GoNavyXC

Here's how I say colleges should be ranked:

So you're a recent graduate and recipient of your undergraduate degree. You walk into the profession of your choice and give your interview/credentials. Your interviewers are impressed by you attending the institution that you have your degree from.

Other considerations: Do people know why your college is so good and is it recognizable? What initial impressions to people get from you going there? How hard is it to get into your college and what kinds of applicants are applying there?

Meaning that most people in the real world aren't CC junkies, so they don't know that U-Chicago is really good or that UPENN is not Penn State.

In the end, all that really matters about your college is that you went there, other people aspire to be there, people recognize the name, and you can open up doors in any manner just because of a name. Yes, factors like experience at the college are nice, but let's be realistic folks...

beefs

Most people in the "real world" know UChicago and UPenn as the elite colleges that they are. I, for one, got my first >$15/hr job offer in high school right after I mentioned where I was going to college.

GoNavyXC

Just used 3 of my friends as an experiment who are in my room right now:

My question: "Guys, how good do you think the University of Pennsylvania is?"

Answer 1 : "I mean, it's OK, it's a state school, it's got to be pretty solid."

Answer 2 : "Who cares?"

Answer 3 : "They have a good football team."

I rest my case. All three of them laughed at me when I told them their selectivity rate was under 20% and that it was an Ivy League school.

Cincinnatistudent

Judging by that conversation, I'm guessing your friends do not/will not have the power to make hiring decisions.

beefs

Dude, your friends are not professional employers. Don't you go to the Naval Academy? It's weird that your roommates wouldn't know what UPenn is.

danas

Get better friends.

innervisions

To be quite honest, I think the rankings would stay pretty similar. Notre Dame, BC, and the like would shoot up, but for the most part, the established idea is probably similar to what would happen under this system.

D.T.

I'm not sure how you're even going to go about gathering such data.

And be open to surprises if you do, because relying on your relatively narrow list of contacts is NOT going to give you a good idea of where colleges stand with regards to your criteria.

GoNavyXC

A previous poster has hit the point that I've been trying to spot on. Notre Dame and Boston College would skyrocket under this system. College junkies know that Williams or Tufts might be better than Notre Dame, but in no way do they trump name recognition and prestige.

beefs

Dude, your information gathering methods are flawed. Give up the cause.

danas

GoNavyXC...
By your reckoning, Ohio State would easily trump BC and Notre Dame.

ilovebagels

hahaha, good one

Those who need to know Penn, Chicago, etc., know.

coolman123

I think gonavy is right about penn .. I know people who go there who are constantly confused with penn state students

vossron

I'd like to see a tally for various schools of the spread between entering SAT/ACT scores and departing GRE/MCAT/LSAT scores; the bigger the spread, the better the school?

UCBChemEGrad

I kind of agree with GoNavy...if you say you're a grad from the Naval Academy or West Point most people would be very impressed...I would be.

*Then again, views might be different to some anti-military peacenik*