<p>How often do these rankings change?</p>
<p>Michigan’s ranking in the USNWR will fluctate between 27 and 30 for the next couple of years at least. The one constant is Michigan’s Peer Assessment score, which is always in the 4.4-4.5 range. I do expect to see Michigan’s selectivity rank rise over the next two years, from #27 last year to #24 this year and probably among the top 20 in the next couple of years. But where faculty and financial resources are concerned, the USNWR data collegection and calculation makes no sense, and since those are unlikely to change anytime soon, Michigan’s ranking should remain constant for the foreseeable future.</p>
<p>Michigan remaining #3 in Business and dropped from #6 to #7 in Engineering. </p>
<p>Michigan also made it back to the top 10 for undergraduate teaching (as it was in 2010 and 2011) at #6.</p>
<p>Alexandre, do you know what the Counselor and PA scores were for various top schools?</p>
<p>I meant when does it update. I looked at the rankings like a couple of weeks ago and Michigan was 26.</p>
<p>The rankings are released once each year, sometime around now. The previous ranking (released in 2011) had Michigan at #28 and the one before that (released in 2010) at #29.</p>
<p>Michigan was ranked #26…back in 2008 I think.</p>
<p>2013 PA:</p>
<ol>
<li>Harvard University 4.9</li>
<li>Massachusetts Institute of Technology 4.9</li>
<li>Stanford University 4.9</li>
<li>Princeton University 4.8</li>
<li><p>Yale University 4.8</p></li>
<li><p>University of California-Berkeley 4.7</p></li>
<li><p>California Institute of Technology 4.6</p></li>
<li><p>Columbia University 4.6</p></li>
<li><p>Cornell University 4.6</p></li>
<li><p>Johns Hopkins University 4.6</p></li>
<li><p>University of Chicago 4.6</p></li>
<li><p>Duke University 4.5</p></li>
<li><p>Brown University 4.4</p></li>
<li><p>Dartmouth College 4.4</p></li>
<li><p>Northwestern University 4.4</p></li>
<li><p>University of Michigan-Ann Arbor 4.4</p></li>
<li><p>University of Pennsylvania 4.4</p></li>
<li><p>University of Virginia 4.3</p></li>
<li><p>Carnegie Mellon University 4.2</p></li>
<li><p>University of California-Los Angeles 4.2</p></li>
<li><p>University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill 4.2</p></li>
<li><p>Georgetown University 4.1</p></li>
<li><p>Georgia Institute of Technology 4.1</p></li>
<li><p>Rice University 4.1</p></li>
<li><p>University of Texas-Austin 4.1</p></li>
<li><p>University of Wisconsin-Madison 4.1</p></li>
<li><p>Vanderbilt University 4.1</p></li>
<li><p>Washington University-St Louis 4.1</p></li>
<li><p>Emory University 4.0</p></li>
<li><p>University of Southern California 4.0</p></li>
</ol>
<p>I did not bother looking up counselor ratings as they are meaningless and random. Most counselors at most high schools have lesser degrees from lesser universities and are not qualified whatsoever to rate universities. Furthermore, counselors’ opinions are not important as they do not indicate how an applicant’s application to graduate school will be received. At least the PA measures reputation within academe, which is a pretty good indicator of how well an applicant to graduate school will be received.</p>
<p>This said, I would assume that the Ivies and the usual academic powerhouses (MIT and Stanford) probably have ratings in the 4.8-4.9 range while most of the other elites (including Cal, Caltech, CMU, Chicago, Duke, Georgetown, JHU, Michigan, Northwestern, UCLA, UNC, UVa etc…) have counselor ratings in the 4.3-4.7 range. I would not be surprised if powerful institutions, such as BC, ND, NYU and Tufts also did well.</p>
<p>The rankings are posted. The University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is #29.</p>
<p>Here’s how USNWR incorporates the opinions of counselors Alexandre:</p>
<p>[Methodology:</a> College Choices by High School Counselors - US News and World Report](<a href=“http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/2012/09/11/methodology-college-choices-by-high-school-counselors-2]Methodology:”>http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/2012/09/11/methodology-college-choices-by-high-school-counselors-2)</p>
<p>**In addition, this year we also included approximately 400 additional counselors in the survey’s sample from the largest private independent high schools in each state, bringing the total number of public and private high school counselors surveyed in spring 2012 to approximately 2,600. </p>
