<p>august </p>
<p>IMO, one can get an excellent undergraduate education at any of the schools you’ve listed. Rankings are only one man’s opinion. At best, they are a reflection of the a schools reputation. For me – if a list ‘feels right’ for the schools I know, I assume (subject to verification) that it’s probably close for schools I don’t know.</p>
<p>Personally, I like USNWR (but don’t love it) – it mostly feels right (though there are biases in their system). Forbes seems weird to me, Example – Washington & Lee ranked higher than Penn, Cal Tech, Brown, Northwestern, Duke, Tufts, Vanderbilt, Dartmouth, UVa, Cornell, etc. seems just silly (No knock on W&L – good school, just not in the same tier as the others.)</p>
<p>Bottom line – on a National basis in the US. Cornell probably has a marginally better reputation than the others, followed closely by Michigan, UCB. Tufts is an excellent school and certainly in the same class for those who know it, but some mistakenly consider it to be a bit of a regional school. (which probably fits into your Father’s thinking – he’s not alone, btw). I honestly don’t know how Tufts vs Cornell is viewed internationally, if you’re going to return to your country after Graduation. </p>
<p>In your situation – one can easily justify Tufts as a first choice based on fit and curriculum. However, if your family will only support an Ivy, you won’t go wrong with Cornell.</p>