carleton.</p>
<p>“I was very pleased and proud to see that Carleton moves up on the list every year.”</p>
<p>Carleton’s US News ranking has actually moved little over time. In the last 15 years it’s held positions from #4 to #8 averaging out around #6, right where it sits this year. </p>
<p>I may have little respect for the parade of media rankings out there, but I agree I’d rather have a presence at the top of these than have to explain an absence.</p>
<p>BTW, Carleton won’t be promoting any of these rankings. Rob Oden signed onto a joint statement with several other college presidents in 2007 not to promote the competitive rankings onslaught. </p>
<p>I, however, having signed no such document, am free to booster at will. In addition to our #1 “Best Undergraduate Teaching” position we are also #1 “Most Loved School.” These are rankings I’m happy to promote because, well, who can argue with their brilliant accuracy? :)</p>
<p>I didn’t know about the #1 Most-Loved School, but that was a nice surprise. Thanks for posting this!</p>
<p>I view these rankings mainly as conversation pieces. Still, everyone likes a compliment.</p>