<p>Hiya CC! Just looking through these two ranking lists and I came up with a question</p>
<p>National University Rankings | Top National Universities | US News Best Colleges
Best Engineering School Rankings | Engineering Program Rankings | US News</p>
<p>What is the difference between the national ranking and the graduate school ranking. What should I focus on? If I should focus on one, what use is the other one? How can I utilize both lists simultaneously to come up with a better choice. </p>
<p>For example. Why is University of Illinois Urbana Champaign ranked #47 nationally, but 5th in engineering? Should I go to that school as an undergrad freshman rather than Cornell, who's ranked 15 nationally, but 10th in engineering?! Even though Cornell is more "prestigious" than Illinois? I'm slightly confused, and thank you!</p>
<p>Are you looking at the graduate engineering rankings or the undergraduate engineering rankings? Both exist and they may be different.</p>
<p>The difference between 5th and 10th in engineering is negligible and should not be a major deciding factor for you.</p>
<p>If you are very sure you want engineering, that ranking may be more applicable. If you are relatively undecided, the general ranking may be more applicable. In general, you should not trust either ranking at all until you have thoroughly reviewed its methodology.</p>
<p>In general, engineering firms will care about engineering-specific strength and overall strength. Any firm outside of engineering will really only care about overall strength. For example, an engineering major at Harvard has a better shot at banking or venture capital than an engineering major at Georgia Tech even though Georgia Tech’s engineering is much better.</p>