<p>why isn't Tufts on that list? What the hell?</p>
<p>it's been established in other threads that it's due to the fact that Tufts is ranked 28th by USNWR</p>
<p>^Yeah, but why is it ranked so low in the USNWR? It seems illogical.</p>
<p>28th is not low at all.</p>
<p>Some schools play the games that cater to USNWR rankings better than Tufts does, or cares to.
WashU, which I think is one of the best schools out there, is expert at playing the stats game that keeps up its USNWR ranking. It doesn't disclose what percent of ED applicants are admitted, or how much lower their "numbers" are than its RD acceptees, and its supplement does not require an essay. Tufts, on the other hand, has a truly burdensome supplement - they figure that if you really want to go there you'll deal with it - and, at least where I come from, there is very little difference between the kids who get accepted RD and ED.
Tufts also does not have an endowment to rival that of places like Wash U, Northwestern or others (it's not bad, it's just not exceptional, as those are).
Finally, the Peer Assessment is, indeed, a big factor in keeping Tufts' ranking down, but I think it is a lagging factor. Tufts' academic reputation is superb.
You also shouldn't be looking at just one ranking: there are Fiske, Princeton Review and Forbes, among others, and I think Tufts enjoys very solid ratings in those.
In the end, the important thing is whether a school offers excellent academics and the right "other" elements - such as size, location, Greek life or no, athletics - that are important to an individual applicant.</p>