The U.S. News & World Report just posted the list of the best universities to go to in 2006. Take a look at the list and see if you agree. (Some of the schools were ranked equally)
1. Harvard University
1. Princeton University
3. Yale University
4. University of Pennsylvania
5. Duke University
5. Stanford University
7. California Institue of Technology
7. Massachusetts Inst. of Technology
9. Columbia University
9. Dartmouth University
Go to www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings to see the entire list
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I think that these rankings mean nothing. I feel that certain schools fit certain people. Those schools would be terrible for me. (of course, I wouldn't know that for sure unless i went to one..but..) Different schools have different upsides and downsides. etc. I'm not saying those aren't wonderful schools. I know they are. I'm just saying.. there is more to a school than it's rep.
your so right.
These schools are great if you're the president of honor society and math club.
your family donated a million dollars to the school.
Actually, being president of the honor society or the math club don't even get you into these schools anymore. Princeton actually advertises some statistic regarding the ridiculously high number of valedictorians they reject each year.
I think all the Olympians finally affected our academic rankings. Damn.
At least we're still the #1 public school. Yay! Theoretically best education for less than $40,000 tuition!
Schools have to fit people. Just because the school is on the top, it doesnt mean that it will fulfill everyones needs. For example a person who wants to be a journalist wont find much in Harvard...
This is true, but what's great about a large institution is the multitudes of small niches available.
For me, in deciding between UC Berkeley and a small private college, the most important thing was whether I wanted to build my own community or join an already established one. I decided to build my own, and I couldn't be happier. Though my institution has more than 20,000 undergrads, my department has average class sizes smaller than 20, and the department I work for only has about 100 students.
Ultimately, you will likely love wherever you go; the college experience is simply amazing. Plus you'll likely be applying to schools you're already interested in on some level, or schools in locations where you can pursue other opportunities, so really it comes down to who likes you (admits you) and whether the visit really appeals to you.
might be the best schools, but they might not be the best for certain people!
Em <3
the best school differs for each person.
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there is one problem i know of specifically with the rating system. a part of the rating system is peer rating and self rating, so naturally schools will rate themselves well and rate their closest competitors rather low. Moravian College (my school) as well as several other schools have opted out of the peer rating portion in protest to the list, and thus their rating is not as high, therefore these lists are inaccurate.
Hug a musician, they never get to dance.
This list looks fine to me. I wish I attended one of those schools. Not every school is for every person, but as far as stature goes this is 10 for 10
Hmmm. What are these rankings even based on? Which school costs the most or which one has the best reputation? When I clicked on the link, it said access was denied, so I wasn't sure if the article explained what the rankings were based on or not. I think that the list is accurate if it is based on highest cost or reputation, but not necesarily on academics. Harvard does have a good reputation in the way of producing lawyers, but they don't offer a lot of other programs and majors, so how can it be considered the best university in the country? Maybe all of the other schools in the country should drop 90% of all of their programs so that they can make sure that their remaining programs are the best in the country. My point is that while Harvard, Stanford, and all of the others on the list may be at the top, they are there because they have a fewer programs at their university so that they can focus more on them whereas other major universities offer a wider variety of courses of study.
This is precisely why many larger universities are discredited or otherwise frowned upon; because they "spread themselves too thin" and allegedly can't offer the same academic standards to all its programs as can a small private university to fewer programs.
Like Cal, for example- we're one of the best public universities in the world and one of the leading international research institutions, but Stanfurd thinks we lower our standards to "recruit better athletes" who beat them every year in the Big Game.
It's a large misconception that just because a larger variety is offered the quality of education available is intrinsically lower. Granted, there are some dumb people who go to school here, but those people usually have to make up for being duller crayons in other areas that enhance their potential for acadmic success, even if they weren't so great at the books before.
US News also tends to rank schools based on how much research they do. So if you don't get a lot of funding for research, you probably won't be at the top of the list.
~C
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Students shouldn't worry about what the rankings of a school are. They should, instead, look for the perfect school for them. For example, I prefer a small, personal school.
Just because a school is expensive to go to, it doesn't mean you will get more out of it than you would a small, local school. You're going to get out of college what you put in!
these are good schools
as in Swarthmore, Williams, Amherst. But mostly Swarthmore. :-)
http://www.progressiveu.org/181343-who-are-you-yelling-at
i'd say Stanford is definitely higher up overall.
