<p>So here are some schools I am considering applying to:</p>
<p>Brown
Cornell
Duke
Johns Hopkins
Northwestern
Upenn
WUSTL</p>
<p>I'm curious as to how you guys would rank these schools, based on difficulty of getting in. I know admissions rate is usually a good indicator, but not always accurate i.e. vanderbilt's rate is 12% but is easier than say Upenn which is also 12% (nothing against vandy) Also, I'm looking at the arts and science schools at these universities</p>
<p>Every one of these schools is highly competitive and extremely difficult to get into. They are all superb schools.</p>
<p>Those are all excellent schools. Ranking them isn’t important, it’s about how good of a fit the school is for you. Look into each of the schools, see what their programs are like for what you are interested in, and visit some of them. They can’t really be ranked because they are all amazing and have their own strengths and weaknesses. Rank them according to what is important to you.</p>
<p>What’s more important t than the school is what you want to study and how the individual school is in that program and how you feel you can fit into the school. Rankings are just a numbers game and can be manipulated by anyone. Even the USNWR rankings are suspect based on methodology.</p>
<p>Why can’t you guys just answer the OP’s question?</p>
<p>Based on median SAT scores of each school the rankings would be as follows:</p>
<p>WUSTL
Northwestern
Duke
Penn
Hopkins
Cornell
Brown</p>
<p>Based on acceptance rate:</p>
<p>Brown
Duke
Penn
Northwestern
Cornell
WUSTL/Hopkins</p>
<p>Of course you already know that median SAT scores here is more important for the schools with higher medians but lower relative acceptance rates. I also don’t think schools like WUSTL are self-selective as much as they are just SAT score heavy in admission.</p>