<p>vossron: the discussion shouldn’t stop because you are disinterested. you should not continue reading if you find the topic dull. what i can see here is another attack by politically correct know nothings on conventions that form the essence of the entire construct of the college admissions process. much like my discussion of the value of the sats, usn&wr function as the bible and the first source of research for the high school sophomore when their attention turns towards higher education. it says something that that particular issue is one of that magazines highest selling (if not highest) issues published. it has changed the entire landscape of higher education. the reason schools such as uchi and wusl (is that the proper acronym?) game the usn&wr system is because it provides monetary benefits from ranking higher. the higher the ranking, presumably, the higher the quality of applicants leading to a higher quality of enrollees which lead to prouder graduates which leads to easier fundraising and higher donatations. I respect reed for sticking by their guns and refusing to cooperate, however, they are doing a disservice to their students and grads in the long term by standing by their principles. </p>
<p>i understand the ugliness of high sat scores and higher ranked colleges and universities on the pysche of the high schoolers unable to score higher and be accepted at the higher ranked institutions. it makes them feel less …for wont of a better term…worthy. it makes schools like harvard have to include in their rejection letters statements like “where you go to school does not determine your future (paraphrasing crap like that.)” it forces johnny and his parents to feel inferior to billy, who scored higher and did get in and nobody wants to have to deal with johnny’s hurt feelings, therefore, usn&wr and the sats must be evil incarnate. </p>
<p>i believe that if usn&wr were to drop swat eight spots but keep everything else the same, same faculty, same facilities etc, apps would drop, mid 50 percentile sat scores would drop, high school gpa’s would drop as would all other measurables.</p>
<p>lastly, although many may like to say otherwise, A.E. is a swat grad, while i am currently a student, i can say that i am not that different from my bretheren here in the way that i think. of course, noone else here would openly profess their belief in the kill or be eaten aspects of the sats and the importance of swats usn&wr rankings, but believe me, I live here and those currents run not too low beneath the surface.</p>