Not really what? I defined what I meant and the data showed what I said. Yet, you still said it’s not. Alternative reality? Speaking of running down one particular college, you have been the worst offender on this thread. If you can’t see that, you have no tact, which is probably more important than which school you graduated from.
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The top students are in the upper right hand corner in these boxes.
With 35,000 and then 40,000 , and now over 60,000 applicants to a particular college, do you think your scatter point spread sheet makes a difference with the stragglers on the chart ? Not at all.
At any college or university, just as at any good high school, we are taught to be razor precise with the facts, and to write our essays accordingly.
Tutors at University of Oxford trash a submitted essay that does not pay meticulous attention to the facts and to ascertain only the facts before making statements. I have seen this happen.
Can you say that you have done this with your statements ?
And back to the point of this thread….helping OP choose the best school FOR THE OP.
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1.) If he/she loves journalism and is 100% sure this is the clear , very passionate goal, then an excellent argument for Medill School of journalism. I heard of one student who made this choice and who is a career journalist.
2.) If a student wants a Renaissance education, a global intellectual education and would be excited about the outstanding Core at Columbia and its other array of fantastic offerings with many small classes of under 20 students, then Columbia.
Assuming these are the two choices, only. And, assuming the financial side of tuition is doable.
3.) If other options are available, then bring them on.
Here is the spread sheet for Harvard. It is very similar to Columbia in admissions, except Harvard has a higher yield rate. But, the spread of green acceptances which you are referring to show that Harvard and Columbia are about the same.
This wider spread can possibly be explained due to Ivy League sports admissions (?) and to some other shared policy commitments.
Columbia, Chicago, & Northwestern all offer about 80% of classes with fewer than 20 students.
Interesting to note that among top ranked LACs, only Claremont McKenna, Williams College, and Haverford College are similar to Northwestern, Columbia, & Chicago with respect to percentage of classes with fewer than 20 students.
2020 College Endowments: Private Universities
When measured by total endowment, Columbia & Northwestern are in a tie as Northwestern had the 8th largest endowment among private schools end of 2019 and Columbia was 9th.
2020 Private School Endowment study shows the reverse with Columbia at 8th & Northwestern at 9th.
For the end of fiscal year 2020, 111 of the 705 reporting schools showed a total endowment fund over $1 Billion.
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Harvard–$40.58 Billion
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Yale–$31.20
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Stanford–$28.95
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Princeton–$26.56
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MIT–$18.50
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UPenn–$14.88
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Notre Dame–$11.96
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Columbia–$11.26
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Northwestern–$10.93
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Duke–$8.47
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WashUStL–$8.42
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Univ. of Chicago–$8.20
The above 12 private universities are all elite schools.
Columbia & Northwestern are peer schools.
A: “I went to Columbia”
Average person on the street: “I had one of their jackets, but now I like North Face better. “
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Lower acceptance rate does not = better school. Anyway, Columbia is good for you and that’s great. For others, it’s not.
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Actually, it is an NCAA Division I FCS athletic conference.
They are all very good. But on the East Coast, high school students and others would be very reluctant ( barring finances) to pass up an Ivy League college , except for Stanford, MIT and Cal Tech.
This is how it has always been. hardly anyone turns down these places on the East Coast. Put in Brown instead of Columbia, or any of the others. Same result.
Medill School of Journalism is an exception for someone who loves journalism and wants to specialize from age 18.
Again, why would it matter what (you think) other high schoolers would choose? Employers, even employers in prestige-focused fields, are not checking the annual US News ranking and hiring an alum from Columbia but not Northwestern because one is ranked a few spots higher than the other inside the top 10, or because one person’s undergrad is an ivy (swoon!!!) and the other is Big Ten. That is not how it works.
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Fair enough - but it’s a marketing moniker - and so is the big 10, the Patriot League, etc. But Ivy stands out - when people reference Ivy, it’s all academic.
But yes, the schools play in the Ivy League conference.
Nonetheless, it’s a marketing tool - I’m just saying - when we’re talking Northwestern or Columbia and almost everyone thinks they are equals…and in many rankings, such as the WSJ, Nwestern is higher…but people use the Ivy to note elite academics - whereas you don’t think that when you hear Big 10, Pac 12, SEC, etc. That was my point - and btw - all those conferences have great schools…just not reputationally top to bottom through the conference.
