I was at an event recently where there were a handful of current Harvard undergrads sitting around and complaining about a variety of issues there. Basically, their consensus opinion was that they thought it was a joke that Harvard was ranked as a top 3 college program, especially when the focus is not on undergraduate education there. It reminded me of all the complaints that my friends and I had about Hopkins while we were there. From a diploma-status perspective, we were glad that JHU was ranked 11th (at the time), but we did not really like or respect the college then and most of us wish we had gone elsewhere. The same is likely true for these Harvard kids. They will be proud of being Harvard alumni eventually, but at least 1/2 of them said that they wish they went elsewhere.
These rankings seem to factor in the perceived quality of graduate programs, research grants, government contracts, etc. into their analysis. None of that really impacts undergraduates. The list should truly focus on the overall undergrad experience/education.
To me… kids disappointed with their college choice is all very sad. College should be the best 4 years of your life. You should truly enjoy your time there. My D1 loves it at USC. Her friends at NYU, Cornell, Dartmouth, UChicago, & Northwestern all seem unhappy or at least discontent so far. At least those at Brown, Yale, Princeton and Stanford seem happy though.
This overall focus on Rank is what is truly silly. Visit these schools, make a true connection and hopefully find a quality school where you fit in and can shine. Decide for yourself. That’s what should be important. Or at least that’s how I see it…