<p>So, I think the question is clear. You can post short answers like "USNews"(or something else) or longer ones like "PrincetonReview is the best because..."(or something else); the latter are more welcome :)
Thanks!</p>
<p>Best overall ranking: US News
Best departmental suggestions: Rugg's Recommendations
Best college descriptions: Fiske Guide</p>
<p>However, none of the rankings should replace your own effort.</p>
<p>
<p>Some things I look for are:</p>
<ul> <li>department accreditation by a professional association related to the subject, </li> <li>faculty size compared to the number of graduating majors in the department </li> <li>where grads of the department go on to graduate school or employment</li> <li>any recent or pending changes in funding for the department (search the school's press releases, and the student newspaper archives), </li> <li>special facilities or capabilities of the department (department library, research facilities, special equipment, etc.)</li> <li>how many prof's in the department are tenured, how many are full-time, how many are just visiting or are not tenured. </li> <li>the philosophy or subject approach of the department. This can take some digging, and you may have to put some divergent pieces together to see if the department's goals/philosophies are a fit with yours. Two equally sized departments at different schools can have very different approaches.</li> <li>I also like to get a hold of the actual course schedules (not the catalog which merely lists courses that may or may not be offered on a regular basis) for a few semesters and see how many classes the department typically offers, how large or small they are, and whether they fill up quickly or are over-subscribed. A department is only good if you can get into classes without too much trouble. </li> </ul>
<p>Another piece of advice that I also find helpful came from the Philosophical Gourmet site, which ranks Philosophy graduate programs but also has a section discussing how to evaluate undergrad programs, is to (1) find the rankings for top graduate level programs (these are usually more readily available) and then (2) look at the faculty bio's and see how many received their doctorates from the top grad programs. Of course, at large universities, you'll also need to find out how many of those faculty actually teach undergraduates. </p>
<p>There are, of course, many other things to look at when comparing undergrad departments, and I'm sure others will add to these suggestions.</p>
<p>I'd rather do this kind of research on my own than rely solely on rankings, which usually only look at a few key elements, not the broad picture of what an undergraduate's experience is actually likely to be.
</p>
<p>I think US News is most trustworthy. Their methods are explicit, and they provide detailed data in their "thick version" of Best Colleges. At least you know how they arrived at their rankings.</p>
<p>One of my biggest gripes with the U.S. News is that the magazine does not survey student opinion. Instead, the magazine places a heavy emphasis on peer surveys (Deans of admission, provosts, etc). The problem with this is that the vast majority of the people who are surveyed know very little, and sometimes nothing, about the schools they are asked to rate. Some of the people who have filled out the peer surveys have even admitted to giving their competition poor scores so as to boost the rating of their own institution. I say dump the academic peer survey and replace it with a student opinion survey.</p>
<p>Oh my god! No mention of Northeastern (although millions of allusions to the school). It's a start though.</p>
<p>Here is some more info on College Rankings:</p>
<p>Don't source wikipedia. Anyone can edit that. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if you just did right now to put Northeastern at #1, lol!</p>
<p>Let's leave my school out of this.</p>
<p>So do you agree with my statement that U.S. News should consider adding the results of student opinion surveys to the ranking?</p>
<p>Students satisfied with their educational experience?</p>
<p>Perhaps. But it should be given a minor weight.</p>
<p>Why? The students are the consumers who use the product.</p>
<p>I certainly don't think it should replace the peer evaluation polls (25% of the rank). The people polled are often the people who are going to be employing you after graduation, so I think their view is somewhat important!</p>
<p>Yeah. I said it should be given a minor weight (student satisfaction). Not that peer evaluation should be deleted.</p>
<p>The people who are polled are deans of admission, presidents, and provosts. So unless you are planning on a career in academia, they will not be employing you. Now if you want to poll recruiters at Fortune 500 companies, that is something that I would support.</p>
<p>Peer evaluation generally consists of QUALIFIED opinions.</p>
<p>I do plan on a career in academia. :p</p>
<p>What percent of people work for large firms these days?? Not that many. Many are in the public sector or work in small businesses.</p>
<p>Qualified for what? Do you really think that the Dean of Admissions at X Ivy School follows what goes on at regional state U in another part of the country? I don't think so.</p>
<p>"What percent of people work for large firms these days?? Not that many. Many are in the public sector or work in small businesses."</p>
<p>Well then survey a mix of employers.</p>
<p>Maybe he can cite wikipedia.</p>