<p>I think screwitlah's point is very important indeed. Non-US folks don't have the opportunity to visit US schools as much as Americans do. Nor are they culturally as familiar with the "reputations" that various schools hold. While websites and internet conversations with current administrators and students are valuable sources of information, they are nonetheless very American in their presentation. </p>
<p>After hosting a Chinese national student for a year ( she was my daughter's fast friend in a performing arts high school) I began to realize how "American" the entire college selection process is here- there were so many things- values, assumptions, etc- that I and my daughter took for granted, that were really very culturally based. They just didn't resonate with our Chinese family member. </p>
<p>So- I can fully understand the importance of USNWR rankings for international students- they seem to provide a quantitative measurement of a school's ranking and overall excellence. The reality is that they really provide a very "American" snapshot of a seemingly quantitative measurement of a school's rank and overall excellence. </p>
<p>Further- the notion of "fit" is, I think, if not a distinctly American notion, certainly a very Western European notion- not particularly familiar to many Asian cultures for example. </p>
<p>All that being said- the USNWR ranking have their value. How people use them will vary based on values, culture, etc. If one understands the way the rankings are done and if one understands the presumptive American values underlying them, then one has done all one can do.</p>