Forbes' list of America's Best Colleges

[Raiders Army]

Linky: America's Best Colleges - Forbes.com

Top Ten:

1. Princeton University
2. California Institute of Technology
3. Harvard University
4. Swarthmore College
5. Williams College
6. United States Military Academy
7. Amherst College
8. Wellesley College
9. Yale University
10. Columbia University

My alma mater is #6! Yay! I was quite surprised at the cost of an undergrad degree...even at the "cheap" schools. This really makes me think I'm not putting enough money away for my kids.

[ISiddiqui]

It's why you send them to public school .

[ISiddiqui]

This is quite a weird ranking. Cornell behind SUNY-Binghamton? And NYU way behind both? Strange.

[molson]

So it looks like the big difference between this and and the US News list is that the group all of the regional "liberal arts" schools with the "national universities". (And they seem to really, really, really like the small liberal arts schools)

They sure did take a dump on my alma mater, as Syracuse checks in at #320 (still higher than it's football ranking). It's slightly ahead of the United States Merchant Marine Academy. (SU shows up as #53 in the US News rankings).

[MikeVic]

Geez, 50K/year. I think I paid 4K/year for my education.

[ISiddiqui]

Oh, no wonder:

The Center for College Affordability and Productivity (CCAP) compiled its rankings using five components:
1. Listing of Alumni in the 2008 Who's Who in America (25%)
2. Student Evaluations of Professors from Ratemyprofessors.com (25%)
3. Four- Year Graduation Rates (16 2/3%)
4. Enrollment-adjusted numbers of students and faculty receiving nationally competitive awards (16 2/3%)
5. Average four year accumulated student debt of those borrowing money (16 2/3%)

I have to conclude that these rankings are ridiculous. 1/4th being how many of the alumni are in the Who's Who?! WTF?! And Student Evaluations of Professors?! Are you kidding me?

[molson]

Originally Posted by MikeVic

Geez, 50K/year. I think I paid 4K/year for my education.

Only the very rich (or stupid) pay the full sticker price.

Syracuse was around $27/k year when I was there, and I ended up paying about $4/year too (and I wasn't any kind of great student in high school or anything).

[Galaxy]

Do rankings really mean anything once you get graduate from college? Or is it just connections?

[JPhillips]

Methodology is questionable, but Wabash College ranks 12th, so it works for us.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

These kinds of rankings are a joke. You can get a great education at a lot of college institutions. These rankings have a large percentage of the rankings derived from various awards, many of which are awarded by alumni of those same institutions. I'm not saying the ones listed don't provide a good education, but the difference between other institutions is relatively small. The student has much more control over what they get out of their education than the institution.

[molson]

Originally Posted by Galaxy

Do rankings really mean anything once you get graduate from college? Or is it just connections?

What matters is what matters to the person hiring you.

I don't think most people know about ranks (except in law school and business school), but they know that some schools are "elite", and that can help in hiring.

[molson]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

These kinds of rankings are a joke. You can get a great education at a lot of college institutions. These rankings have a large percentage of the rankings derived from various awards, many of which are awarded by alumni of those same institutions. I'm not saying the ones listed don't provide a good education, but the difference between other institutions is relatively small. The student has much more control over what they get out of their education than the institution.

These rankings are clearly a joke, but going to a selective school can help someone more than going to a non-selective school, even if the actual educations are comparable.

[MikeVic]

Originally Posted by molson

Only the very rich (or stupid) pay the full sticker price.

Syracuse was around $27/k year when I was there, and I ended up paying about $4/year too (and I wasn't any kind of great student in high school or anything).

Ah ok, that's cool then.

[Young Drachma]

[King of New York]

1. Listing of Alumni in the 2008 Who's Who in America (25%)

You have got to be kidding me. I have always tossed every invitation to be in the "Who's Who" of anything into the trash immediately.

2. Student Evaluations of Professors from Ratemyprofessors.com (25%)

Those evaluations hardly represent a scientific sampling of what students think. There's nothing to keep me from going in and pumping up my own numbers, or to keep a student from doing the opposite.

3. Four- Year Graduation Rates (16 2/3%)

Rewards schools with grade inflation, where it is impossible to fail.

4. Enrollment-adjusted numbers of students and faculty receiving nationally competitive awards (16 2/3%)

What are these awards, exactly?

5. Average four year accumulated student debt of those borrowing money (16 2/3%)

I can see that being part of the formula.

[cuervo72]

Originally Posted by molson

What matters is what matters to the person highering you.

Quik will be paying you a visit to inspect that Syracuse diploma.

[Celeval]

Yes, because schools that take five years to finish - due either to difficult classes, or, perhaps, a good co-op program - are inherently lesser. *rolls eyes*

[molson]

Originally Posted by cuervo72

Quik will be paying you a visit to inspect that Syracuse diploma.

That's actually only the 14th dumbest thing I've typed today.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Unless I just missed it, the University of New Orleans isn't even ranked. I thought I wouldn't have to put up with this kind of shit until basketball season starts.

[Raiders Army]

I don't care what you guys say. My college was on there #6, so it's valid to me.

[JeeberD]

All I know is that UTEP is ahead of Texas Blech, so I'm happy...

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by molson

That's actually only the 14th dumbest thing I've typed today.

Unfortunately, that was only your 5th post today.

[path12]

We're number 178! Woo! I think.....

[INDalltheway]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

Methodology is questionable, but Wabash College ranks 12th, so it works for us.

Wooooo! Go Little Giants! My dad is an alum, but I'm a little baffled that Purdue University was ranked 480 something.