<p>Richard Vedder and co. use a different rubric to measure the rankings of unis and colleges:</p>
<p>How</a> to Choose a College - Forbes.com</p>
<p>I know how arbitrary these rankings can be, but I just love that Wellesley moves up one spot in this ranking. (One spot above Swarthmore College! heh)</p>
<p>I guess we all have an idea about rankings but how can comparisons be made? I don't think anyone who's considering Mt. Holyoke or Smith would fit fit in well at the U.S. military Academy. What comprises the rankings? Random thoughts here......Birmingham South over Middlebury? Hillsdale College over Wheaton and Wheaton over Bucknell? I'd suggest each prospective student visit as many places as possible which seem to offer any pssibility of a fit. Though I for example hold the highest regard for Annapolis,neither of my kids would be happy there.</p>
<p>FYI, the CCAP rankings of national universities as published by Forbes.com is inaccurate as to CCAP's actual ranking of SMU. Forbes.com lists SMU as 13 when, in fact, it's ranked by CCAP as 43. Take a look at CCAP's own list at the bottom of its own home page:The Center for College Affordability and Productivity. As you will see, the top 20 schools now begin with Harvard and end with Brandeis. BTW, I confirmed the accuracy of the CCAP-published list by email with CCAP.</p>