If you use CEO/CFO production from the undergraduate program, neither is remarkable. They are behind schools like Texas A&M and Iowa State. If you look at their MBA programs, both do well, but Northwestern beats Columbia in both categories.
https://www.cristkolder.com/media/2697/volatility-report-2020-americas-leading-companies.pdf
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You will see the world differently when you grow up. First off, Northwestern beats Columbia in several rankings - US News is the most known but should not necessarily be the be all and end all. WSJs not good for you?? I mean, who knows business better. They have Nwestern 5 spots higher. I place the elite cutoff is at 10. Guess Columbia isn’t elite after all 
Frankly, rankings are not relevant because a child needs to find the best school for them, whether it’s SUNY Plattsburgh or Harvard. You spend four years there, day after day.
Secondly, you say one is elite and one isn’t. What is elite? Is there a cutoff? Is US News what you use? Is #7 elite but #11 not, like there’s a huge difference in whatever their not perfect formula defines? To some, they get into Harvard but go to Florida - maybe close to home or cheaper. Florida is now #30 in US News and #6 publicly - is it elite? You say know, even I say know - but guess what, many kids in Florida argue it is and while they could go to say Columbia, Florida is their perception of Harvard - their total dream. Elite is a word…it means nothing in regards to which school is better. It’s a descriptor you’ve chosen to use for Ivy League schools and few others.
This is all opinion based stuff and too many kids are over panicked or working hard to get into the same school, hence they can’t because there are only so many slots. That’s why there’s so much stress. There is no perfect school but there is hopefully the right school for each kid - and that doesn’t necessarily mean the one with the most pedigree.
Most would say Chicago is “elite.” Low admit rate - might it have something to do with they push a free application? Same as WUSTL - obliterated my daughter’s inbox begging her to apply “for free”.
It’s great you love Columbia. It’s no doubt a fine institution. There are other great institutions that people attend, adore, and in my cases perceive as higher than Columbia. I personally see them as equals. That’s me. I know someone going to Savannah College of Art & Design over Vanderbilt. To them, it’s better.
When you graduate and are working for someone who went to Temple or SUNY Oswego or maybe even didn’t go to college, your mindset will change.
No one is denigrating Columbia. No one should denigrate Northwestern - some of the top students in the country go there. It is deemed by “most” elite - but again, to each his own - the term elite qualifies nothing - your definition may be different than others and there are plenty of Columbia grads not making it in life and plenty of Qunnipiac, for example, who are.
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You must be aware of how many high school students think. Ivy League, Stanford, MIT, Cal Tech are the top places in their minds and in those of many parents.
We are talking about undergraduate education for the BA for 17/18 year olds, not the MBA !
No need to cherry pick in order to boost.
I did not say MBA. You need a subscription for the WSJ but here is their list - undergrad. I assume by mentioning MBA you were assuming the WSJ list was grad school - it’s not. But if you want to use your US News for MBA, yes Northwestern is #4 vs. #7 Columbia which is meaningless.
My point is not to boast for Northwestern - my point is your denigrating of Northwestern is silly. To your point, I am aware of how many high school students think of the Ivy, Stanford, MIT, Cal Tech…and you can add, for certain disciplines GA Tech and Carnegie Mellon, etc. are elite. And to my point, there are even more kids that think that Michigan, UCLA/B, UNC, UVA, William & Mary are elite - and go to the state of Florida where they all go for near free - they think UF is elite. This is all opinion based - you’re entitled to yours and that’s fine. Just don’t denigrate others - because there’s zero fact based behind to determine “elite”. All I’m saying.
#1 Harvard
#2 MIT
#3 Yale
#4 Stanford
#5 Duke
#5 Brown
#7 Princeton
#7 California Institute of Technology
#9 Cornell
#10 Northwestern
#11 Johns Hopkins
#12 Dartmouth
#13 UPenn
#14 University of Chicago
#15 Columbia
#15 Rice
#17 Vanderbilt
#18 Washington University in St Louis
#19 USC
#20 Carnegie Mellon University
#21 Amherst College
#21 Williams College
#23 University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
#24 Emory University
#24 Pomona
#26 UCLA
#27 NYU
#28 University of Notre Dame
#29 Wellesley College
#30 Swarthmore College
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I think the USNWR is more accurate. Most students and parents read this and this is what guidance counselors use for undergraduate naviance.; and fit when compiling a list of undergraduate colleges.
Journalisim school, like engineering, is separate.