<p>Hi guys! okay so Im a senior, and I just wanted to know what method you guys use to rank different colleges. The US News rates Elon University as #2 but I've never even heard of it before. Is it that good? I was also wondering how good these schools are.
1) Lehigh University
2) Bentley University
3) Villanova University
4) Northwestern University
5) Northeastern University
I was wondering if you guys could rate them just for overall acedemics. I know certain schools are good for specific majors, but I just wanted a genral opinion. =)</p>
<p>Elon is ranked number 2 in what? Certainly not overall.</p>
<p>Northwestern
Northeastern/Lehigh
Villanova
Bentley (offers Business only)</p>
<p>Apparently, Elon is the rank #2 Southern Regional College. The reason you never heard of it is because it’s “regional”, as the ranking explicitly states. </p>
<p>Practically every reputable university aside from LACs have “national” status. The colleges left to compete for the regional crown are all extremely uncompetitive and often lacking.</p>
<p>As a rule of thumb, nearly every university on the USNWR “national” top 100 is better than nearly every college on the “regional” rankings. (There are some exceptions.)</p>
<ol>
<li>Northwestern</li>
<li>Lehigh (best for engineering)</li>
<li>Villanova/Northeastern</li>
<li>Bentley (same reason as tomofboston)</li>
</ol>
<ol>
<li>Northwestern</li>
<li>Lehigh/Villanova (tie)</li>
<li>Bentley</li>
<li>Northeastern (average school and well below the others).</li>
</ol>
<p>Northwestern is also best for engineering.</p>
<p>Sentiment is way off. Actually, there are a lot of bad schools in the National category. The distinction is made based on available Ph.D. programs. There are a lot of bad undergraduate colleges that have Ph.D. programs. The best guide is to look at the quality of the students. For example, compare Cooper Union (regional) to Fordham (national) or Villanova (regional) to Widener (national). These regional colleges are much more selective than the so-called national ones and also have more national reputations.</p>
<p>Agree with Risingchemist, many great schools are Regional, formerly called “Master’s Universities” in the USNWR’s rankings. I have a child at a Regional University & she is getting an excellent education with small classes, great financial aid, a “Fiske Best Value,” “USNWR’s Great Schools Great Prices”, listed in “Princeton Review’s Best 373” & “Fiske Guide 2011”, “Fiske Small Schools Strong in Engineering”, “Fiske Small Schools Strong in Art & Design.”</p>
<p>Bentley University (MA) A Regional University, Villanova ¶ a Regional University, Elon University (NC) a Regional University. </p>
<p>Check out USNWR’s to view other Regional Universities.</p>
<p>Northwestern is in a league of its own on this list.</p>
<p>ellopoppet, </p>
<p>If you really think Lehigh is better than Northwestern in engineering, I guess you don’t know much about colleges. Here is the fact - Northwestern engineering does very well in the latest NRC rankings (95th percentile):</p>
<p>Survey-Based:
Applied Math 4
Mechanical 2
Industrial 2
Material 3
Civil 6
Chemical 7
Electrical 8
Biomedical 11</p>
<p>Regression Based:
Applied Math 4
Mechanical 3
Industrial 5
Material 6
Civil 8
Chemcal 8
Electrical 20
Biomedical 10</p>
<p>You are free to keep underrating Northwestern (as you did in other posts before), playing the “where I’m from” card, or pretending you don’t know anything about rankings.</p>
<p>^ <em>Yyyyaaaawwwwnnnn</em></p>
<p>You really shouldn’t be looking at regional rankings. These schools are usually pretty bad. They only have high rankings because they are in a category of their own. It is like being the best of the worst. </p>
<p>You should stick to the national universities and national LACs lists.</p>
<p>Informative and SentimentGX4 are incorrect. The categories are determined by the highest degree offered by the school. Any regional school may or may not be “better” than any national school. I also don’t put a lot of weight in USNWR rankings…these are merely another data point in searching for a great school for you.</p>
<p>From US News:</p>
<p>National Universities. There are 262 national universities in the country (164 public, 98 private), based on categories developed by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The universities offer a full range of undergraduate majors, as well as master’s and doctoral degrees; many strongly emphasize research.</p>
<p>National Liberal Arts Colleges. The 266 national liberal arts colleges emphasize undergraduate education and award at least 50 percent of their degrees in the liberal arts.</p>
