<p>Why is Pomona only ranked 7th in the 2007 USN&WR list for liberal arts colleges? Aren't its stats enough to consistently put it in the top 3 liberal arts colleges in the country? Should it not always be ranked above Middlebury and Carleton and Bowdoin, and maybe even others such as Williams, Swarthmore, and Wellsley? Anyone have any compelling theories about this?</p>
<p>Though its right at the top as far as admissions rates, average SATs, (and one of the highest per student spenders) there is one main area where it slacks a little in USNEWS:</p>
<p>It's not a New England LAC (hurts "peer assessment", which is a huge part of the score)</p>
<p>But USNEWS favors the Northeast anyway, and most people at Pomona are smart enough to know that Pomona is in no way looked down upon by those who know it.</p>
<p>I've wondered the same thing myself. Certainly by some criteria (acceptance rate, SAT scores) it would be in the top three. I think a lot has to do with the USNWR ranking system. For instance, graduation rate ranking is somehow tied to SAT scores - the "expected" graduation rate is higher if a school's SAT scores are higher - and the graduation rate ranking is based on how the actual graduation rate compares to expected rate. For example, Pomona ranks #11 in "Graduation and Retention Rank" even though it has the #1 freshman retention (99%) and #2 (tied with Williams) actual graduation rate of 95%. But because its "expected" graduation is only one percent less at 94% (because of high SATs), it apparently drops in the ranking. Compare that to Bowdoin, which has a lower freshman retention of 98%, AND a lower actual graduation rate of 94%, but because its "expected" graduation rate is 2 points lower at 92% (because of lower SAT scores), it actually ranks higher than Pomona at #4 for the combined "Graduation and Retention Rank". Penalized because SATs are too high. Go figure.</p>
<p>I also believe the heavily weighted "peer assessment score" hurts Pomona because it is not in the traditional New England region. For example, Smith and Wesleyan have identical peer assessment scores as Pomona (4.3) despite lower ranking "hard" numbers (acceptance rate, SATs).</p>
<p>Finally, full professor salaries rank #2 (127k/yr), but USNWR adjusts them to the local cost of living. Being just outside LA doesn't help, and this may account for Pomona's overall #27 "faculty resources rank", 35% of which is this "adjusted" faculty salary.</p>
<p>All things considered, Pomona is one of the top LACs in the country, no matter where USNWR wants to rank it...</p>
<p>SarahsDad, I noticed that odd discrepency for the graduation rate ranking as well. However, I personally think it was a typo (they added an extra 1...). It can't possibly be true that a 1% increase in expected graduation rate can cause Bowdoin to rank so much higher than Pomona, despite being below Pomona in every other subcategory. A ranking of 1 makes much more sense than a ranking of 11, when comparing Pomona to all the other schools. I've read about USNWR mistakes like that, so I think it's entirely possible. If that typo was calculated into the overall score, it could have negatively impacted Pomona's rank, especially considering that the difference between the overall scores of the 4th and 7th ranked schools is a mere 3 points. If I'm right, they should make up for it by putting an article about Pomona in the next issue, hah.</p>
<p>But mostly it's the peer assessment score, which brassmonkey mentioned, that makes it below AWS. We could also work on the alumni giving rate as well...</p>
<p>"All things considered, Pomona is one of the top LACs in the country, no matter where USNWR wants to rank it..."</p>
<p>geez, you're are making it sound as if USNEWS is out to get Pomona or something. Pomona is one of the top LACs in the country: it's ranked #7. I'm sure every LAC (besides Williams :)) has gripes about how USNEWS disfavors their college; Pomona isn't alone in that aspect.</p>
<p>Gnatcire - I see what you mean. Could be a typo. That would explain why Carleton is ranked "above" Pomona at #10, even though freshman retention is lower (97%), and the difference between expected and actual graduation rates is equal (87% and 87%), and lower than Pomona (94% and 95%)</p>
<p>I wonder if that sub-category mistake by USNWR translated into the final ranking of schools... When i actually ranked schools by "graduation and retention rate" on the USNWR web site, Pomona does comes up in 11th place - more than just a "typo".</p>
<p>Whoopa - Agreed.</p>
<p>Trust me at this level of achievement nobody who knows cares whether you are 3rd or 9th or 1st or 10th…they are all great places to go to college...</p>
<p>Don’t fret about it… go read something just for the fun of reading….a Russian novel…or something like it….</p>
<p>Who cares? US News is a joke.</p>
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<p>I guarantee you the administration of Pomona cares.</p>
<p>Actually, Pomona's administration was one of the schools that signed a petition urging USNEWS to back off of the ranking system, because they felt it distorts students decisions (when students are apprehensive about going to a #16 school that fits them perfectly when they were accepted to a #14 school, it just isn't right). I think Pomona was the highest ranked LAC listed. (Reed, Sarah Lawrence, and others were on there too)</p>
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That's all well and good, but Pomona is still there in the USN&WR list, year after year. Last I checked, Reed isn't.</p>
<p>Reed is on there, at #53 (which I think is unacceptable, but it is on there)</p>
<p>Reed went a little farther than just speaking out against the rankings. A very admirable school.</p>
<p>I agree with this^
Pomona hasn't gone as far as Reed, nor did anyone say they had, I just noted that Pomona's name was on the petition.</p>
<p>hey given Pomona's high ranking it's very impressive for them to speak out against the list. I'm just wondering how it's gonna impact their ranking in the coming year since the school is already ranked lower than it should be.</p>
<p>Woah, you think US News will "punish" Pomona for putting their name on the petition? Sounds scary.</p>
<p>They sure did whoop Reed's ass all the way down to ~50th place, though it was much more defiant. Still, if USNews is willing to make up data and even take points off of a school's SAT midrange if it doesn't get its way, I'd hate to be the school that unsuccessfully defies USNews.</p>
<p>Of course, one has to care what USNews even does, but I'm sure Reed would be more of a household name (and easily top 20) if it had cooperated, but then again, it wouldn't really be Reed anymore either. ;)</p>
<p>wait...i have a question,,wat do u think pomona's rank should be and ur rationale?</p>
<p>It should be ranked at least at 4, as I think it is right on par with AWS</p>
<p>Given Reed's SAT midrange (which is only slightly lower than my school, Wesleyan - #10), its low acceptance rate (~32%), and its amazing grad/prof school placement, I think Reed should easily be a top 20 school among the likes of Colgate, Grinnell, etc. At the very least, Reed is as fine a college as Bates/Colby/Macalester.</p>