To what extent should one use rankings during the college search process

<p>Yes another question. Sorry!</p>

<p>So as the title suggestions, how much emphasis should one place on rankings 'ideally' for undergrad?</p>

<p>I'm planning on studying either Chemical Engineering or one of those Science, Technology and Policy things. Basically I want to try to pair Science and Technology with Social Studies.</p>

<p>Should the department rank (in this case - Chemical Engineering) play a large role or should the overall school's rank play a greater role?</p>

<p>For ex, Minnesota is ranked higher in ChemE but it's overall a weaker school to Wisconsin (which is ranked below Minnesota).</p>

<p>Not to get off the track, but since no one has responded so far, I guess there isn't one yet....
My son is vaccilating between ChemEng and alternative, and he find ChemE to be the least flexible in course requirements. It's basically spelled out from day one what you take, and if you want to double up with something else and still get out in a reasonable time, you have to take a LOT of hours each semester.<br>
Maybe look into the semester-by-semester requirements?</p>

<p>Fit and ranking of the school should go hand in hand. As an undergraduate, you might find yourself changing majors so if you chose a school based on a highly ranked chemical engineering department only to switch majors, that would not put you in a good spot.</p>

<p>I agree with doubleplay, that chemical engineering, in fact most engineering majors have a set of required courses and it will be difficult, but not impossible to double major.</p>

<p>In this case both are ranked very highly for Chem E (Top 5 or so) so you really can move to other factors. Like who has the best football team and school spirit.</p>

<p>considering you haven't spent a single day as a ChemE student, that the dropout rate in engineering hovers over 50% at most schools, and that you're not really you want to be a ChemE anyway -- well, maybe the dept ranking isn't really all that important in your search.</p>

<p>Isn't the fact that many schools are not going to participate anymore going to make the rankings seem less valid?</p>

<p>First of all thanks for all the answers. My problem is I don't know where to start, so I'm using Top 50 rankings for ChemE, cross checking them with Engineering and Overall rankings and finally narrowing them down based on fit.</p>

<p>
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I agree with doubleplay, that chemical engineering, in fact most engineering majors have a set of required courses and it will be difficult, but not impossible to double major.

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</p>

<p>I don't really know if I want to double major. I'm planning on taking classes that interest me in the school's 'Policy' Major. I included the blurb about Science/Tech + Social Studies to give you a rough idea about my academic goals.</p>

<p>
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In this case both are ranked very highly for Chem E (Top 5 or so) so you really can move to other factors. Like who has the best football team and school spirit.

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</p>

<p>See that's my issue, since both are highly ranked does it make sense to use rankings even further to narrow the schools down (I have atleast 20 schools at the moment - however I'm only a Sophomore so I'll attempt to narrow them down as the school year passes). Wisconsin is the stronger school when one uses rankings.</p>

<p>So should I use ChemE, Engineering and Overall rankings together?</p>

<p>If both are highly ranked, then fit and other things should come into play.</p>

<p>Our kids didn't look at US News or any other rankings when picking schools to apply to. It just wasn't their highest priority. After they chose their schools <em>I</em> (the parent) checked out the rankings and was surprised to find one school is in the top 60 and the other #1 in its region for masters colleges. But prior to applying...didn't matter one bit.</p>

<p>^ So where did they start? I mean there are 3000+ colleges in the US, where did they begin?</p>

<p>I don't find rankings to be important. I would compare the overall size/strength of departments you might potentially be interested in - see how many courses are offered in the course catalog and how many faculty members there are, etc. Look at the number of people who declare the major at the institution over the past 5 - 10 years to see if the department is growing or shrinking. While it's a good idea to research the departments and make sure the university offers majors that interest you (many students don't think they'll change majors, and then transfer after realizing their university doesn't offer what they want), don't get too caught up in the numbers game.</p>

<p>I think the rest should come down to other factors - fit, financial aid, etc. Save worrying about the perceived quality of the instruction of departments for grad school.</p>

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<p>Well...not with the rankings. They made a list of their criteria. For DD it was...science/engineering programs, orchestra open to non-music majors, mild climate, west coast or south east, under 10,000 students.</p>

<p>For DS it was trumpet teacher choice, trumpet teacher choice, trumpet teacher choice (he's a music major), urban setting, conservatory program either stand alone or within a university.</p>

