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<p>The admission rates get a LOT of publicity in the press, but play a VERY small role in the USNews world. There are plenty of opportunities to maximize the USNews scores that play a much larger role and are also … much easier to manipulate. For instance, the metric of the “top ten percent” is so fluid that it allows the best guesstimates to remain unchallenged. And the list goes on! </p>
<p>@xiggi, when are we going to get the First Annual Xiggi List of Best Colleges For Your Bucks? You’ve obviously given this subject a LOT of thought, so I’d be curious to see how you would rank schools for best undergraduate education/experience/value. I’d prefer something that utilized tiers (in alpha order) rather than a straight up numerical ranking, but it’s your book, so do as you like! :)</p>
<p>Haha – why in the world would I waste my time doing that? There is a ranking system that does a reasonable job in compiling the information, and could make it much better by adding a sprinkling of integrity by expanding the Peer Assessment survey, making it public, and stop playing God with a few favorites. </p>
<p>What will be Northeastern’s ranking in 4 years? </p>
<p>My guess : 32 to 35</p>
<p>anybody else take a guess?</p>
<p>This ranking stuff is self-fulfilling. Once a school moves up in the rankings and gets recognition, the thing gathers momentum. Improving the school while simultaneously gaming the system is a valid way to do it. The metrics correlate positively with the quality of the school. Most of what is done achieves both an improvement in ranking and an improvement in the school.</p>
<p>Northeastern Ranking, and its ranking momentum helped my 1600 SAT daughter choose Northeastern over other even higher ranked schools. Of course, CO-OP, Scholarship and Boston location were major factors, even more than the ranking.</p>
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</p>
<p>All reasons my D is applying, but I first became aware of the school on CC’s list of full tuition scholarships for NMFs…which it no longer offers (well, $30/yr now). She isn’t an NMSF and yet once researched and visited, it stayed high on her list.</p>
<p>I wasn’t aware of its USNWR rank at all.</p>
<p>To be fair, a lot of the rankings are not applicable to NEU since it is a five year program for most students. They are being compared to schools with a four year graduation rate for an undergrad degree, which doesn’t include the normal two semester co-ops that are what makes NEU standout</p>
<p>GMTplus7: Many thanks for the USNWR movement over the last 4 years in the ranking list for national universities. Is there one available for LAC’s? </p>
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</p>
<p>Lots of schools have optional co-op programs; they just do not make it central feature of the school. A student interest in doing a co-op need not restrict himself/herself to Northeastern, Cincinnati, or Drexel.</p>
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<p>Perhaps a more relevant measure would be the graduation rate within four academic years’ worth of enrolled terms (i.e. within 8 semesters enrolled in school).</p>
<p>A lot of schools do have co-op but not many require/guarantee every student will have one (or three). And actually Cincy only does that for certain majors.</p>
<p>My point was, maybe the rise of some co-op schools is due to the increased desire to be employable after college.</p>
<p>Perhaps, and with the recession, the additional income from co-ops could also be a plus. However, Drexel has dropped 11 spots since 2010-11, so I would think factors other than co-ops are driving NEU and UC up in the rankings.</p>
