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<p>The USA has thousands of undergraduate programs. So how do you identify the “outstanding” ones (let alone the very good but not famous ones) without resorting to aids like college rankings, especially if you are a first generation student, an immigrant, or otherwise not very familiar with American colleges … and assuming you are a good student shopping beyond your local market?</p>
<p>How for example do you identify schools with a high concentration of “peers … that empower you” without considering factors like admission selectivity? How do you identify schools with professors and environments that empower you, without looking at measurable criteria like class sizes, faculty resources, and financial resources? These are the kinds of factors considered in the US News rankings.</p>