<p>Personally, I think rankings or sort of silly, and many people on CC who have gone through the admissions process agree. They’re a great tool to give people a general idea of colleges compare to each other, but they shouldn’t be analyzed down each college’s score or actual rank. I’d say any school within 10 to 15 points of another in the USNWR rankings is comparable to said school. Sure, there are reasons why No. 8 Duke is ranked higher than No. 17 Rice, but keep in mind that USNWR rankings are always criticized (especially for the peer institution aspect of the ranking system) and are popular because they’ve been around for a while, and because they’re published in a national magazine. These rankings from StateCollege.com could’ve easily become just as popular if the resources and timing were right: [Top</a> 2000 Ranked Universities for Highest Overall School Score](<a href=“USA University College Directory - U.S. University Directory - State Universities and College Rankings”>http://www.stateuniversity.com/rank/score_rank.html) Also, this system uses objective government sources to rank the schools. I still hate rankings, but sometimes they’re a necessary evil, and I when I use them I try to look at multiple sources before I make any conclusions. After all, I wouldn’t formulate a thesis for a paper or a general opinion in any other fashion.</p>