USN&RW Rankings Are Out

Colleges and Universities A-Z Williams College
1

<p>What, no chit chat, no crowings, no comments whatsoever? </p>

<p>I personally always have a huge mixture of responses when I learn the USN&WR rankings have come out (nice to be the #1-ranked LAC this year; how long is that going to last; the methodology is strange and the results probably often very unfair; I hate the brand name/prestige thing even though I still look the results up online; it's too bad Williams probably really needs this to get some attention in an Ivy-obsessed world; I hate the apples-to-oranges comparisons; what would Williams look like on the lists if LACs weren't pulled out separately, etc.). </p>

<p>If you have some spare time, it is always fun to read the blog comments (and CC board comments) about the rankings for some of the Ivies and Stanford, etc. </p>

<p>I wonder how many magazines it sells during the Dog Days? Props to USN&RW for a great marketing strategy!</p>

2

<p>It's funny seeing people get upset about a drop of 2 places or so.
Otherwise, doesn't really matter. Good schools are good schools.</p>

<p>And hey, where I'm from, George Washington U is more recognizable than Williams or Penn.</p>

3

<p>For whatever it was worth, Penn is often confused with Penn State. In fact about twenty years ago, the administration changed their branding by making their abbreviation Penn rather than UPenn for which it was known for many years in order to distinguish it from Penn State. I still think the confusion persists among the general public.</p>

<p>The general public readily recognizes schools with outstanding Divison I Sports teams rather than outstanding academics. Unfortunately, they also do not recognize schools which are outstanding in Division III Sports.</p>

4

<p>padfoot must be from DC. sadly, though, he is correct. around here, GW is probably more well known than any LAC. but even in DC power circles, the williams name carries serious weight.</p>

5

<p>Roger Williams University, right?</p>

6

<p>Williams College</p>

7

<p>Williams College? Is that like some vocational school?</p>

<p>rl.hill, I know...my school is in the same athletic division as yours. And I was actually asked by a UMass-Dartmouth student if Middlebury was a vocational school.</p>

8

<p>If its any consolation, I had never heard of GW (or JMU or GMU) before I lived in DC. Believe it or not, I had never heard of William and Mary or Roger Williams before attending Williams College.</p>

9

<p>Actually, I live in San Diego.</p>