<p>Over in the College Search Forum, I started a thread questioning the USNWR rankings as I believe that they consistently underrate the top schools of the Midwest and the South in favor of the more prestigious schools on the coasts, particularly those of the Northeast and the Ivy League. </p>
<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=279420%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=279420</a></p>
<p>IMO, Northwestern, Rice, Emory, Vanderbilt, and Notre Dame are all excellent schools that provide an undergraduate experience arguably superior to that offered by several higher ranked Ivy institutions. I attribute this under appreciation to a) much greater (and more fawning) media coverage of the Ivy schools; b) the Ivy schools having much greater proximity to major population centers which leads to greater numbers of applicants and higher selectivity statistics; and c) the ranking systems that perpetuate the status of the Ivy League. </p>
<p>Now, a few questions for this forum:<br>
Do you agree with this premise that the Midwest/Southern schools are underrated and deserve to be ranked more highly than many of the Ivy schools?<br>
If Emory were located in a major northeastern city rather than Atlanta, how do you believe its ranking and public perception would change?
If Cornell, Brown, Dartmouth, Penn or Columbia were located in Atlanta, how do you think their ranking and public perception would change?</p>
<p>i wonder why brown is ranked so low...</p>
<p>I would agree with you hawkette on the premise that many good colleges in the South or in fly-over country are often overlooked and disparaged in such rankings. However, I do not believe Emory to be underrated; rather, I think that many Ivies and certain publics (like Michigan and Rochester) are overrated.</p>
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Do you agree with this premise that the Midwest/Southern schools are underrated and deserve to be ranked more highly than many of the Ivy schools?
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<p>No. While I believe you may be able to make the case that some of these southern/midwestern colleges offer better undergraduate experiences than many Ivies (for example, Harvard classes/social opportunities aren't necessarily great), I don't think these colleges deserve to be rated above many Ivies. Most of the ivies are considerably more selective than the aforementioned midwestern/southern colleges, and many students who attend midwestern/southern colleges are Ivy rejects. Ivy schools have more tradition and attract more prominent faculty. </p>
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If Emory were located in a major northeastern city rather than Atlanta, how do you believe its ranking and public perception would change?
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<p>It would generally be less prestigious and attractive. It would be just another Northeastern private college, lacking the unique opportunities that Atlanta provides such as excellent job and internship opportunities, great weather, and an altogether different environment. The location of Atlanta is perhaps Emory's greatest asset.</p>
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If Cornell, Brown, Dartmouth, Penn or Columbia were located in Atlanta, how do you think their ranking and public perception would change?
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</p>
<p>If Emory and one of these colleges swapped spots, keeping everything else the same, I think the particular college would be more attractive and higher ranked because it'd be more unique, in much the same way that Stanford's location helps its reputation and desirability.</p>