furyshade

this sort of stuff is the kind of stuff that has started to make me think about transferring. it seems the entire mentality of the school is so image focused and will improve its image by any means necessary. i can't imagine that any of the schools that are as good as USC has made itself out to be go through such shady processes to improve their reputation. it all just seems so painfully obvious and unethical, it is like they don't even try to hide it.

LasMa

We don't even have to assume bias to know that this methodology is fatally flawed (although I don't doubt that bias is rampant). It is simply not credible that every college official knows enough about every other college in the country to formulate a useful assessment. The vast majority of the peer assessments are inevitably based on reputation, or bias, or both.

In fact, IMO the entire notion of rankings is fatally flawed.

BC2011_25

Seems like USC cheats in college rankings in addition to football and basketball recruiting too huh? Haha

harvardgator

I am pleased all of this is "gaming" information is finally coming out and I hope reaching a critical mass to once and for all bury USNWR (its only money maker are these inane lists). In addition to what's going on at USC and Clemson, I have maintained that any ranking system that has UC Santa Barbara, Irvine and Davis in the top 50 ranked over UT, UF, Penn State (flagship unis.), Tulane, GWU, and Miami, as does USNWR, is a joke.

These UC schools are gaming the system with their artificially high “estimated” top 10 percent of high school class numbers. For example, Davis reports 96 percent, whereas Harvard reports 95 percent, Stanford reports 91 percent, Vanderbilt 80. This is juxtaposed with these UC schools' low SAT/ACT achievement. Davis: average SAT1160/ACT24; Irvine: SAT1120/ACT24; SB: SAT1185/ACT25. By any reasonable standard these numbers are atrocious for purported top 50 schools. Ridiculous.

Schmaltz

Anybody who has ever worked in a private corporation knows that it's a game of survival, and about 99% of the people will stretch any truth, round up, round down, forge signatures, backdate reports, and outright lie to keep their jobs. I don't see why that survival instinct would disappear just because one has a PhD and is running a college. I'm NOT saying it's ok...I'm saying that USC and Clemson are the first to get exposed, and once someone starts to look into the other schools, many of the big names will follow.

jack63

I'm glad USC was caught on this! My opinion is that it is absurd for USC to count adjucts in their National Academly membership.

-A tenure track faculty has devoted a good portion of their career to an institution.

-An adjuct who is a National Academly member could be paid loads of money to give an occasional lecture.

There is a profound difference between and adjuct a tenure track faculty....., and counting retired professors when usnews is asking for full time is also very hard to explain. These ranking are only worth so much and should always be taken with a grain of salt, however I do care about lying and misleading the media and public.

davematthewsxvii

I think he already graduated it said, i might be wrong

Schmaltz

I think Sam went to Northwestern undergrad and Stanford grad, or vice versa. Also went to high school in Williamstown, MA, as I recall.

acollegehopeful

Sam Lee -- the article says he is a current graduate student at USC but all of his listings make it clear that he is an NU grad. Is anyone else bothered by these tactics?

acollegehopeful

Is he reallly a grad student at USC or just pretending to be.. seem to be many postings trashing other universities and trying to pump up NU.

acollegehopeful

alerting the media is a good thing but one question - but is he really a grad student at USC? If not, is anyone bothered by these tactics?

imrightuarewrong

yea really necessary to say the same thing 3 times in a row within 8 minutes there

Sam Lee

acollegehopeful,

I am in grad school again. The article says I am a graduate student, NOT "graduate student at USC". Please read carefully. I don't "trash other universities".

Sam Lee

US News should just get rid of %NAE. Strictly speaking, even the dean or president should not be counted. Many schools may violate this rule though it's definitely not as big of a deal as including emeritus, part-time, or adjunct prof...etc. The PA more or less reflects NAE anyway (the more big-name professors that are active in the school, the more reputable the program is). But as the Clemson case shows, PA is also subject to manipulation.

acollegehopeful

I've read many of your postings. You spend much time trying to convince reader NU is superior, even posting courses, programs and curriculum and often point out what you think are "flaws" of other institutions. Does NU really need that much help?