<p>I got a USnews, chose the colleges in the top 50th, and determined to get in one. But recently, my cousin who was graduated from Stanford came back and told me that she thaught the "classical" top colleges in the USnews is misleading.Because, she said, the criteria of a college is based on the academic devotion of it, which has a closer relation to the graduate educations rather than undergrad. I now feel confused. It is as if my long time belief on the ranking is destroyed.
Could anyone tell me the best way to choose an ideal college?What tool or statistics should I depend on?</p>
<p>best way is to first figure out what is important to YOU, then through a combination of research and campus visit, decide if that college fits the criteria that are important to you. seriously. it will be ideal when the environment matches your personal expectations.</p>
<p>well, thanks for your suggestion.But I am not an American.It is impossible for me to visit the campus.If asked about my personal expectations, I think I would like a college where many new and unique ideas generated.
Do you have any ideas about that kind of colleges?</p>
<p>p.s kfc4u do you like kfc that much?</p>
<p>You don't have to rely on US News to make a sound decision.</p>
<p>You can get an idea of the atmosphere on a college campus at collegeprowIer.com (don't copy and paste; the capital i is supposed to be an l) and princetonreview.com</p>
<p>The academic competitiveness of a college correlates to its students' average SAT scores, class rank and the percentage of students who will go to grad school.</p>
<p>Some schools can provide you with a unique experience that might even enhance your resume even if the college is not ranked at the top (at Reed you can operate a nuclear reactor, for example).</p>
<p>Finally, there are other rankings than US News which you might have a look at, e.g. Washington Monthly's or the PhD Productivity rankings.</p>
<p>The list is a joke. Ignore it.</p>
<p>you can also use the Times rankings</p>
<p>U.S. News rankings are regarded as a joke by a lot of people, like coffeenchicory1 said. Although they can give you a starting point, what you really want to do is research on your own. Now, you don't have to visit the campuses, since these days, everything can be done on the internet, including virtual tours. Request as many materials as possible from any school that you might be interested in, and narrow it down from there, using criteria like location, size of the school, nurturing/individualized work, etc. That's what we were advised to do here in the U.S.</p>
<p>Thank you for all the information above
Now I narrow my search at Reed. But I dont get a high score in the SATI(770 math 630reading 580writing).Nor did I take the SATII. Do you guys think I would be admitted?</p>
<p>Well, sorta, yeah. But then again, so are most of our to-be campus recruiters. :D</p>
<p>Your SAT scores look fine for Reed if English is not your native language and if you don't apply for financial aid as an international.
But you should seriously consider taking the SAT IIs in October.</p>
<p>Oberlin! Oberlin > all. We don't have a nuclear reactor, though. Although we have the largest solar power academic building in the US (which is the environmental studies building), and we were the first college to admit poeple of colour and women. And we are generally were awesome. Also, US News sucks, they ranked us 22.</p>
<p>Be thankful that they even bothered to rank you :p</p>
<p>Curly, didn't you want to go to HYP? How come you ended up at Oberlin with all those non-intellectual artsy kids? :D :D :D</p>
<p>Ssshhh b@r!um ! Don't call Curly "Curly" ... however non-intellectual she may be, she doesn't like it ;)</p>
<p>I did NOT want to go to HYP, my parents wanted me to apply. :(. They rejected me, but I was expecting it. I would've gladly applied to Reed and Wesleyan and Swarthmore instead of HYP. And, no, I am not bitter. I am bitter about my Vassar and Berkeley rejections, however.</p>
<p>I'm not going to comment on the "non intellectual" :-).</p>
<p>Also, I am tired of being made fun of just because I'm enthusiastic about my college.</p>
<p>A trivia question :</p>
<p>What do ppl at HYP do all the time?
ANS: Either they study or they talk about studying... damn that's too boring :D</p>
<p>@ TheOneCurlyFry</p>
<p>I too was bitter about my Vassar rejection... but not now....Lafayette rocks :D</p>
<p>I'm still bitter. They rejected me for financial reasons! :'(. Not that Oberlin doesn't rock, Oberlin is the most awesome school ever.</p>
<p>At HYP, people also get drunk and pass out pretty often.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Could anyone tell me the best way to choose an ideal college?What tool or statistics should I depend on?
[/quote]
College</a> Search & Selection</p>
<p>USnews may not be perfect, but these ranking are a good place to start your search.</p>