<p>Neither looked at rankings. They looked at these criteria. Both used search engines to help narrow down their search, plus spoke to high school alums, friends and relatives living in the areas they were interested in. DS spoke to professional musicians.</p>

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Neither looked at rankings. They looked at these criteria. Both used search engines to help narrow down their search, plus spoke to high school alums, friends and relatives living in the areas they were interested in

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<p>Sounds great. Thanks...</p>

<p>Is the Fiske book good in getting a general idea of a college?</p>

<p>Fiske book is a great book. Both of my D's used it.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Rankings are very, very rough, imprecise guides. It's OK to use them to help inform you, but horribly mistaken to rely on them too much. If two departments are ranked within 5 places of each other, the rankings are probably irrelevant as a point of comparison between them. At that tiny level of difference, rankings are unstable anyway -- schools ranked 1 and 4 the year before you apply could be 4 and 2 the next year, and 6 and 1 six years from then when you are looking for a job. None of that will really affect you anyway.</p></li>
<li><p>Make certain that you understand the basis of the rankings. Some people -- not I -- will tell you that graduate department rankings are irrelevant to undergraduates. I don't agree with that; I think better grad students make for a better undergraduate experience within a department. But some factors that may affect graduate program rankings are basically irrelevant to undergraduates. And some of the factors may matter a whole lot less than others, or than they are weighted in the ranking scheme. So -- caveat emptor. Understand the tool you're using.</p></li>
<li><p>As everyone else has told you, with two schools that have comparably strong departments, there will be 50-100 things that affect your life more than whatever contributed to their ranking differences. Starting with stuff like cost, financial aid, housing, location, climate, travel, social environment, requirements, whether the program will accomodate study abroad, and whether the school colors look good on you.</p></li>
<li><p>You are a sophomore in high school? The likelihood that you are going to graduate from college with a degree in the major you're looking at now is way less than 50%. No one likes to hear this, but it's true, and it's one of the good things about college -- you actually change based on what you're learning. Look for places with strength in a range of areas that appeal to you, not just one department. And look for places where, if you decide you want to change majors, you can do it without paying for an extra year.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>My advice is not to pair the two initially. Focus on being a good engineer first. If you are still interested, then do a master or a PhD in the second field. </p>

<p>Science policy is not something you can learn in a classroom. You can however gain a perspective in your PhD research. But that is only a starting point.</p>

<p>Look at schools with various rankings and compare yourself to the middle, 25-75%ile, of students at the schools. A best fit will probably not put you extremely above or below this pool for grades or test scores. You do not want to feel over your head or be underwhelmed by the students you take classes with. As others state, be prepared to change your major and look at schools that fit you in more than just the one aspect. The most prestigious school in your proposed major may not give you the best education, that is why people talk about a good fit- you want to maximize your education, not just have a prestigious name to drop into conversations.</p>

<p>
[quote]
My advice is not to pair the two initially. Focus on being a good engineer first. If you are still interested, then do a master or a PhD in the second field. </p>

<p>Science policy is not something you can learn in a classroom. You can however gain a perspective in your PhD research. But that is only a starting point.

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</p>

<p>Well although I have developed a liking towards Biotech lately, I'm more interested in Consulting/Management/Policy. My opinion changes every day :( But one thing has remained constant - having something to do with Biopharma.</p>

<p>I looked up the major Stanford has and apparently it's 'Science, Technology and Society' not Policy. Anyway that was what interested me.</p>

<p>Thanks once again for the insightful comments!</p>

<p>Lots of schools have something like that. It is policy-oriented.</p>

<p>And I think padad is at least a little wrong. One of the most memorable lectures I ever attended was Alain Enthoven talking about the history and economics of certificate of need regulation for CAT scanners and MRI devices, and their effect on medical practice and innovation. It strongly contributed to a massive change in my thinking. I don't know if PhD students or radiology fellows would get that kind of perspective from their research, and I know that it was valuable information for policy-oriented thinkers who wouldn't know where the "On" switch was on an MRI device, much less how it worked.</p>

<p>Well according to the STS site, the major apparently studies the relationship between civilisations and technology. The FAQs too suggest it's a Management track :confused:</p>