<p>One professor of statistics, who is a co-author of a highly regarded AP statistics textbook, has tried to popularize the phrase that “voluntary response data are worthless” to go along with the phrase “correlation does not imply causation.” Other statistics teachers are gradually picking up this phrase.</p>
<p>well one thing you have to remember is that many schools fit one category and there arent’ “20” set party schools or schools with very good professors so that’s why it’s natural that the lists fluctuates year to year.</p>
<p>I have always looked at rankings to get a general sense of what schools are in what general category or area. I won’t pick a school over another because one is “ranked” higher.</p>