Ranking Categories May Change in the Upcoming College Rankings

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That was a truly good blog!

business english sınıfları çok başarılı of AL 11:34AM February 27, 2012

This surely makes great sense!!!

cain daytona no 4 of AL 12:53AM February 07, 2012

First class article..

taruhan bola of AL 5:40PM December 19, 2011

You couldnt be more right.

backlinks of AL 9:02PM December 12, 2011

This post could not be more right

google plus 1 of AL 5:51PM September 25, 2011

Ties might be in soccer but there are too many of them if schools are considered in so many areas

Richard Toth of CT 12:28PM August 08, 2010

I would strongly suggest against the "REGIONAL" term. I think is degrades the perception of quality of these Masters institutions and the publication as well. These are institutions of higher learning, not airlines.

kurt of CA 12:00PM July 28, 2010

As others have pointed out, the problem with using the term "Regional" is that many universities and schools attract people from all over the country, and other countries as well. If you call a school like Stanford regional, you're suggesting that it's popular among people in California (and maybe Oregon, even Washington!), but people outside that region wouldn't really bother going there. It's a little like calling JFK or Chicago O-Hare a "regional" airport, when those airports attract people from all over the country.

Perhaps you could call schools like Amherst "undergraduate schools," and places like Virginia Tech "undergraduate and graduate schools." It sounds clunkier, but you don't risk making some colleges sound less popular.

KBurchfiel of VA 3:55AM July 23, 2010

Could be better, though I like it the way it is. Some of these schools especially the private schools, would not really be considered regional at all. Please do better.

Ron Green of TX 8:31PM July 21, 2010

As a psychologist who has done a great deal of research

in the areas of perceptions, mind sets, and modes of

construal (or miscontrual), I have always found your

weighting of 25% on a college's peer reputation to be

excessive. Certain colleges like Amherst have achieved

an almost timeless reputation that is not easily changed

in the minds of most of those who submit reputation scores.

Think of it while visualizing pictures of former Presidents

-- some scorers grew up in the age of Eisenhower, others

during Nixon's presidency, still others with Bush Sr. or Clinton. During nearly all that time, Amherst, Swarthmore

et al were preeminent. The chances of either of them descending below 10th are slim and none, no matter what

they are currently doing to deserve their peer reputation.

It's like turning two of America's largest aircraft carriers

around simultaneously in New York Harbor -- it takes a very

long time for fixed perceptions and mind sets to change.

And many of the peer reputations of the top schools are

indeed very fixed perceptions. Is it not a "given" that

Amherst and Swarthmore will be ranked in the top ten for

the foreseeable future, even though other colleges like

Kenyon and Colorado College, to give two examples, may be

providing an equally good, if not better, education?

Conclusion? Keep the peer reputation scores -- just don't

continue to give those scores one-fourth the weight of

the total. And see if you can discover, in the new metrics

you are reviewing, some counterbalance to the inherent

tendency for reputations to become ossified in scorers'

minds, and hence, of less real world validity.

Dr. Curt Schmidt of CO 6:43PM July 18, 2010

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Morse Code: Inside the College Rankings

Robert Morse is director of data research for U.S.News & World Report and has worked at the company since 1976. He develops the methodologies and surveys for the Best Colleges and Best Graduate Schools annual rankings, keeping an eye on higher-education trends to make sure the rankings offer prospective students the best analysis available. Morse Code provides deeper insights into the methodologies and is a forum for commentary and analysis of college, grad, and other rankings.

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