<p>just speculation…but i think that something might be surprising</p>
<li>Harvard</li>
<li>Princeton</li>
<li>Stanford</li>
<li>Yale</li>
<li>UPenn</li>
<li>MIT</li>
<li>Duke</li>
<li>Columbia</li>
<li>Cal Tech</li>
<li>Dartmouth
11.Northwestern</li>
<li>Cornell</li>
<li>JHU</li>
<li>Chicago</li>
<li>Brown</li>
<li>Wash U</li>
</ol>
<p>I never pay to much attention to those things... i mean... where is berkeley on that? the way they rate the schools is all off.</p>
<p>well....they don't change that much. Therefore, i highly doubt to see berk go from like 20 or 22 or w.e. to like 15.</p>
<p>U.C. Berkeley is usually in the twenties along side schools like Emory, Vanderbilt, Michigan, & Georgetown.</p>
<p>So basically, you think Stanford will leap 2 spots, WashU will plummet, and Brown will be sit while Cornell, JHU pass by? Interesting, don't really care, but interesting...;)</p>
<p>I never understand why they rank UPenn so high, even higher than Stanford and MIT usually. The way they rank universities is rather inaccurate.</p>
<p>um...i have some interesting stuff. A), Brown was like 17 or something a year ago...they moved down 4 spots b/c of something. I hear that they will take away acceptance rates with selectivity, and Brown's selectivity will plummit. Same goes with Wash U.</p>
<p>That's a can of worms, why should UPenn be one spot higher than Stanford & MIT? It's interesting because Stanford and MIT have the highest peer assestments tied only by Harvard, Princeton, & Yale. Why it goes like:</p>
<p>1.Harvard-----4.9
1.Princeton---4.9
3.Yale--------4.9
4.UPenn------4.6
5.Duke-------4.6
5.MIT--------4.9
5.Stanford---4.9
8.CalTech----4.7</p>
<p>Especially when UPenn has the lowest graduation & retention rate and highest acceptance rate between those schools.</p>
<p>um...the head of US News is a grad of UPenn Wharton. As long as he is apart of that place, Penn will never go below #5.</p>
<p>It's been in the 20s before, has it not?</p>
<p>I didn't know that was the reason why UPenn was so highly ranked. That's such a simple bias! It's unfortunate that the probably most trusted college ranking is influenced by the predilection of one person.</p>
<p>who cares??</p>
<p>I hate that stupid US News ranking. It's really never a surprise to anyone. Are you kidding?! Harvard, Yale, and Stanford are at the top? NO F'ING WAY!!! I do wonder, though, are they at the top because they're the best, or are they the best because they're at the top?</p>
<p>To the people mentioning U.C. Berkley: Because of the way the ranking system works, public schools are at a disadvantage (for example, their SAT %tiles are often lower because they have a duty to admit a certain amount of in-staters). That's why U.Va., UCLA, Cal, UMich and other highly respected public institutions often don't rank as high as perhaps they should.</p>
<p>Just out of curiosity, if Harvard, Yale and Stanford shouldn't be at the top, which colleges do you think should be at the top then?</p>
<p>Assuming you're talking to me, I didn't say they shouldn't be at the top. I simply wondered which came first: if they truly were the top institutions before the rankings, or if being ranked high has been the driving force that has really made them the "it" schools for academic powerhouses.</p>
<p>Personally, I think a lot more needs to be ranked than simple academics, SAT %tiles and grad rates. For example, how much is there to do on and off campus? How do the students rate the professors? What kind of condition are the campus and facilities in? And most importantly, are the students happy? The way the system stands now, Harvard could be inside of a prison and still be ranked #1.</p>
<p>A college experience is about more than the degree at the end of it. You're looking for a place to not just study, but to LIVE, for 4 years. There's a lot more to being a "good" school than just how high the SAT scores of their incoming freshman are.</p>
<p>I agree that it is very difficult to define what a good college or good college experience is, as it varies greatly from person to person. </p>
<p>However, I don't think that USNews ranking really made those institutions the top instituions. I believe that those universities, especially Harvard, Yale and other universities with long history have been considered to be top instituions by many people over a long period of time for good reasons. </p>
<p>I also agree that fullfiling college experience is crucial in making your life in college a fruitful one, but in reality the education level of an instituion comes down to be very important, simply because universities are academic institutions, namely places for learning. A good combination of those two factors will probably make a university a good university.</p>
<p>^Well, that's what the PR rankings were supposed to measure, but there are so many flaws with that system as well. Surveying random students is hardly an effective way to measure a school's quality. I'm also not a fan of the USNEWS ranking. I don't see how a college's quality of education can be quantified and ranked by some arbitrary system.</p>
<p>I'm sure that the top schools would have tons of applicants regardless of the rankings. People don't need to follow USNEWS to know the prestige of HYPS. However, it does bring other schools to light that might otherwise be overlooked. For example, more top applicants who would otherwise look to the Ivies are applying to schools like Wash U, which are ranked unusually high.</p>
<p>But don't you think that if USNews ranked Harvard 135th, that would have a huge impact on the number of people who apply there, even if nothing was really different about the school? (I realize that's totally not feasible since it's ranked #1 for a reason, but roll with me here.)</p>
<p>I agree with you, although I do believe there is a great education to be had even at less prestigious universities and colleges if you really want to get it.</p>
<p>Probably not. There's a popular joke that any ranking that doesn't put Harvard first is not credible. The top schools (especially Harvard) have enormous global recognition and reputations that existed long before any rankings were created. If the USNEWS ranking was completely different than popular opinion, people would shrug it off and criticize the methodology.</p>
<p>Right, but imagine if Harvard had been ranked 135th on the first ever ranking.</p>
<p>There's no way JHU is going to jump up...I actually think Brown has a better chance of going up because its new president has done a lot and it's been going up steadily these past few years.</p>