<p>Duhvinci, I think you hit the nail on the head. There are several wonderful colleges out there, yet two years ago, I used those rankings as a “jump off” place to start the college search for S1. When S2 started looking at colleges, the USN&WR issue really came into play when S2 was contacted by a Swarthmore coach. I knew Swarthmore was incredible, but because it was in the top three, there was no way S2 could pass up at least giving it a look. I hate to think that “silly lists” played a part in the college search, but I would be lying if I didn’t say they did. I found myself saying the other day that both of my boys are (will) attend top 50 LAC (even though I know you say Swarthmore is way better than Skidmore). I agree, the list is important and maybe, just maybe, all the colleges should realize that. By the way Duvinci, I hope S2 learns to write as well as you do. If you are any indication of what end products are at Swarthmore, I must say I am impressed!</p>