<p>The entire sample was divided in half and each state’s high school counselors surveyed were also divided in half. That meant that approximately 1,300 counselors nationwide were sent a survey to rate the colleges in the National Universities category and another 1,300 high school counselors nationwide were sent a survey to rate the colleges in the National Liberal Arts Colleges category. The result of this process was that the sample was both balanced geographically nationwide and evenly distributed by state. </p>
<p>We asked the high school counselors to take into account the insights they use to direct students to particular colleges in addition to their knowledge about these schools in general. Also, we asked them to consider what they know about each college’s academic record, curriculum, faculty, programs, and graduates.</p>
<p>The counselors rated the quality of a school’s undergraduate academic programs on a scale from 1 (marginal) to 5 (distinguished). Those who didn’t know enough about a school to evaluate it fairly were asked to mark “don’t know.” </p>
<p>Scores for each school were totaled and divided by the number of counselors who rated that school, and then they were ranked in descending order based on the average high school counselor reputation score. This year, for the first time, the two most recent years of survey results—spring 2011 and spring 2012—were averaged to compute the high school counselor reputation score used in this ranking.</p>
<p>This was done to increase the number of ratings each college received from the high school counselors and to reduce the year-to-year volatility in the average counselor score. The academic peer assessment score continues to be based only on the most recent year’s results.**</p>
<p>Most GCs are clueless but the ones in the best private and public high schools are very knowledgeable about higher education since they have to assist dozens of students who are gunning for the best colleges in the country. GCs in mediocre high schools have most of their students aiming for community college so they are less likely to be aware of the reputation of different universities nationwide.</p>
<p>I will post the Counselor Ranking when I get some time but its not that different from the PA.</p>
<p>so it seems michigan actually fell in the rankings…</p>
<p>Yes, Michigan fell one stop. I cannot say that I am surprised. The USNWR methodology really does not suit Michigan well. At the same time, I would not lose much sleep over it. Michigan is not likely to be ranked lower than 30 as there seems to be a significant statistical difference between #29 and #31. However, as I said in a previous post on this thread, in order for Michigan to really rise in the USNWR ranking, there is going to have to be a more balanced methodology and far better data integrity.</p>
<p>What is PA?</p>
<p>Peer assessment. Academics are polled on what schools they feel have the most distinguished academic programs. They’re rated on a scale of 1-5… 5 being distinguished, 4 = strong, and 1 is marginal.</p>
<p>Alex, why the drops on the list?</p>
<p>UCB, what do you mean “why the drops?”</p>
<p>Berkeley notch below Yale…CMU notch below UVA…</p>
<p>It’s all bull any way because Cal has many more distinguished academic programs than Yale.</p>
<p>UCB, Cal has had a PA of 4.7 most years, while Yale generally has a PA of 4.8. Princeton dropped from 4.9 to 4.8. </p>
<p>Caltech, Chicago, Columbia, Cornell and JHU have had 4.6 PAs for many years now.</p>
<p>Duke, Michigan and Penn always have PAs that range between 4.4 and 4.5. Last year, Michigan and Penn were at 4.5 while Duke was at 4.4. This year, the PAs reversed, with Duke getting a 4.5 and Michigan and Penn receiving 4.4s. </p>
<p>Brown and NU have remained constant at 4.4</p>
<p>Dartmouth and UVa have had PAs of 4.3 in recent years, but Dartmouth has improved to 4.4 this year. </p>
<p>In short, there are few fluctuations in the PA, and those usually entail a move of 0.1 up or down.</p>
<p>“It’s all bull any way because Cal has many more distinguished academic programs than Yale.”</p>
<p>Although it is true that Cal has more distinguished academic programs than Yale, the PA is not intended to measure that. It is supposed to be a rating of a university’s overall undergraduate academic excellence. I think the PA does a pretty good job of that.</p>
<p>Where can I see the PA rankings list?</p>
<p>Matisyahu, post #106 lists the top 30 universities according to PA.</p>
<p>Is there a link that I can view the list at?
It would really help me a lot.</p>