<p>A couple of years ago I was doing some research into start-up costs at various schools around the country, and it got to be funny how many of them stated aspirations to be a “top 20” this or “Top 15” that. Usually in research funding. It’s nothing new to aspire to rise in certain rankings. It’s just that people are particularly troubled by the USNews rankings, because (a) they don’t want them legitimized in that way and (b) some of the actions taken may not truly make the school “better” in the way the rankings would suggest.</p>
<p>The other question that came to mind is how many are doomed to failure when everyone aiming for a top spot on the same list. There can only be 20 “Top 20” schools, and 20 of them are already sitting there. It’s not feasible for 80 others to think they’re going to be there in the near future.</p>