<p>rankings are all well and good, i suppose, but i’ve found that a lot of the “elite” institutions tend to attract/select members of the academe who may have… problematic views and theory in the humanities and social sciences. i don’t mean to paint with a broad brush, but “elite” institutions can often have faculty with rather conservative worldviews, especially in terms of historical research. i don’t expect that to be quantified into a ranking system of any sort, but i’ve found that some of the most dynamic and progressive (historical) work is more likely to come out of recognized, but not ivy/elite, schools.</p>