New College Ranking (WalletHub)

ANormalSeniorGuy
Thu, 26 Oct 2017 18:01:59 +0000

@Penn95 I agree that USN is influential, but im arguing this influence is bad (for undergrad). Preferably, I would want a blend of the world and US ranking requirements for a list. Personally, I believe that some LACs which main claim to fame is mind-molding and an “atmosphere” of scholarship (such as Pomona) and that should not be as highly touted as they have not produced much research or any tangible evidence of a good education. While I believe things like a balanced undergraduate education are important, I believe USN has established that an intangible (often random) assertion that certain colleges have better clout in an academic environment is paramount in the rankings and perceptions. For example, Cal and UMich have are indeed premier institutions (imo similar in perception to JHU or Duke) if one takes advantage of the All-star faculty, but because one has to take an extra step it is seen as much worse. This is my main issue with the idea of perception and certain colleges being protected as a top school, as those are often no better than others but because it seems more scholarly it is perceived as better.