<p>I apologize for necroposting. MODs, feel free to delete this post if I'm commenting too late in the game.</p>
<p>I'm a Rose student, so please take the following comments with a grain of salt. I will attempt to answer the OP's question: why is Rose-Hulman ranked so highly? I have seen three main factors in our ranking:</p>
<p>1) Personal attention. Rose has a lot of programs set up that are entirely devoted to helping struggling students succeed. The Sophomore Advisors exist to help freshmen adjust to life at Rose and have a fun first year. There is a learning center where students can go almost any hour of the day to get a personal tutor to help them with their homework. Class sizes are all quite small, which allows students to ask questions directly to the PhD who's presenting the material. In fact, these professors are so important to my answer that they deserve their own section.</p>
<p>2) The professors. Rose professors aren't necessarily the most well-published or famous professors in the US. But they all share one thing in common: they love teaching. Every prof's number one goal is to help students learn. They do engage in professional development and research, but not nearly as much as professors at other schools. Most Rose profs have an open-door policy, meaning that they will keep their office doors open when they aren't in class for students to come in and ask questions. I've known some professors who'll give out their home phone numbers to the class, just in case they have emergency questions about tests.</p>
<p>3) That fuzzy feeling. There's a sense of family that everyone -- professors, students, and staff -- try to engender. Dormitories have open-door policies that encourage students to leave their rooms open during the hours they're not asleep or in class. Every Friday, professors leave their dining room to eat with the students in the big cafeteria. We have a number of talent shows that involve faculty, staff, and students who showcase their talents. All these combine to make Rose have a nice, family atmosphere.</p>
<p>These three aspects are not easy to find at big schools in the area, such as UIUC, UMich, or Purdue. All three are excellent schools...they're just different from Rose.</p>
<p>I'm sure that other schools have these two points. Places like Harvey Mudd, Olin, and Rice come into mind. And many people make good points: I imagine that Harvey Mudd IS more selective than Rose, at this point. And its reputation may be higher. But at such a high level, I believe that these small differences don't amount to a whole lot. At this level, a person's success after college depends on how hard he tried during school, not which school he went to. For example, a smart kid from Harvey Mudd will OBVIOUSLY know more than a slacker from Rose, and vice versa.</p>
<p>Again, sorry for necroposting. I hope I make sense!</p>