<p>The most random map supposedly showing States With The Best Colleges
<a href=“Which States Have The Best Colleges (INFOGRAPHIC) | HuffPost College”>Which States Have The Best Colleges (INFOGRAPHIC) | HuffPost College;
<p>Lol, can you think a more appropriate title for this map?
“States that mine coal”? </p>
<p>Really? This makes no sense. The State of Mississippi, which has quite possibly the worst educational system in the country beginning with Kindergarten, is above Texas, California, Michigan, Virginia, Illinois, and some others? Please. And West Virginia having a higher ‘smart rating’ than Massachusetts? Missouri over Texas? This map isn’t for me. Whoever follows the link, should definitely take this map with a grain of salt.</p>
<p>Is this like “the onion”?</p>
<p>Can someone explain to me why the entire North East is ranked higher than the entire Midwest, with the exception of New York and Delaware compared to Indiana? </p>
<p>And West Virginia (not exactly a place known for good schools) is tied for the best? What?</p>
<p>Someone do a map for what percentage of the states residents live in rural areas. With the exception of the North East it’ll look pretty damn similar to this I bet. </p>
<p>The only thing that strikes me is the fact that the top three states have very few colleges. Maybe that’s the point. P</p>
<p>Arkansas above NY? Wow.</p>
<p>Maybe in Bizarro World. </p>
<p>That is what you get with averages. States with a few decent schools will come out higher than those with some awesome schools and a large number of ‘meh’ schools.</p>
<p>Also need to consider the source. Like too much of our media, Huffington is just a mouthpiece for a political agenda.</p>
<p>What colleges are in West Virginia that are “good”? </p>
<p>No offense to anyone from West Virginia, but I really want to know.</p>
<p>Other than the flagship, West Virginia? Marshall, Bethany, Charleston.</p>
<p>I’m not familiar with any of them, but I don’t think I’ve ever set foot in the state, so I’m not an appropriate person to have an opinion.</p>
<p>Guess good old HufflePuff needs clicks. But then again, Texas and Mississippi really ARE smarter than CA.</p>
<p>Well, Maine has Bowdoin, Bates, and Colby, plus the U Maine system and some lesser lights–and College of the Atlantic, which is an interesting place–but only 1.25 million in population. So the ratio of good schools to population may be favorable, even if U Maine can’t hold a candle to the nation’s leading public flagships.</p>
<p>“States with a few decent schools” Maine has the #4 top LAC in the country</p>
<p>I love maps. I love stats. But I question any result that does not put MA at the top, over Maine. </p>
<p>Massachusetts has about 5X the population of Maine. </p>
<p>But roughly estimating the math, I agree that MIT+Harvard+Tufts+Wellesley+Amherst+Williams+Smith+MHC+Hampshire+BC+Holy Cross+Clark+Northeastern+BU more than outweigh Colby+Bowdoin+Bates+COA+UMaine in seats per capita without even getting into a whole lot of other MA schools.</p>
<p>Such lists usually glory in overturning conventional wisdom, even if in doing so they have to stretch reality out of all recognition.</p>
<p>I don’t think this ranking makes any sense either, but I can see how they ended up with these results based on their (IMHO flawed) methodology. Because Massachusetts has so many 4-year colleges and Maine so few, the average 4-year college in Maine is of higher quality than average 4-year college in Massachusetts. The fact that the majority of the students at the big 3 in Maine (CBB) are from out of state also doesn’t seem to be taken into account.</p>
<p>Well, averages don’t work. Two “average” jokes:</p>
<p>If a roomful of people is 50% women and 50% men, on average every person in the room has one breast and one testicle. </p>
<p>A man went hunting for ducks. With his first shot, he missed the duck by five feet to the right. With his second shot, he missed the duck by five feet to the left. On average, he shot a duck.</p>
<p>From a wonderful friend of mine who is an actuary.</p>
<p>My son is studying applied math with the goal of becoming an actuary, and he really enjoys stories like those! Since he lives at home, he shares some of the things he learns, and they are fascinating.</p>
<p>Actuaries have wonderful careers.</p>