<p>I recently saw NYU referred to as being at the top of tier 2…as far as I know, US News doesn’t break down between tier 1 and tier 2…so what is the numerical cutoff for being a tier 1 school? Top 10, 20, 25, 30…I think NYU is in the 30’s, but I’m not sure off the top of my head…So what do YOU Think Tier 1 Means?</p>
<p>around top 25. it is different though. its usually separated by publics and privates.</p>
<p>does it matter?</p>
<p>not really. but you have the tier 1 publics (which are usually as good as the tier 1, and then the tier 2 publics (which usually aren’t as good as the teir 2 privates), and so on</p>
<p>AJ: Don’t pay any attention to the US News rankings. The criteria they use to rank schools may have little or nothing to do with what you are looking for in a college. It’s just one more part of the “college frenzy” that’s engulfing both students and parents.</p>
<p>Also, too many students use US News rankings as a shortcut to finding great schools. Don’t make that mistake. There are many schools that may be perfect for you that may not be Tier 1 (whatever the heck that means), so don’t take the “rankings shortcut” and miss out on schools that may be wonderful for you.</p>
<p>Good luck in your college search!!!</p>
<p>Matteisn,</p>
<p>I believe you have it completely backwards. While the most elite privates (say the top 20, not including like HYPS) are more or less equal to the the most elite publics (probably berkeley, ucla, michigan, virginia, wisconsin) the average public schools are better than the average private school. “crappy” publics are also better than “crappy” privates.</p>
<p>You’ll have a hard time convincing most people that going to say Fordham is going to make your life any better than going to Rutgers, or going to Clark University is going to open up doors that Clemson University won’t. These “average” publics definately are better than what I would consider these “average” privates are. Oh yea - and Rutgers and Clemson cost 1/2 of what Clark and Fordham cost.</p>
<p>I figure tier 1 is the top 25 schools.</p>
<p>Some people say top 50, but I think that’s a bit of a stretch. I go with top 25</p>
<p>US News, while not very good with precision, does a good job of aggregating the country’s universities into tiers, with little error. I’d say 1-25 or so are tier 1 (though there are a few schools I’m tempted to place in tier 2). 25-50 are about tier 2. There’re also what I call “inter-tier” schools – the ones that don’t quite fit into either tier 1 or tier 2, but sort of in between. Same for tier 2 and 3.</p>
<p>I consider Top 50 Tier 1</p>
<p>Speaking as a parent of an extremely capable HS junior, it’s a wonderful thing to be liberated from the pull the ivy league or top 25 or top 50.</p>
<p>anywhere that has an average SAT of at least 1350 or a 30 on the ACT.</p>
<p>A few years ago, US News did differentiate Tier 1 from Tier 2. At that time, Tier 1 was any National University in the Top 50. Hence, for historical consistency, Tier 1 is top 50.</p>
<p>Guys. IT DOESN"T MATTER. Anybody who thinks that there is a real difference between no. 23 and no. 27 is, to quote Calvin, certifiable as a grade-A nimrod.</p>
<p>There is about 3000 public and private schools in USA So, I consider Top 50 is Tier 1.</p>
<p>AJ: First of all, there is really no such thing as “Tier 1” schools. The “tiers” are rankings that are based on a formula that may have little or nothing to do with what you are looking for in a college. The rankings are more for “entertainment” purposes, as college is a topic that will sell magazines.</p>
<p>Instead of using a rankings list, which many students put too much faith and creedence in, look at what qualities in a college are important to you, then, with the assistance of a qualified college counselor, come up with a list that will suit your needs.</p>
<p>The best thing you can do (sincerely) is to not even look at the various rankings. They mean absolutely nothing and they will add the the confusion and frenzy surrounding your college search.</p>
<p>Obviously one should not go on rankings alone, but shouldn’t looking at USNews be an important part of the college application process, as the place where you will be a best fit is often where you’ll be surrounded by peers of the same caliber as yourself?..It’s impossible to visit 3000+ colleges and universities in the USA, so shouldn’t it be important to narrow it down to schools with students of your academic prowess (financial considerations aside)?..I’m not saying pick # 20 over # 30 b/c of US News rank, what I’m saying is find 10-15 schools that are in your academic range and generally have what you are looking for in a school, visit all, and then go with the best fit…Really, those of you saying “AVOID US NEWS RANKINGS COMPLETELY” are really being unrealistic…Besides, prestige can be important to some people, and they might not enjoy being at a college where their degree is considered less prestigious to the powers that be…Honestly US News Bashers, be realistic</p>
<p>Old but Wise: So I should take the time and money to visit and apply to every Tier 2 and 3 school that might be a fit for me? That is truly a ridiculous assertion…Be realistic! Additionally, I disagree that the US NEWS rankings make the college search harder…They consolidate information about schools in an order that is often important to students…Much more useful than looking through an alphabetical list of the 3000+ colleges in this country</p>
<p>P.S. I’m done with the college application process already, so it is too late to save me if you think I’ve been twisted by the ‘frenzy’ :-)</p>
<p>old but wise:</p>
<p>spoken like an alumnus or an alumna of a second or third tier school, or the parent of a student at one, with little “creedence” </p>
<p>you doth protest far too much</p>
<p>AJ1018,</p>
<p>I think there’s considerable ground in between not relying upon USNWR and visiting, “every Tier 2 and 3 school that might be a fit”. The beauty of the web is that more data is available at less cost than ever before. It needs to be filtered, but there’s certainly no need to traipse all over creation visiting schools to just to get information. Visiting schools is expensive in terms of $$$ and time, since the most telling visits occur when schools is in session. At the beginning of a search, breadth of information is needed. As the search progresses, depth of information is needed. There’s no substitute for digging into the data, especially the common datasets. That’s largely what USNWR does anyway. Finally, a campus visit is about as in depth as you can get.</p>
<p>top ten. GO U of C</p>
<p>umm…im gonna say that the school you like the most is #1 (wootage)… :P</p>