Applicants question US News rankings' influence on college choices
10 posts across 2 communities in the last 30 days; 90% from r/ApplyingToCollege.
“Why does US News always do them dirty, especially Brown, in my mind they feel like T10”
“I don't have the US news compass subscription (which seems to be a total waste of money) but if anyone does, what are the WORST (I'm looking for B20s) unis according to US News? However, it must still be part of the US news college report, and it must be a traditional 4+ year…”
“https://preview.redd.it/0x3gs9vxokvh1.png?width=1448&format=png&auto=webp&s=b4dc193c42b3e2e656214b74c5b3390b2b00dbc5 This is pretty close to what ppl on this sub believe. EDIT: The tier is relative to top 20, not the overall tier (all these schools are great to attend)”
Multiple posts criticize the US News & World Report rankings, arguing they are superficial and distort perceptions of college quality. Applicants express skepticism about the methodology, particularly the reliance on peer assessment, and acknowledge its impact on student decisions despite recognizing its flaws. This reveals a tension between perceived prestige and genuine academic fit.
SOURCES (10)
“I don't have the US news compass subscription (which seems to be a total waste of money) but if anyone does, what are the WORST (I'm looking for B20s) unis according to US News? However, it must still be part of the US news college…”
“https://preview.redd.it/0x3gs9vxokvh1.png?width=1448&format=png&auto=webp&s=b4dc193c42b3e2e656214b74c5b3390b2b00dbc5 This is pretty close to what ppl on this sub believe. EDIT: The tier is relative to top 20, not the overall tier (all these schools are great to attend) submitted by /u/IllInvestigator93 [link] [comments]”
“I know we have to take these rankings with a lot of grains of salt, but we know this is what the admins respond to. (And get caught manipulating the stats.) Components of the score like graduation rates drive the admins to push for lenient grading, dumbing down courses, and push back in academic integrity violations. If these ranking systems had a set of "rigor" stats, the incentives would change. I bet employers would also appreciate the stats. submitted by /u/unreplicate”
“Like I recently saw qs world rankings in that OSU and ASU were above vandy and dartmouth and they are skewed for international unis.are there any rankings that are reliable main criteria that matters to me is employment,career outcomes and networking. submitted by /u/LeadOdd3855 [link] [comments]”
“Why does US News always do them dirty, especially Brown, in my mind they feel like T10 submitted by /u/Ok_Guest_9597 [link] [comments]”
“Hi! Obviously the US News rankings came out and I've been seeing a lot of discourse online on how the ranking aren't trustworthy because of the methadology. I would like to do some research on my own into which school are the best for me. What factors should I consider when looking at schools (besides the obvious ones like cost and location)? Could anyone give any guidance on what to do when looking for an accurate ranking of schools? I am planning to do applied math and chemistry in col”
“Why tf does US news have 10 universities tied for every rank? What’s the point of ranking colleges if you can’t rank them properly? Just number them normally if you’re gonna have a bunch of unis in the no. 8 spot then start the next rank at #14 or something submitted by /u/big_chungus_the_2nd [link] [comments]”
“Be honest, what have you been hearing in your circles about the big shifts in the rankings? For the people who care about the rankings, I'm hearing many reconsidering public schools because of the large change and now CMU seems like it will be a super hot school this cycle. WashU is also back in play after being beaten down for a couple years. submitted by /u/IeyasuSky [link] [comments]”
“US News is an original influencer, and like modern-day influencers, it degrades the quality of consumption of goods and services with shallow analysis. Sure, US News explains its methodology, but it is merely camouflage for a popularity contest to sell subscriptions. The survey claims to rank schools on 17 criteria, yet that peer assessment comprises 20% of the score demonstrates the absurdity of this ranking system. Why? How can an administrator at Swarthmore College know the inner workings of”
“So I want to acknowledge at the outset that using generic rankings to form your personal college preferences is an inherently silly idea. So even though this discussion is in some sense inspired by the latest version of the US News National Universities rankings, it is NOT an endorsement of using those rankings in that way. OK, so that out of the way--after a few years of turmoil, these three institutions are back firmly in the "T20", in fact into a tie at #16, a tie which actually inc”