<p>Any predictions?</p>
<p>I have a feeling Tulane is breaking the top 50 this year. I don’t really think Emory, Wake Forest, and USC should be as high as they are. However I don’t think USC is going back down because it’s alumni are giving so much money to them. Lehigh should break the top 40. I think University of Vermont is going up too. </p>
<p>As much as I rail on these ratings as being essentially meaningless, I’m still pleased when my school goes up in the rankings.</p>
<p>Kids and parents (the prestige hounds) think somehow that if their school goes up in rankings it makes them smarter and more prestigious. Its a silly argument. </p>
<p>USNWR changed their ranking system entirely a few years ago and also groups schools together more (more ties) and it resulted in some changes, some meteoric rises by some schools. But we also know some schools gamed the system and got caught and some got punished (false numbers) and others sort of gamed it legally…but also a bit unfairly by admitting lower SAT kids in the spring and not reporting those numbers in their entering class. </p>
<p>Does any of this matter? NO. You should pick a school based on factors that are important, location, financial aid, program strength, distance from home, urban v suburban v rural, frats and sororities or not, are big time athletics important to you and your “experience?”, likelihoood of getting into graduate school, size of school, private or public, party school or academic school, etc. The usual indicia. </p>
<p>We all look at rankings. Fine. But saying one school doesnt deserve a ranking or one school deserves a higher ranking is very subjective and often superficial. Pick your school, embrace it and be proud! Then go get a stellar degree, work your behind off, and get a job or grad school. </p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>Are they releasing Undergrad Business to or is it only overall?</p>
<p>“But saying one school doesnt deserve a ranking or one school deserves a higher ranking is very subjective and often superficial.”</p>
<p>Well, that is what USNWR is doing. I say it is a forum and people are entitled to their superficial, subjective opinions, many of which are better than USNWR. At least the ones that agree with me are better. </p>
<p>@Lacoste Yes, they are including undergraduate business programs and undergraduate engineering programs.</p>