Where is University of Chicago?
Chicago.
The 2007 lists are out now, too, by the way.
And, not to be nepotistic or anything, but UC Berkeley is still the number one public university in the world, and #21 in the nation. :)
Explain to me how you can be #1 on the bigger list, and #21 on the smaller list?
~C
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It's possibly bc the smaller list is voted on by a smaller group of people. Americans rank it as only 21, but add in other countries and americans are outnumbered.
This is only a guess though, and it is possible that they were mixed up about the facts.
Hug a musician, they never get to dance.
*Public* university-- the others above it are all privates.
My boyfriend goes to Harvard, and I love the guy, but I think it's waaaay overrated. Sure, Harvard is a great, expensive school. Would I go there? Probably not. Not even if I had the money. It's just not the right school for me. I study theatre and acting, and although they have a program there, it just doesn't interest me. I just got into my dream school that is not on that list and I couldn't be happier!!
Times flies like the wind; fruit flies like a banana.
This reminds me of my local college. It's nothing to jump for joy about getting into but anybody nearby majoring in theater considers no other...it has an extraordinary performing arts program. Have you heard of Mesa State College? I guess it just goes to show that the rating depends on the individual. Like for me, walking out of Mines with an engineering degree is going to earn me as good of a salary as anybody walking out of one of those high ranked schools with a degree in psychology or something. not saying that salaries are everything either.
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This ranking is so cliché. And pretty much it's about getting a degree these days instead of where you've gotten it from.
It is hard to know if these are the best because I don't attend any of them. I am sure there are extremely intelligent, well educated, influential individuals that graduated from a plethora of other universities. Some schools suit certain people better. I know I couldn't handle the copetition at those schools. I like to be motivated and challenged by my peers, but not that challenged!
What are they even basing it on? Because different schools have different strengths and weaknesses. I want to go to school for English/Creative Writing. Would I go to Harvard for that? No way!
Everyone has different personalities, and different aspirations and goals. For a group to try and stuff all those different things into one and create a ranking is pointless. I know I wouldn't be happy at Harvard, and I'm sure many others agree with me.
Plus, these rankings create unnecessary competition between students who go to different schools.
Though you may not go to Harvard for creative writing, you probably would go to Yale or Columbia....
I truly believe there is value in going to school with the best, most driven, most intelligent students that you can as they will help you to do your best and to challenge your thoughts. When you are the top of the heap (which can often happen at less competitive schools –– not just non-ivies mind you) in your college, you are not challenged to do your best.
You said: "Everyone has different personalities, and different aspirations and goals. For a group to try and stuff all those different things into one and create a ranking is pointless. I know I wouldn't be happy at Harvard, and I'm sure many others agree with me."
The thing is though, almost all of these 'different personalities and different aspirations and goals' (with a few exceptions for artists and musicians) can be fulfilled at the top 20 schools that these rankings define.
I think my perspective on Universities has broadened a bit. ^_^
Phoenixes are superb. They are also fictional beings..but that isn't the point!
The reason why I think that Harvard is the number 1 school is because they have an excellent and popular law school.
I don't necessarily think that the US News/World Report one is the best. I like the Princeton Review one because they use student /alumni surveys. (One of the reasons I chose Stephens was because their theatre alumni gave it good ratings. And if they're happy about the school, it usually means that they are also employed!)
Wow Dartmouth is 9th?
How is Upenn not up there
Is there a UPenn I don't know about?
4. University of Pennsylvania
~C
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I am sure they are all great schools but not the one I attend. I think it depends on your major and how the schooling will work best for you. Best wishes for a prosperous future and happiness everyday...
Personally, I think US News has it all wrong. Colorado School of Mines should be ranked number one, since that's where I'm going. Duh.
On a more serious note, I wish I would applied to some of these schools. I need more reach.
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I prefer UCCS. Even if our engineering building is sliding off the bluff....
*snickers*
~C
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At the U of M when I was there, the architecture building was the ugliest and least useful building on campus. They finally built a new one a couple of years ago. It was pretty embarrassing.
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