<p>@2014HS,
As per your request, here’s the LAC list:</p>
<p>sorted by how many places moved up since 2010:</p>
<h1>56 | + 110 | St. John’s College (MD)</h1>
<h1>89 | + 98 | St. John’s College (NM)</h1>
<h1>89 | + 33 | Bennington College</h1>
<h1>99 | + 32 | College of the Atlantic</h1>
<h1>133 | + 25 | Roanoke College</h1>
<h1>133 | + 25 | Wesleyan College</h1>
<h1>69 | + 19 | Hillsdale College</h1>
<h1>148 | + 18 | Oglethorpe University</h1>
<h1>148 | + 18 | Salem College</h1>
<h1>64 | + 15 | Gustavus Adolphus College</h1>
<h1>124 | + 13 | Eckerd College</h1>
<h1>139 | + 13 | University of Minnesota-Morris</h1>
<h1>81 | + 12 | Allegheny College</h1>
<h1>87 | + 12 | New College of Florida</h1>
<h1>99 | + 12 | Albion College</h1>
<h1>35 | + 11 | Pitzer College</h1>
<h1>64 | + 11 | Muhlenberg College</h1>
<h1>37 | + 10 | Dickinson College</h1>
<h1>15 | + 8 | Colby College</h1>
<h1>59 | + 8 | Lawrence University</h1>
<h1>129 | + 8 | Concordia College-Moorhead</h1>
<h1>129 | + 8 | Goshen College</h1>
<h1>64 | + 7 | Kalamazoo College</h1>
<h1>81 | + 7 | Transylvania University</h1>
<h1>124 | + 7 | Randolph-Macon College</h1>
<h1>61 | + 6 | Hobart and William Smith Colleges</h1>
<h1>99 | + 6 | Ohio Wesleyan University</h1>
<h1>105 | + 6 | Goucher College</h1>
<h1>105 | + 6 | Hampden-Sydney College</h1>
<h1>96 | + 5 | Washington and Jefferson College</h1>
<h1>139 | + 5 | Central College</h1>
<h1>139 | + 5 | Simpson College</h1>
<h1>37 | + 4 | Franklin and Marshall College</h1>
<h1>37 | + 4 | Skidmore College</h1>
<h1>89 | + 4 | Millsaps College</h1>
<h1>123 | + 4 | St. Norbert College</h1>
<h1>133 | + 4 | Whittier College</h1>
<h1>148 | + 4 | Hiram College</h1>
<h1>148 | + 4 | Nebraska Wesleyan University</h1>
<h1>148 | + 4 | St. Vincent College</h1>
<h1>8 | + 3 | Claremont McKenna College</h1>
<h1>13 | + 3 | United States Naval Academy</h1>
<h1>15 | + 3 | Hamilton College</h1>
<h1>15 | + 3 | Harvey Mudd College</h1>
<h1>27 | + 3 | Bryn Mawr College</h1>
<h1>35 | + 3 | Lafayette College</h1>
<h1>96 | + 3 | Westmont College</h1>
<h1>116 | + 3 | Westminster College</h1>
<h1>19 | + 2 | Bates College</h1>
<h1>24 | + 2 | Macalester College</h1>
<h1>30 | + 2 | Kenyon College</h1>
<h1>30 | + 2 | University of Richmond</h1>
<h1>45 | + 2 | Centre College</h1>
<h1>69 | + 2 | College of Wooster</h1>
<h1>73 | + 2 | Earlham College</h1>
<h1>120 | + 2 | St. Anselm College</h1>
<h1>5 | + 1 | Bowdoin College</h1>
<h1>5 | + 1 | Pomona College</h1>
<h1>8 | + 1 | Haverford College</h1>
<h1>11 | + 1 | Vassar College</h1>
<h1>37 | + 1 | Whitman College</h1>
<h1>113 | + 1 | Hanover College</h1>
<h1>113 | + 1 | Siena College</h1>
<h1>1 | 0 | Williams College</h1>
<h1>2 | 0 | Amherst College</h1>
<h1>3 | 0 | Swarthmore College</h1>
<h1>4 | 0 | Wellesley College</h1>
<h1>8 | 0 | Carleton College</h1>
<h1>14 | 0 | Washington and Lee University</h1>
<h1>23 | 0 | Oberlin College</h1>
<h1>51 | 0 | Denison University</h1>
<h1>51 | 0 | DePauw University</h1>
<h1>81 | 0 | Hendrix College</h1>
<h1>81 | 0 | University of Puget Sound</h1>
<h1>105 | 0 | Stonehill College</h1>
<h1>41 | 0 | Union College</h1>
<h1>19 | -1 | Grinnell College</h1>
<h1>22 | -1 | Colgate University</h1>
<h1>24 | -1 | Scripps College</h1>
<h1>27 | -1 | Colorado College</h1>
<h1>89 | -1 | St. Mary’s College of Maryland</h1>
<h1>56 | -1 | St. Lawrence University</h1>
<h1>56 | -1 | Wheaton College</h1>
<h1>11 | -2 | Davidson College</h1>
<h1>32 | -2 | Bucknell University</h1>
<h1>34 | -2 | College of the Holy Cross</h1>
<h1>64 | -2 | Virginia Military Institute</h1>
<h1>69 | -2 | Berea College</h1>
<h1>77 | -2 | Lewis & Clark College</h1>
<h1>116 | -2 | Susquehanna University</h1>
<h1>133 | -2 | Moravian College</h1>
