How accurately do the USNWR rankings reflect a school's strength?

Parent Cafe
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If I considered these important in how good a school is then I would use them, for me they are social issues that have nothing to do with getting a quality education so I wouldn’t consider them, but that is JMHO. Mine do align somewhat with USNWR but I don’t like all of what they use.

  1. Graduation rate - 4 year
  2. Quality of the cohort (peer student scores/grades/other)
  3. Quality of the faculty (recognized as at/near the top in there field)
  4. Class size (percentage of classes under 20)
  5. Research/Intern opportunities (do they manage a National Lab?)
  6. Diversity (not racial but cultural)

These are things that determine fit IMO

Things I don’t care about:

  1. The weather
  2. Alumni giving
  3. Social issues (IRT to the institution)