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PA measures reputation via factors that are important to the academics completing the survey. Sure, you can question the validity of the survey related to aspects you think may be more important for undergraduates. However, the only reason why you guys hate the PA is because it does not favor the universities that, in your perception, provide a “better undergraduate experience”.</p>
<p>University professors are hired and achieve tenure based on the quality of their academic research. Only LACs and smaller, non-research oriented universities may hire professors because someone is a “great teacher”. Academic research is more visible and is more respected among academics. Therefore, they will assign a higher PA value (i.e. more distinguished) according to the factors that make a university more distinguished to them.</p>
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But you guys always say that the universities with the highest PA scores have more distinguished graduate school reputation, and that the grad students at these universities are the cream of the crop. So, now you’re saying they’re poor teachers? I thought Hawkette said you learn most from your high SAT scoring peers…well, the grad students at these universities are high SAT scoring peers.</p>