<p>I’m perplexed where on earth some of you are obtaining your information. USNWR ACTUAL numbers for public schools are as follow:</p>
<h1>21 University of California – Berkeley</h1>
<h1>24 University of California – Los Angeles; University of Virginia</h1>
<h1>27 University of Michigan – Ann Arbor</h1>
<h1>28 University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill</h1>
<h1>33 College of WIlliam and Mary</h1>
<h1>35 University of California – San Diego; University of Rochester</h1>
<h1>39 – University of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign; University of Wisconson – Madison</h1>
<h1>42 University of California – Santa Barbara; University of Washington</h1>
<h1>46 University of California – Irvine</h1>
<h1>47 Pennsylvania State University – University Park; University of Florida; University of Texas – Austin</h1>
<p>One cannot simply isolate the peer evaluation of the methodolgy – that would be absolutely foolish. There are many other components. Furthermore, if you want to delve deeper, here’s a bit more from Princeton Review:</p>
<p>Selectivity Rating:</p>
<p>UVa – 99
University of Michigan – 99
UCLA – 98
UNC – 98
William and Mary – 98
Berkeley – 97
U.T. Austin – 92
Penn State – 91</p>
<p>USN&WR (ACTUAL NUMBERS!) is just one among many rankings. For good reason we do not worship it around here. And note the topic at hand: it is ‘prestige’ for better or worse. </p>
<p>A good argument can indeed be made that Berkeley is the most prestigious American public university. Berkeley has always had many, many prominent–often pre-eminent–graduate departments. But its undergraduate numbers are the simple result of being the flagship public institution in a state of 40 million people. That does not and cannot speak to ‘prestige’ as the quality of the grad depts can. </p>
<p>Michigan has way too many strikes against it imho: over 90% in-state student body, hence, not cosmopolitan; way oversize (like Berkeley); and a sitting duck for budget cuts in a state which (like California) is in a fiscal cataclysm for the foreseeable future. Sad to say!</p>
<p>“Michigan has way too many strikes against it imho: over 90% in-state student body, hence, not cosmopolitan; way oversize (like Berkeley); and a sitting duck for budget cuts in a state which (like California) is in a fiscal cataclysm for the foreseeable future. Sad to say!”</p>
<p>LOL, Marsden, Michigan is 65% in-state. I think you’re confusing the 90% statistic with UCLA/Berkeley.</p>
<p>In a way, Michigan is MORE cosmopolitan than UCLA/Berkeley because many Midwestern, Northeastern, and Californian students attend Michigan.</p>
<p>Michigan is financially sound ($5-6 billion endowment) unlike UCLA/Berkeley.</p>
<p>Next time, research your facts before you make yourself look more ignorant.</p>
<p>Ha, recharge you beat me to it and answered my question. Methinks Marsden was quite off on this… is your figure total student population, or Undergraduate?</p>
<p>I dont see why so much emphasis is placed on SAT scores here when all the elite private schools (i.e. Ivy League) are placing less and less importance on SAT scores. There are all kinds of recent studies that show less than expected correlation between SAT scores and college success.</p>
<p>I dont know much about the University of Minnesota, but I see its name mentioned. I read an article about some Golden Gopher Fast Application where the applicant barely has to do more than write down their name on the application and gets a quick decision. How can that be compatible with high level academics?</p>
<p>You’re right, there is too much, but to some extent it’s a proxy for selectivity which certainly confers prestige. Prestige (without looking it up) necessarily involves a certain amount of exclusivity. </p>
<p>Otherwise, everyone would have it and it wouldn’t be prestige ;)</p>
<p>“I don’t see why so much emphasis is placed on SAT scores here when all the elite private schools (i.e. Ivy League) are placing less and less importance on SAT scores. There are all kinds of recent studies that show less than expected correlation between SAT scores and college success.”</p>
<p>ACT and SAT scores are only standardized non-arbitrary objective criteria by which we can actually rank schools objectively. Peer reviews objectively rank based on subjective criteria, GPA is not standardized, and the rest of the ranking criteria are arbitrarily selected and weighted.</p>
<p>I don’t get the big deal over Illinois, I guess.</p>
<p>What makes the University of Wisconsin and University of Michigan so interesting in terms of quality is that both are the nicest schools in their respective states. This gives them a nice chance at some really special students, considering that the very best students in those states may choose to forgo a nicer school to stay home–and they would then receive those kids.</p>
<p>So a student who lives in Illinois who got into H/Y/P/S may decide to stay home, and will likely then choose UC or Northwestern for the best education. A student in California who wants to stay in-state will find the best education at Stanford. A gifted student from North Carolina who wants to stay in state will face a tough decision between Duke and UNC for the best education.</p>
<p>At UWisc and UMich, there’s very little competition in-state.</p>
<p>I think that there is no question that Berkeley is on top all the public universities right now, but I am concerned about its future. In addition to no merit aid to middle class high-achieving students, it is going to abandon the SAT II for admission altogether in 2012. The reason is some students from poor areas don’t have the time or don’t have the guidance for SAT II. I wonder what they are going to abandon next, SAT I? GPA?</p>