US News Rankings

Colleges and Universities A-Z Smith College
21

<p>Here's a list of LACs that are listed in the top 50 of US News & World Report and have made the SAT and ACT optional: </p>

<p>College - Rank </p>

<p>Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine 6
Middlebury (Vt.) College 8<br>
Hamilton College, Clinton, N.Y. 15
Bates College, Lewiston, Maine 21
Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, Mass. 23
College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, Mass. 32
Connecticut College, New London, Conn. 36
Union College, Schenectady, N.Y.<br>
Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y. 39
Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, Pa.<br>
Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pa. 45
Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville, N.Y. 49 </p>

<p>Middlebury is a school worth checking when it comes the way they report their SAT scores. In 2004, their 25% SAT was 1380 ... in 2005 it is listed at 1260 (because they reported the scores in a way similar to other schools.) 120 points is quite a difference!</p>

<p>The issue with the SAT optional schools is that they have quite a latitude in reporting the scores, and do play that card with glee.</p>

<p>Then you have the impact of SAT/ACT-optional policies on the number of applications: </p>

<p>• Drew's were up 19%, breaking 4,000 applications for the first time.
• College of the Holy Cross, up 41%.
• Knox, up 18%.</p>

<p>Would Smith benefit from 5,000 applicants and a higher reported SAT? Absolutely, but, for the USNews, it would also require a higher graduation rate to match the increased selectivity. The expected graduation rate can be a killer -check Harvey Mudd!</p>

22

<p>{Middlebury (Vt.) College 8
Hamilton College, Clinton, N.Y. 15
Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, Mass. 23
Colgate 14}</p>

<p>What's interesting is, after becoming SAT optional and since the 04 rankings, Midd has gone up 3 spots, Hamilton 4, Mt Holyoke 1, Colgate 2</p>

23

<p>RLT, Midd has been SAT optional for longer than that, and probably as long as they have manipulated their numbers. The only change is that they had to cease reporting their SAT number as they did. This said, the numbers offered to the USNews editors for the 2007 edition are simply mind-boggling. </p>

<p>The Vermonters have visibly found the way to run circles around the USNews models. The fact that the numbers are self-reported and unaudited surely helps! :D</p>

<p>PS The rankings posted in the first post are not legitimate. For the record, Middlebury is ranked FIFTH this year. The real numbers were leaked last night.</p>

24

<p>{RLT, Midd has been SAT optional for longer than that,}</p>

<p>I'm aware of that Ziggi. ;) I was using the 04 stats b/c that was just before the other colleges became SAT optional.</p>

<p>"The Vermonters have visibly found the way to run circles around the USNews models. The fact that the numbers are self-reported and unaudited surely helps!" </p>

<p>Thanks for the info. And all the more reason to consider the US News rankings illegitimate.</p>

<p>"PS The rankings posted in the first post are not legitimate. For the record, Middlebury is ranked FIFTH this year. The real numbers were leaked last night."</p>

<p>I see that.
LACs:</p>

<ol>
<li>Williams</li>
<li>Amherst</li>
<li>Swarthmore</li>
<li>Wellesley</li>
<li>Middlebury</li>
<li>Carleton</li>
<li>Bowdoin
Pomona</li>
<li>Haverford</li>
<li>Davidson
Wesleyan</li>
<li>Claremont McKenna
Vassar</li>
<li>Grinnell
Harvey Mudd</li>
<li>Colgate</li>
<li>Hamilton
Washington and Lee</li>
<li>Smith</li>
<li>Bryn Mawr
Colby</li>
<li>Oberlin</li>
<li>Bates</li>
<li>Macalester
Mt. Holyoke</li>
</ol>

25

<p>Ok, but then WHAT caused Smith's ranking to drop from 12-13 to 19 in such a short time? The college never really answered that question when I ask during the parents meeting at orientation last year</p>

26

<p>"Ok, but then WHAT caused Smith's ranking to drop from 12-13 to 19"</p>

<p>What leads you to believe anything to do with Smith caused the drop? All US News has to do is change the weighting of a stat .1 % and the effect can be dramatic. SAT manipulation by other colleges, which are now ahead of Smith, doesn't help either.</p>

<p>Midd moved up 6 spots in 24 months. Do you really believe a college changes that drastically in such a short time span?</p>

<p>You might find this interesting. Maybe Smith should meet with US News "folks" :)</p>

<p>"It is interesting that today's Chicago Tribune had an article about U. Chicago's six spot rise. Turns out the U was not calculating its submitted information in the most favorable way. The U met with the USNWR folks to discuss things, and it was the USNWR folks who suggested changes. </p>

<p>Quote:
"They concluded that we were misinterpreting some of their definitions," Behnke said.</p>

<p>In calculating the number of classes with fewer than 20 students, for example, university officials did not count the freshmen writing courses that have an average of eight students.</p>

<p>By including the writing classes, the percentage of classes under 20 increased to about 67 percent, from 60 percent, Behnke said.</p>

<p>"That was a 'duh' moment. Why aren't we including these all along?" Behnke said.</p>

<p>"Officials also found a way to improve the alumni giving rank—the percentage of alumni who donate to the university—by excluding graduates who couldn't be located.</p>

<p>The university also improved its per-student spending calculation by relabeling $15 million in annual library expenditures that had been incorrectly filed under a category other than educational expenditures—information that also is submitted to the federal government. The additional per-student spending improved the university's position in the "financial resources" category."
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=228072%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=228072&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

27

<p>Nice post RLT! Data can be manipulated in many ways. This is the game that many colleges are playing with the rankings, and they're toying with high school students' heads. I hope parents reading this now undestand that the rankings are just that...USNWR rankings based on their data.</p>

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<p>RLT, Colgate made the SAT II's optional, but still requires either the SAT I or ACT. Its ranking actually dropped this year 1 place after giving up the SAT II.</p>