<p>But why have an arbitrary list? As cc has become more established and popular, why not establish a standard, make it transparent, and adjust accordingly? If they choose to use USN&WR rankings (which I do not propose–but such a method is at least verifiable), we are all clear. If they choose to do their own ranking based upon # of postings in CC forums over the past year, or perhaps a combo formula mixing the two, that still works better than the lame arbitrary “this is the way it is” method. The idea cc just concocted a list at some point based on their own preferences puts their bias out there–and it projects that bias to future college applicants, current students, and other media who watch cc as a guidepost.</p>