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I would go a bit further in that cltdad. There is NO, NONE, NADA demonstrated correlation between the quality of grad programs and the quality of education as an undergrad. If there were, no one should ever attend an LAC. And while it is nice for me to see Tulane ranked fairly well, even above Vanderbilt (??!!??), it makes no sense. Tulane has two engineering programs, Biomedical and Chemical. They eliminated the others after Katrina. While these programs are very well thought of, especially BioM, it is hard for me to see how the school could rank that high compared to many other good, more complete programs. Rice at #50?? Below Colorado State, Drexel, the University of Dayton, and others that don’t pass the smell test? These are good programs but Puhleeeze.</p>
<p>The bottom line is that this OP loves to make these lists, and by inference thinks they reflect some kind of real world experience for undergrads. They don’t and they can’t. They aren’t even a particularly useful tool, and could do more harm than good, which is true of all ranking systems for something as complicated and multivariate as a university or even a single program. For grad school, I can almost see it. Far fewer important variables. For undergrad? Not a chance.</p>