From 52 to 12 on Forbes LAC List

Bates went from #52 in 2016 to #12 in 2017 on the Forbes list of top LACs. What’s going on?! No matter what one thinks of ranking lists, that’s a big jump!

Could be because of all the money raised in the last year or so. My understanding is that a relatively small endowment has historically been a reason for Bates’s lower ranking. President Spencer is a powerhouse.

^^Endowment isn’t a metric for the Forbes list

Somebody probably rubbed elbows with the “right” person or paid (um, I mean made the right donation to the right foundation) for the bump. Its really time the consumer took charge of this entire process/system. I seriously doubt any rankings are truly generated completely ethically.

Harvey Mudd also had a huge jump this year. Not sure what Forbes changed, though.

It’s a silly list that blows in the wind from year to year. Do your own homework - academic profile, diversity, student feedback, endowment per student, outcomes, etc.

No sillier than any other list. And I doubt anyone paid to move the college up the list. Especially when considering how some colleges totally game ranking lists, such as USNWR. Personally, I think the Forbes list is good.

Last year Bates students received a record 22 Fulbright US Student awards.