<p>A.E.</p>
<p>I am glad that you mentioned Reed. It is an excellent example of how the rankings are flawed, and in my humble opinion, meaningless. </p>
<p>At 54 in the USNWR rankings, Reed is often passed over by the straight “A” elite conscious student that might be helped if we were to accept that the rankings are a good starting point. Reed is not top 10 or even top 50 in the rankings, yet it is recognized by those who work in academia as an intellectual powerhouse. </p>
<p>Why is Reed 54, way behind less academically rigorous institutions? Because to its credit, it has refused to play the USNWR game by not submitting any data. An explanation of Reed’s relationship with the magazine can be found in its admissions site: [Reed</a> College Admission Office](<a href=“http://www.reed.edu/apply/news_and_articles/college_rankings.html]Reed”>http://www.reed.edu/apply/news_and_articles/college_rankings.html) </p>
<p>And by the way, although I had not heard of Pomona when I was in high school, I did know of Reed and it is one of the schools that my d seriously considered and could have easily picked over Swarthmore. It was a hard decision for her and geographic location tipped the scales in favor of Swarthmore as the May 1st decision deadline loomed closer and closer. My d is very happy at Swarthmore and I believe that she would have been quite happy at Reed too. In reality, there are many “perfect” schools if an effort is made to learn more about them.</p>
<p>Reed and Swarthmore are both outstanding institutions. I find the gap in rank between the two, disconcerting, particularly when taking into consideration some of the schools that outranked Reed. I am too much of a cynic to accept that a number of those schools made their way to the top without data manipulation and admissions strategies specifically designed to boost the numbers. And so, without naming publications, I will continue to insist that there are much better alternatives to the USNWR as a source of information, some of which have been around longer than USNWR rankings, and may, in fact, have been the source of inspiration for the magazine to embark on this enterpri$$$e.</p>