<p>If you get rid of PA scores, WUSTL might just take #1 on the USNEWS rankings and UPenn will probably be tied or number 2.! Furthermore, there’s no real objective factors, schools play around with their numbers.</p>
<p>I’ll take one part of the equation for example, Selectivity, which is 15% of the total score, 50% of that is SAT/ACT scores, some schools superscore(almost every single private school), some don’t.(ie. elite publics)</p>
<p>Acceptance rate(15% of Selectivity) can also be manipulated, some schools count incomplete/withdrawal applications in their totals, some also use extended waitlists to minimize acceptance rate and maximize yield. </p>
<p>Also, take faculty resources(20% of total score), 5% of that is student-faculty ratio, schools can, and has in the past counted more faculty than they should(ie. medical school faculty). “Class size under 20” comprises 30% of the faculty resource score, large sized Universities have a modal class size around 20-30. Is there really a difference between 18 students in a class or 22 students? </p>
<p>Many parts can be easily manipulated, if you think college deans and presidents aren’t trustworthy enough to evaluate undergraduate reputation, what would you think the individual colleges would do to promote itself?</p>