<h1>139 | -2 | Alma College</h1>
<h1>139 | -2 | Houghton College</h1>
<h1>7 | -3 | Middlebury College</h1>
<h1>15 | -3 | Wesleyan University</h1>
<h1>50 | -3 | Gettysburg College</h1>
<h1>54 | -3 | St. Olaf College</h1>
<h1>61 | -3 | Wabash College</h1>
<h1>96 | -3 | St. Mary’s College</h1>
<h1>45 | -4 | Connecticut College</h1>
<h1>148 | -4 | Wells College</h1>
<h1>19 | -5 | Smith College</h1>
<h1>64 | -5 | Willamette University</h1>
<h1>124 | -5 | Presbyterian College</h1>
<h1>32 | -6 | Barnard College</h1>
<h1>61 | -6 | Beloit College</h1>
<h1>73 | -6 | Agnes Scott College</h1>
<h1>77 | -6 | Thomas Aquinas College</h1>
<h1>81 | -6 | Knox College</h1>
<h1>99 | -6 | St. Michael’s College</h1>
<h1>133 | -6 | Morehouse College</h1>
<h1>45 | -7 | Bard College</h1>
<h1>54 | -7 | Rhodes College</h1>
<h1>112 | -7 | Hollins University</h1>
<h1>129 | -7 | Berry College</h1>
<h1>129 | -7 | McDaniel College</h1>
<h1>24 | -8 | United States Military Academy</h1>
<h1>44 | -8 | Occidental College</h1>
<h1>89 | -8 | Austin College</h1>
<h1>89 | -8 | College of St. Benedict</h1>
<h1>89 | -8 | Luther College</h1>
<h1>113 | -8 | Ripon College</h1>
<h1>139 | -8 | Gordon College</h1>
<h1>45 | -9 | Trinity College</h1>
<h1>51 | -10 | Furman University</h1>
<h1>69 | -10 | Wheaton College</h1>
<h1>73 | -11 | Illinois Wesleyan University</h1>
<h1>73 | -11 | St. John’s University (MN)</h1>
<h1>99 | -11 | Hope College</h1>
<h1>105 | -12 | Washington College</h1>
<h1>139 | -12 | Grove City College</h1>
<h1>139 | -12 | Principia College</h1>
<h1>45 | -13 | Sewanee-University of the South</h1>
<h1>41 | -15 | Mount Holyoke College</h1>
<h1>77 | -15 | Wofford College</h1>
<h1>116 | -15 | Calvin College</h1>
<h1>116 | -15 | Sweet Briar College</h1>
<h1>120 | -15 | Lake Forest College</h1>
<h1>105 | -17 | Augustana College</h1>
<h1>120 | -19 | Coe College</h1>
<h1>124 | -19 | Linfield College</h1>
<h1>133 | -19 | Randolph College</h1>
<h1>99 | -20 | Drew University</h1>
<h1>81 | -22 | Spelman College</h1>
<h1>77 | -23 | Reed College</h1>
<h1>105 | -24 | Cornell College</h1>
<h1>105 | -24 | Juniata College</h1>
<h1>87 | -25 | Southwestern University</h1>
<h1>139 | -25 | Wittenberg University</h1>
<h1>124 | -31 | Birmingham-Southern College</h1>
<p>here is a cool website to see ranking changes over the last 5 years:
<a href=“http://apps.washingtonpost.com/g/page/local/us-news-college-ranking-trends/1292/”>http://apps.washingtonpost.com/g/page/local/us-news-college-ranking-trends/1292/</a></p>
<p>Thanks for that, @rgoslua.</p>
<p>I often mumble “ranking, schmankings”. They are just datapoints along the way in quest for a list of good-fit schools. But after many years on CC, I know a lot about colleges and especially Northeastern. It truly has transformed in the past decade and is deserving of upward trend in ratings. </p>
<p>
Had to laugh when I read this line, making it sound like a Manhattan project with white-coated researchers and whirring computers trying to crack the “code”. US News publishes their factors and weights. A HS sophomore could probably come up with the equations in an afternoon. </p>
<p>See <a href=“http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/2014/09/08/how-us-news-calculated-the-2015-best-colleges-rankings?page=2”>http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/2014/09/08/how-us-news-calculated-the-2015-best-colleges-rankings?page=2</a></p>
<p>They publish them now. I don’t think they did back then.</p>
<p>
My local library offers many magazines online, so I was able to check.
A sample from that article
</p>
<p>Thanks for checking.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>So essentially, they used the same methodology as selecting Homecoming Queen?</p>