<p>I am an admissions rep at an extremely competitive public university in the Midwest. I have read this thread and found it entertaining. Here though, is the bottom line–and I believe that several individuals have attempted to point this out; each of these rankings need to be taken in context. Results of these types of “lists” are driven by the criteria selected by a particular group with a specific agenda. They are popularity contests…period, and those of us who work in the university world day in and day out take that approach when addressing them. What they are NOT are legitimate research studies- quantitative or qualitative and do not include variables which can be measured in a consistent manner in reference to the higher education “standard”-- the Carnegie Classification system (<a href=“http://www.carnegiefoundation.org)–which%5B/url%5D”>http://www.carnegiefoundation.org)–which</a> classifies institutions in specific groups according to multiple criterion including size, levels of education offered, public vs private and a multitude of other specific determinants. An institution’s quality should be judged on the “success” of its student population based on the TYPE of student population it is serving. An example of one of the variables which is utilized by higher education professionals to truly measure the quality of an educational institution is its attrition rate at the end of the fourth semester. All of the academies do a phenomenal job of supporting and retaining their students. Given the mission of SA’s, and the fact that they all reside within the same Carnegie class–that is one of the indicators that we should be concerned with–not whether or not Forbes thinks USMA has more grads in Who’s Who than USNA.</p>