<p>This thread is intended as a one-stop shop for students and others interested in colleges ranked in the USNWR Top 50 National Universities and the USNWR Top 25 LACs on a wide variety of data points that are presented in the 2009 USNWR online edition. </p>
<p>While readers may differ on the value they assign to any single piece of information, I believe that comparisons of top colleges on various USNWR metrics are frequently useful and often enlightening. Such comparisons help the reader to separate the hype from the reality and provide a more objective basis for evaluating the nature and sometimes the quality of the undergraduate academic environment at various colleges.</p>
<p>On a micro basis, these comparisons may also help one make better-informed judgments on issues such as student body strength, the size of the classroom that a student will encounter, the resources that a school can devote to its students, the size of the school population, the ethnic diversity of the school, the history of the school, the difficulty of admission, etc. </p>
<p>Caveat: these are not necessarily the highest ranked schools in these categories, but how these schools compare to one another, ie, schools that are ranked lower overall by USWNR may place in the Top 50 or Top 25 on an individual data point, but they would not be represented in the data presented here. </p>
<p>Below are the threads that I created from the USNWR data (with an assist on PA from another poster): </p>
<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/562332-usnwr-2009-looking-top-strata-i-freshmen-retention.html%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/562332-usnwr-2009-looking-top-strata-i-freshmen-retention.html</a></p>
<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/563598-usnwr-2009-looking-top-strata-ii-top-10-students.html%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/563598-usnwr-2009-looking-top-strata-ii-top-10-students.html</a></p>
<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/565007-usnwr-2009-looking-top-strata-iii-rd-ed-acceptance-rates.html%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/565007-usnwr-2009-looking-top-strata-iii-rd-ed-acceptance-rates.html</a></p>
<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/566289-usnwr-2009-looking-top-strata-iv-year-founding.html%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/566289-usnwr-2009-looking-top-strata-iv-year-founding.html</a></p>
<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/567783-usnwr-2009-looking-top-strata-v-transfer-data.html%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/567783-usnwr-2009-looking-top-strata-v-transfer-data.html</a></p>
<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/569540-usnwr-2009-looking-top-strata-vi-alumni-giving.html%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/569540-usnwr-2009-looking-top-strata-vi-alumni-giving.html</a></p>
<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/570581-usnwr-2009-looking-top-strata-vii-undergraduate-peer-assessment.html?highlight=keefer%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/570581-usnwr-2009-looking-top-strata-vii-undergraduate-peer-assessment.html?highlight=keefer</a></p>
<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/571424-usnwr-2009-looking-data-viii-undergraduate-enrollment.html%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/571424-usnwr-2009-looking-data-viii-undergraduate-enrollment.html</a></p>
<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/572308-usnwr-2009-looking-data-ix-total-enrollment.html%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/572308-usnwr-2009-looking-data-ix-total-enrollment.html</a></p>
<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/574003-usnwr-2009-looking-data-x-student-faculty-ratio.html%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/574003-usnwr-2009-looking-data-x-student-faculty-ratio.html</a></p>
<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/574812-usnwr-2009-looking-data-xi-class-sizes.html%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/574812-usnwr-2009-looking-data-xi-class-sizes.html</a></p>
<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/576861-usnwr-2009-looking-data-xii-sticker-price.html%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/576861-usnwr-2009-looking-data-xii-sticker-price.html</a></p>
<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/578345-usnwr-2009-looking-data-xiii-financial-resources-rank.html%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/578345-usnwr-2009-looking-data-xiii-financial-resources-rank.html</a></p>
<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/580481-usnwr-2009-looking-data-xiv-student-diversity.html%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/580481-usnwr-2009-looking-data-xiv-student-diversity.html</a></p>
<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/580481-usnwr-2009-looking-data-xiv-student-diversity.html%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/580481-usnwr-2009-looking-data-xiv-student-diversity.html</a></p>
<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/585845-usnwr-2009-looking-data-xvi-avg-sat-cr-scores-25-75-a.html%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/585845-usnwr-2009-looking-data-xvi-avg-sat-cr-scores-25-75-a.html</a></p>
<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/588151-usnwr-2009-looking-data-xvii-avg-sat-math-scores-25-75-a.html%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/588151-usnwr-2009-looking-data-xvii-avg-sat-math-scores-25-75-a.html</a></p>
<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/589716-usnwr-2009-looking-data-xviii-student-body-depth-via-cr-scores.html%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/589716-usnwr-2009-looking-data-xviii-student-body-depth-via-cr-scores.html</a></p>
<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/591476-usnwr-2009-looking-data-ixx-student-body-depth-via-math-scores.html%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/591476-usnwr-2009-looking-data-ixx-student-body-depth-via-math-scores.html</a></p>
<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/593729-usnwr-2009-looking-data-xx-student-body-depth-via-act-scores.html%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/593729-usnwr-2009-looking-data-xx-student-body-depth-via-act-scores.html</a></p>
<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/596884-usnwr-2009-looking-data-xxi-4-year-graduation-rates.html%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/596884-usnwr-2009-looking-data-xxi-4-year-graduation-rates.html</a></p>
<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/598945-usnwr-2009-looking-data-xxii-6-year-graduation-rates.html%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/598945-usnwr-2009-looking-data-xxii-6-year-graduation-rates.html</a></p>
<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/600013-usnwr-2009-looking-data-xxiii-wait-list.html%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/600013-usnwr-2009-looking-data-xxiii-wait-list.html</a></p>
<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/601657-usnwr-2009-looking-data-xxiv-profs-w-terminal-degrees.html%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/601657-usnwr-2009-looking-data-xxiv-profs-w-terminal-degrees.html</a></p>
<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/607428-usnwr-2009-looking-data-xxv-yield.html%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/607428-usnwr-2009-looking-data-xxv-yield.html</a></p>
<p>Finally, there are additional threads that I could have created, including:
1. % of students who went directly on to graduate study
2. % of students who pursue Study Abroad
3. % of classes taught by TAs
4. % of full-time and part-time faculty </p>
<p>The data is not always complete, so I didn't pursue these but would be happy to publish them if anyone wants to see them.</p>
<p>As we enter the home stretch for completing college applications, I bring up this thread in the event that anyone is still searching for a few colleges to add to their lists.</p>
<p>And for high school juniors and sophomores, perhaps some of these threads will provide some insights on how many top colleges compare to one another on a wide variety of data points.</p>