<p>What are the "elite" universities? We say that this school is elite or prestigious, but which are the fine representations of great schools in this country?</p>
<p>does it go all the way to Top 10, Top 20 or does it just end at Ivy? Or perhaps Ivy Plus (MIT, Stanford)?</p>
<p>Anything, as long as the University of Michigan is at the top!</p>
<p>Hmm, top 25 or so. When I think "elite," I think "tier 1."</p>
<p>i agree with kyledavid</p>
<p>When I think elite, I think admisstion rate less than 30%, and median SAT score is greater than 2000. For public there are a few notable exception of course due to higher instate admission. Tier 1 is not well defined. According to USNEWS, Tier one is on the top 120 or so, other it's the Ivy, or top 25 (which is ranked by USNEWS).</p>
<p>When people talk about the top 10, 25, 50, etc. colleges, what are they referring to? The U.S. News and World Report rankings (which I find severely inaccurate) or some other source?</p>
<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/forumdisplay.php?f=22%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/forumdisplay.php?f=22</a>
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/forumdisplay.php?f=33%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/forumdisplay.php?f=33</a></p>
<p>:rolleyes:</p>
<p>
[quote]
The U.S. News and World Report rankings (which I find severely inaccurate)
[/quote]
Like any ranking, it has quirks and limited usefulness. It's still the best ranking out there, though.</p>
<p>Reddune: so UChicago isn't a tier-1 university? (Its acceptance rate is ~40%).</p>
<p>A flaw in the system!</p>
<p>Where do Rice, Vanderbilt, Emory and Notre Dame rank as far as elite? Which one of these is ranked highest?</p>
<p>I don't want to go off on too much of a tangent, but why does it matter? What is considered "elite" by the majority doesn't necessarily mean it is "elite" for you. I'm not meaning to disrespect anybody, but I'm failing to see why "prestige" is so important in a college decision.</p>
<p>Just for kicks. I know that these days prestige doesnt matter. Unless you're going into investment banking. Thats like the last bastion of prestige whoring.</p>
<p>If the USNews rankings are the best out there then we are really f****d. Just thought I'd throw that out there.</p>
<p>I would say Chicago's students' high gpa/sat is more then compensated their unusually high admission rate. Furthermore, Chicago is one of the very few top universities to have such high admission rate.</p>
<p>People just don't understand the things of which admissions rates are reflective. It has very little to do with how "good" a school is, especially seeing how admissions rates are mostly a function of expected yield and total applicants. While yes, most schools that people consider to be elite and prestigious do indeed have admissions rates under 30%, nothing about a rate in itself is indicative of the academic strength (or even prestige) of a school.</p>
<p>It's not about prestige, it's about the strength of programs. Some kid graduating from MIT is gonna have a much easier time finding a programming job than a kid from Big State U, because MIT is recognized as having a strong program. People disparage rankings, but oftentimes rankings help measure a school's strength. Overall, employers will feel that the MIT kid is a surer bet. Of course, after the first job it's mostly based on skill, but that initial boost can be helpful.</p>
<p>Kamikazewave,</p>
<p>But there's issues with endogenaity. Would the MIT kid have a hard time getting a job if he were at Big State U? Or is it the kid himself?</p>
<p>Absolutely kk19131. In the case of U Chicago, its applicants are extremely self-selecting, so the high admissions rate is due to the fact that so many of its applicants are top caliber, and they know that they are a good match for the school. In addition, since its appeal is more narrow, they get less applicants who just apply there "because its a good school or a top-ranked university". This is why Chicago's acceptance rate is 40%, but in reality the school is as selective as many of its academic peers.</p>
<p>I think at the graduate level it matters a little bit more about the program. But not that much. Usually you have to constantly remind others that such and such school has a top ranked program in yada yada in order to explain it to them why you chose it.
I mean I understand if a kid from a top 20 wants to specialize in something like classical studies and chooses to go to a bottom or second tier school for PhD because it has a highly ranked program in that field. But other than that I dont see the point in choosing a school soley because of the program. I never bought into that at all. </p>
<p>Just go to a top 20 school and major in whatever and you will still come out relatively clean. I mean just work around the alumni connections. </p>
<p>Point is, I always look at the program second after school recognition.</p>
<p>average SAT is at least 1350, and/or ACT is at least 30</p>