<p>Is there somewhere on this site that explains what some of the abbreviations and different terms mean for someone new to the whole college search process? (i.e. URM, third tier college, etc.) I looked under FAQ, but didn't see anything like what I am asking.</p>
<p>Here’s one of the more extensive threads on the subject; it’s the last sticky above.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/52585-abbreviation-thread.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/52585-abbreviation-thread.html</a></p>
<p>Thank you. I saw it right after I hit post. Story of my life. :-)</p>
<p>third tier college is a phrase based on the premise that colleges can be graded and rated as precisely as checking off correct math answers on a test.
Such rankings, in general, are popularized by magazines and authors that are in the business of selling rankings. It is their business to convince the public that such rankings exist, are important, and that their publication has the right answers.</p>
<p>Thanks younghoss. I figured it had to be some type of ranking, but never heard of it described in tiers. What designates a 1st, 2nd or 3rd tier school?</p>
<p>The most recent US News rankings, if one considers US News and World Report to be infallible…</p>
<p>Midwest is exactly correct on the “who” of the rankings biz. No doubt USNews is the biggest seller of such rankings. The tiers are imaginary lines that (in this case) USNews has drawn to separate schools. In theory, they take into account the difficulty of admission, scores of incoming frosh, the difficulty of classes, the grad rate, and such. You can look at their website for a more complete picture.
Their rankings seriously come into play for prospective students and parents that don’t realize the importance of the student in all this, and for bragging parents- as in “my son got into the #3 school!” Rankings typically don’t take into account different courses of study as in School A may be rated higher than School B, yet School B may have a better engineering program. So the course of study should come into play. The sales tactic helps make big name schools automatically seem better and more popular, as if “better” meant the same thing to all students.</p>
<p>The US News rankings also don’t help you compare “regional schools” with “national schools” - US News “tiers” only apply to schools that are part of the US News national list. Schools including Villanova and Creighton aren’t on the national list, but are at the top of the “northern” and “midwestern” regional lists.</p>