Should Tufts be Ranked Higher?

Why is UF not the same level? Like it’s not as selective, but it has a decent medical school and the best law school in Florida. They have some awesome research going on in housing stuff as well. If you’re a Florida resident, it’s probably the best bang for your buck you can get in the country (maybe UNC is a step up). Like we all make fun of Florida, but flagship state schools can really get you places.

I think UF is great (almost went there last year), but it’s not the same caliber as NYU and Tufts

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Yeah, I agree

East coast prestige surely factors into Tufts reputation. Schools like Tufts and Northeastern both have good reputations which can confuse many ppl when they see them ranked lower than many other schools. Honestly many schools do whatever they can to game the rankings so that may play a factor in it

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Huge difference between 19 and 82. It’s like Rice and TCU in Texas. I know people at TCU who are excelling and will get post college jobs on par with average Rice students. However, the average Rice student and average TCU student are quite different to a recruiter.

Tufts is an elite university.

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UF is ahead of W&M and UT Austin in all the rankings - but nationally, no one would think of Florida as elite but those two schools are seen that way, especially W&M. Again, too much emphasis on rankings. One needs to go to the right school for them.

FSU also quickly moving up the rankings btw.

But perception wise, if you’re going for a job in Boston, Chicago, Denver, etc. no will will care that you went to Florida or UMASS or Nebraska or Oregon…they’re just state schools.

btw - college is about getting a job. You know who’s the #1 career services in the SEC (by Princeton Review) for internships?? Vandy? Nope. UF? No. UGA?? Negative.

It’s a low ranked school - it goes to show you, all this stuff is OVER rated.

Roll Tide - Bama is ranked (yet another ranking…ugh) by Princeton review as tops.

My kid needs a job…not an attaboy for going to a top school.

The Princeton Review? Alabama appears to place first in two categories, “Lots of Greek Life” and “Party Schools”:

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Don’t disagree - but if you factor in merit aid (assuming full pay), the person going to TCU will be going cheaper than at Rice - because they will likely be “buying” that student in to get them.

My point was more - they need to spend four years there. Someone who goes to a school knowing it’s not a fit just for ranking - is likely to be miserable and even not finish.

And if you can save serious bank - that’s another thing.

I’m not against top schools. I get it. I just think kids should go to the right school.

My son blew my mind- turned down engineering with scholarship at Purdue for Bama…at least I’m saving $80K. I thought it was crazy but he wanted to be where he thought he’d be happy.

My daughter is going to C of Charleston…turning down W&L, the aforementioned Florida, Georgia Honors, U of SC Honors, Miami, American. Again, she’s going to the school that she has comfort, knowing four years is a huge chunk of her life.

That’s all I’m saying.

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Go to just about any school with a good fit and feel and excel there. Use rankings to look up schools not as a popularity contest. The school doesn’t get you the job only you can do that. Be an active part of their community. Internships like active students. Do something to make a difference. Go outside your comfort zone and challenge yourself. Can’t tell you how many people I know that went to no name schools that are highly successful.

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USNWR ranking isn’t based on the schools’ eliteness. The closest component to rankings they have is sending a survey to academic administrators of colleges that asks them to rank schools on a scale of 1 = marginal to 5 = distinguished. Florida does fine on this metric – similar ranking to W&M and Tufts. Some specific numbers from an example year are below:

USNWR 1=Marginal to 5 = Distinguished Survey
William and Mary – 3.7
Florida – 3.6
Tufts – 3.6

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Most are utilizing the tool to determine the “best” school - so regardless of data points used, the only thing people look at is overall rank.

It’s interesting, though, that these administrators would even answer the question since they say rankings are bs. Guess not…

That’s the problem with rankings. If “they seem right to me,” they are ok - even though they seem right to you for reasons other than the criteria being used. For me, NYU should be +10 and Tufts +5.

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I mean it’s perception informed off of facts as well. NYU being in the T20 is ridiculous if you look at how US News does rankings. They primarily look at outcomes and NYU is notorious for awful financial aid and leaving students with a truckload of debt (they only meet ~65% need - NYU Students Don’t Know if the Degree Is Worth the Debt - Washington Square News)

NYU also has 26k undergrads with around a 4 billion endowment, which means less finances per student than like UMich which has triple the endowment. We’ve also discussed NYU faring only decently in peer assessments and faculty resources. Also NYU like a lot of other private schools wanting to boost their rankings uses methods to “increase” their selectivity (NYU Liberal Studies which is basically like BU CGS).

I have nothing against NYU but it’s pretty much like every other corporate urban university in the US.

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I love the fire!

The problem is the way US News does ratings is not overly meaningful. NYU- NY is just different. The opportunities coming out of NYU are just better. Very familiar with the way colleges let in lesser applicants without hurting their rankings. The basic studies cheat (almost exclusively for full-payers) is old news. Worse IMO are spring and abroad admits.

No, I just don’t agree that the opportunities at NYU are “better” or “that much better” than its peers in the top 20-40. NYU is not comparable to the Ivies, WashU, Vanderbilt, Rice, etc.

For business, as an example, Stern is stronger than all of those. In addition, the arts are certainly stronger. Tech can be debated, but the jobs will be stronger coming out IMO.

I will agree on “That much better.” But, certainly better.

I just dont agree that a recruiter/employer is going to look at a candidate from BC’s Carroll and NYU’s Stern and look at the Stern candidate in a higher regard… maybe the slightest bit but both top schools. That’s like saying they favor Harvard candidates over UPenn candidates b/c its Harvard. Also, none of those schools except for WashU and Cornell even have a business school, so that is not a fair comparison.

Not sure BC was mentioned, but that would be very true vs. BC. Not even close.

Weird comparison.

Rice now has business, too! and Vandy, too.

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I do agree, I think Stern has some benefits in recruiting just by nature of location and Northeast culture. Obviously, NYU is amazing if someone is in Tisch. However, I think NYU’s undergrad in its Arts and Sciences (let’s not even talk about Tandon) is probably at the same level as like Northeastern (and at least Northeastern has co-ops and is a bit smaller).

To the original topic when it comes to Tufts, I think Tufts’ smaller endowment and lack of dominance in a certain field is what disadvantages it in US News rankings. I don’t think a Tufts student would really care about ranking, but I will say Tufts maybe should be a spot higher than NYU. Maybe tied with Wake Forest?

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Rice and Vanderbilt do not have undergraduate business majors.