<li>Harvard University 1.67</li>
<li>Princeton University 2.08</li>
<li>Yale University 2.46</li>
<li>Stanford University 4.33</li>
<li>Massachusetts Inst. of Technology 5.76</li>
<li>California Inst. of Technology 6.43</li>
<li>Duke University 6.48</li>
<li>Dartmouth College 8.63</li>
<li>University of Pennsylvania 9.64</li>
<li>Columbia University 10.23</li>
<li>University of Chicago 10.42</li>
<li>Cornell University 12.00</li>
<li>Northwestern University 13.32</li>
<li>Brown University 14.00</li>
<li>Johns Hopkins University 14.14</li>
<li>Rice University 14.73</li>
<li>Washington University 16.32</li>
<li>University of Notre Dame 16.38</li>
<li>Emory University 16.81</li>
<li>University of California-Berkeley 18.50</li>
<li>Vanderbilt University 19.05</li>
<li>Georgetown University 20.86</li>
<li>University of Virginia 20.91</li>
<li>University of Michigan-Ann Arbor 21.99</li>
<li>Carnegie Mellon University 22.35</li>
<li>University of California-Los Angeles 24.43</li>
<li>U. of North Carolina-Chapel Hill 23.83</li>
<li>Tufts University 26.50</li>
<li>Wake Forest University 27.11</li>
</ol>
<p>That's probably the closest US News has come to an accurate ranking... though there are still flaws.</p>
<p>By "there are still flaws" do you mean "there is even less of a consistent methodology than before?"</p>
<p>^^ there is no measure of consistency in a ranking that just averages other rankings. The methodology is simple here, though obviously the methodology of the rankings over the years is very inconsistent.</p>
<p>By "flaws," I mean that there are certain schools that should be a little higher, others a little lower. For example, UCLA should especially be in the top 25 at least (if U Mich is there, so should UCLA); Emory shouldn't be ranked ahead of Georgetown or Berkeley; and so on.</p>
<p>
[quote]
^^ there is no measure of consistency in a ranking that just averages other rankings. The methodology is simple here, though obviously the methodology of the rankings over the years is very inconsistent.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>That was sort of the point.</p>
<p>What's your basis for the changes you're proposing? Isn't USNWR based entirely on math (minus the "peer review," which is still given a specific weight)?</p>
<p>But the measures that US News chooses to incorporate are questionable themselves, as are the weights assigned to the measures. For example, what if I were to include in the ranking a measure of the number of trees on campus? To me, that's about as important as alumni giving. (Actually, I'd consider trees on campus more important than alumni giving--I love trees and forest-like campuses. :))</p>
<p>Further, what if I were to give that 20% of the score? Arbitrary, no?</p>
<p>I'm pretty sure you can make a better case for alumni giving than trees. Alumni giving has some logical correlation with the degree to which students were satisfied with their education and the opportunities it opened up to them.</p>
<p>Trees? Err...</p>
<p>Not when some schools give you 5$ upon graduation and ask you donate it back, thus giving near 100% alumni giving rate.</p>
<p>Number of trees? No.
Cuteness of squirrels? YES!</p>
<p>Those schools are mediocre and not of my concern (nor that of the prestige-crazed CC masses) anyway.</p>
<p>Bagels? No.
Festivus? YES!</p>
<p>
[quote]
But the measures that US News chooses to incorporate are questionable themselves, as are the weights assigned to the measures. For example, what if I were to include in the ranking a measure of the number of trees on campus? To me, that's about as important as alumni giving. (Actually, I'd consider trees on campus more important than alumni giving--I love trees and forest-like campuses. )</p>
<p>Further, what if I were to give that 20% of the score? Arbitrary, no?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I don't know whether you realize we're on the same side. I'm also saying that the ranking system is flawed and doesn't measure anything relevant, and that I'm immensely frustrated by the amount of attention the people on here give to it, because if everyone stopped crapping his or her pants about Columbia being level with Duke maybe just maybe the list would go away and not come back.</p>