<p>Regional Universities. Like the national universities, regional universities (as defined by the Carnegie Foundation as universities-master’s) provide a full range of undergraduate programs and some master’s level programs. They offer few, if any, doctoral programs. The 572 regional universities are ranked within four geographic areas: North, South, Midwest, and West.</p>
<p>Regional Colleges. These institutions (defined by the Carnegie Foundation as baccalaureate colleges) focus primarily on undergraduate education, just as the liberal arts colleges do, but grant fewer than 50 percent of their degrees in liberal arts disciplines. At these schools, at least 10 percent of undergraduate degrees awarded are bachelor’s degrees. There are 319 regional colleges, ranked within four regions: North, South, Midwest, and West.</p>
<p>^ This doesn’t change anything.</p>
<p>Sorry Sam Lee, didn’t realize I was underrating Northwestern. Also didn’t realize that I’ve done it in other posts…?</p>
<p>I think Northwestern’s great, and I wish I had looked into the school more when I was applying. I wasn’t really trying to “play the where I’m from card” either, I’m just stating my and my community’s honest perceptions. I’m not sure why you feel the need to berate me and stick up for Northwestern so much (do you go there?). Also, in case you haven’t noticed, I ranked Northwestern as a clear #1 out of all these schools. I suppose that’s “underrating” it. </p>
<p>In any case, excuse my ignorance. I guess I don’t know much about colleges.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Many posters are speaking as if I’m unaware of these facts; however, the truth of the matter is the nature of the Carnegie classifications and the organization of higher education in the United States naturally makes most “regional” colleges weaker candidates. </p>
<p>I already knew these facts and was drawing a conclusion based on what I already knew about individual regional colleges. The overwhelming majority are second rate universities considered worse than the national 100.</p>
<p>If I am wrong, it it’s because you disagree with this conclusion and not because I have the incorrect definition of a regional university.</p>
<p>(There is no hint I even ATTEMPTED to define “regional university” in my initial post. I made it very clear I was making an opinion of the universities in general. This is one big strawman.)</p>
<p>I really am not very interested in debating the point but what, in your mind, makes the ones in the National category better? Is it the fact that they offer more doctoral programs?</p>
<p>I would tend to agree with you that a national list ranking is better than the same ranking of a regional college. For instance the top 10 national are much more prestigious than the top 10 regional. But after about the top 30 national universities, there is a wide range of colleges. Penn State is a large school and ranks well (top 50) but it is not better than a lot of regional universities. Nor is Michigan State, Florida State, etc. There are a lot of Top 100 national universities that are very average. In reality, most of the top liberal arts colleges are better than the national universities.</p>
<p>In fact, the so-called regional schools tend to have higher 4 year graduation rates than many of the top 100 (particularly compared to the large state schools). Each school should be rated on its own merits.</p>
<p>I think it is the fact that the national universities are, regardless of definition, better universities. Look at the lists. </p>
<p>The fact that they are different doesn’t change anything. Of course they are different. They don’t offer what the national universities offer, even the national LACs. If anything, the fact that they are different strengthens the point that regional universities just aren’t on par with the national schools. </p>
<p>Look at the lists. Seriously. This is not hard (unless you went to a national university, or have a child at one).</p>
<p>OK…I get it. It is because it is. So simple!</p>
<p>Rankings and lists are pretty meaningless. In the regional economy I work in prestige is also meaningless. GPA, coursework, understanding of technical issues, ability to communicate, social skills and willingness to work hard and take risks are how jobs are earned and careers are made. </p>
<p>I’m sure its different on wall street and for someone who desires a career in academia. I’m talking about a major metropolitan region and folks earning about $100k to $750k annually in the business world. I attended a fourth tier school with a strong business school and I don’t believe it ever limited my opportunities. It was right FOR ME.</p>
<p>The regional colleges are great schools…as are the national universities and LACs.</p>