<p>LOL! I agree with ‘none of them’. Some are laughable if you are in the country where the rated schools are located. I honestly don’t know how you would ever get a world ranking of schools in one country against schools in another, National pride, political policy bias and more come into play. I guess I’d figure what countries interested me, then I would look at their INTERNAL listings (somewhat, those can be wonky too). I’d then compare them GENERALLY to the world rankings as a cross check, just to figure out what schools employers in other countries have heard of.</p>
<p>What MYOSO said is very true, also, look at WHAT they rank. If you are interested in ‘which will lead me to a job’, look at their employment history and lists that use that to rank. Most DO rate on PhD work, with the (in my view) ridiculous platitude that ‘the quality of PhD work makes for a better intellectual atmosphere for everyone’. If you are going UNDERGRAD I think that may be the opposite of the truth at times. OFTEN there is a tension between where the ‘emphasis’ and money, research opportnities and internships go. </p>
<p>As a prime example, look at UCSB. That is an UNDERGRADUATE focused school, with a relative lack of PhD students for its size and importance as a research university. As a result, more than 50% of its graduating seniors are working on original research work. Undergrads get the research and intern opportunities, routinely, and while TAs may run the sections for the largest classes, PROFESSORS, not graduate students, teach the classes, even the large ones. Compare this to Berkeley.</p>
<p>Schools that rank size of PhD programs as a big element, like US News, take major points off for that. But , as a comparison, one world listing that goes about half on how much an institution’s original research is cited in peer publications, ranks UCSB as number 2 in the world. But much as I love UCSB, I suspect if you planned to go get a job right out of college your prospective employer will know Berkeley better. (In California, the top employers recruit at both, however, the further you get from California, the more the importance of the name will weigh in.)</p>
<p>I have two sons. One may look for a job right out of college (he doesn’t know yet). The other has been planning to go to law school since kindergarten and sees the glut of attorneys on the market as just a challenge he will have to rise above. The first might do better to get his degree at Berkeley, all things being equal. The second will want to think about which will get him into a better graduate school, and also will have more luxury to think about sheer joy of the undergraduate experience. (UCSB 
)</p>
<p>You have to figure your own priorities.</p>