<p>First, rankings only give a general indicator of a school’s quality and, as one poster has shown, schools will fall within a certain varied range due to a ranker’s methodology. I really think a student needs to look at the specific program/major/department of interest rather than a school’s overall ranking. As an example, I have friends whose kids are going to schools ranked between 100-200 but the program at that 100-200 ranked school is very, very strong. And they are not paying private/Ivy school prices too. My son just decided on Pitt over BU (a very close second) and NYU (loves the city but not the school as much) for several reasons, including overall friendliness, accessibility, and opportunities he saw during his visits to Pitt. His opinion was based on talking to many current students, which is where you get the best info. There were other reasons of course but the environment was a definite plus for him. Hopefully he will continue to feel that way once he arrives for freshman year.</p>