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<p>What do you mean, “actual calculated PA.” Oh, I see, the calculated figures according to somebody’s model of how to get a number that approximates PA for most schools, most of the time, using non-PA factors like student/faculty ratio, SAT scores, and all the other US News metrics that are NOT PA. But that’s not the school’s “real” PA, and it doesn’t really tell us anything about whether a school’s actual PA is too high or too low, “overrated” or “underrated.” It just means there’s an imperfect correlation with a bunch of numerical factors that have nothing to do with “peer assessment.” </p>
<p>Those numerical factors, which are already counted separately by US News in its ranking system, omit a lot of things that the college presidents and provosts filling out the PA survey might take into account. Like the strength, breadth, and depth of a school’s faculties, for example—something entirely omitted from the US News ranking, unless it comes in through PA. And I’ve long maintained that it does. College presidents and provosts are paid to keep an eye on the competition and to stay a step ahead of them, or to catch up to those ahead of them if they can. One of the main ways they do this is by raiding each others’ faculties, fighting to prevent their own faculty being poached, and competing head-to-head for talent both in lateral hires and in the entry-level market. They know which faculties they envy, and which they think they’re got a step on; and they know how they generally stack up in head-to-head competition. The University of Wisconsin doesn’t win many head-to-head battles with Harvard, for example, but they probably win a goodly share against Iowa. In fact, I suspect this is what presidents and provosts know most about, and think most about, when filling out PA surveys. And it’s important, critical information about a school’s standing that isn’t otherwise reflected in the US News ranking, information that has nothing to do with SAT scores and alumni giving rate and other so-called “objective” factors. That’s why it’s called a “peer assessment score”: it reflects how a school is viewed by its peers. Collegehelp’s model based on all the OTHER US News metrics may approximate the PA score for most schools, most of the time. But that doesn’t make it the “actual” PA score. A school’s “actual” PA score is its PA score.</p>