2015 USNews & Report Rankings

[DarthGrumpy]

Academic rankings are very subjective and statistics can be manipulated in so many different ways. Thus, my view is that there is the elite (top 1%) and then the very good (top 25%). Within each group, does it really matter which is better, especially where there are non-academic criteria that people will weigh, too (cost, urban v rural campus, distance from home, climate, sports, etc.)?

For example, when I bought a home in New Jersey several years back, I looked at school districts as I have kids. I moved to a town whose high school that is ranked between 40 and 80 of all NJ high schools depending on the publication and year. That's the 10% to 20% range. The neighboring high school is typically ranked between 20 and 60, which is about the 5% to 15% range. Outside of academics, my town's average housing price is about $450K and the neighboring town is about $650K. Thus, I weighed those two factors and decided that the extra $1,500 a month on mortgage costs (plus taxes) is not worth the slightly better school rankings. Ditto for colleges.

 

[HuskyHawk]

so what would the acceptance rate be if they could accept a standard freshman class? how do they handle extra students if it's above what they would accept otherwise?

KU's rate would be (and is) lower than K-State. Neither would be Harvard, but both would cut some of those in-state kids and likely take higher scoring kid out of state while shrinking the freshman class. No idea what the numbers would be, but they'd be better. Nebraska is 64% to KU's 88%. I don't know of anyone in the region that considers Nebraska the better school, but it is ranked higher, and I bet that's a factor.

 

[MilliniumPrince]

Regardless of the criteria used, if you generate a list that tells you to go to Harvey Mudd before going to Harvard, or to go to Claremont McKenna before going to Yale, you need to re-examine your methods and your head...

Mudd over Harvard for a future engineer makes a lot of since, but you wouldn't recommend Mudd over M.I.T.

 

[Redding Husky]

Mudd over Harvard for a future engineer makes a lot of since, but you wouldn't recommend Mudd over M.I.T.

I was accepted at Babson, but chose UConn for business. I don't regret that.

 

[UConnDan97]

Mudd over Harvard for a future engineer makes a lot of since, but you wouldn't recommend Mudd over M.I.T.

Except for the fact that it doesn't make sense. Harvard engineering, at least at the graduate level, is ranked top20. Harvey Mudd is not. That's my point.

http://grad-schools.usnews.rankings...-schools/top-engineering-schools/eng-rankings

Don't get me wrong; it's a very very good school, especially for engineering. You will probably make good money. But to list it above Harvard is to strain the imagination...

 

[Gurleyman]

Except for the fact that it doesn't make sense. Harvard engineering, at least at the graduate level, is ranked top20. Harvey Mudd is not. That's my point. http://grad-schools.usnews.rankings...-schools/top-engineering-schools/eng-rankings Don't get me wrong; it's a very very good school, especially for engineering. You will probably make good money. But to list it above Harvard is to strain the imagination...

Harvey Mudd doesn't have a grad school.

 

[MilliniumPrince]

Except for the fact that it doesn't make sense. Harvard engineering, at least at the graduate level, is ranked top20. Harvey Mudd is not. That's my point.

http://grad-schools.usnews.rankings...-schools/top-engineering-schools/eng-rankings

Don't get me wrong; it's a very very good school, especially for engineering. You will probably make good money. But to list it above Harvard is to strain the imagination...

The words "at the graduate level" sort of change the point...don't ya think?
and i didn't say i would pick Muddd over Harvard. .just that it does make sense. Isn't a bat-shit crazy idea, but what do i know?

For the record, U.S. News ranks Harvey Mudd as the #1 Engineering Program at instituions not offering doctorate programs. So selecting Mud over Harvard for Engineering isn't a bad idea, especially if the student prefers that environment to Harvard's.

 

[MilliniumPrince]

Harvey Mudd doesn't have a grad school.

Don't bring facts or reason into a good argument dammit!!!

 

[MilliniumPrince]

I was accepted at Babson, but chose UConn for business. I don't regret that.

Nor should you.

 

[UConnDan97]

The words "at the graduate level" sort of change the point...don't ya think?
and i did say i would pick Muddd over Harvard. .just that it does make sense. Isn't a bat- crazy idea, but what do i know?

Once again, I will say that they are a very, very good school. But we are talking about a ranking of schools where we are putting that school ahead of Harvard.

The fact that they don't offer a graduate program doesn't change that (in fact, it would help argue for my point rather than against). It just means that my link to the metric is irrelevant toward the discussion. Harvard offers advantages to a student that few other schools can offer, and some could argue that no other school offers. Does it make you bat-crazy to go to Harvey Mudd??? Of course not! I've already said you will probably leave there and make really good money. The discussion we're having is pertaining to the rank of the college relative to Harvard. THAT is the part that strains the imagination...

 

[MilliniumPrince]

Once again, I will say that they are a very, very good school. But we are talking about a ranking of schools where we are putting that school ahead of Harvard.

The fact that they don't offer a graduate program doesn't change that (in fact, it would help argue for my point rather than against). It just means that my link to the metric is irrelevant toward the discussion. Harvard offers advantages to a student that few other schools can offer, and some could argue that no other school offers. Does it make you bat-crazy to go to Harvey Mudd??? Of course not! I've already said you will probably leave there and make really good money. The discussion we're having is pertaining to the rank of the college relative to Harvard. THAT is the part that strains the imagination...

For professional programs like Engineering, Medicine, etc the strength of the program is often given more weight that the overall strength of an institution. A HR person at a company like UTC or Boeing would be just as impressed by a graduate from Harvey Mudd Engineering as they would by a Harvard Grad. So it doesn't strain the imagination. If you wanted to major in History, you would certainly choose Harvard in this scenario. As an Engineering Student...that choice is more of a "Pick'em" with no real wrong answer. Matter of personal preference at that point.

Your original point was a person who choose Harvey Mudd over Harvard would be nuts (not your words). My point, that isn't necessarily true.

 

[UConnDan97]

For professional programs like Engineering, Medicine, etc the strength of the program is often given more weight that the overall strength of an institution. A HR person at a company like UTC or Boeing would be just as impressed by a graduate from Harvey Mudd Engineering as they would by a Harvard Grad. So it doesn't strain the imagination. If you wanted to major in History, you would certainly choose Harvard in this scenario. As an Engineering Student...that choice is more of a "Pick'em" with no real wrong answer. Matter of personal preference at that point.

Your original point was a person who choose Harvey Mudd over Harvard would be nuts (not your words). My point, that isn't necessarily true.

My original point was not what you've claimed it to be. I never said anything about a person being nuts to choose Harvey Mudd over Harvard. I said that a person would be nuts to generate a list that states that Harvey Mudd is better than Harvard as an institution (my original quote is below):

"Regardless of the criteria used, if you generate a list that tells you to go to Harvey Mudd before going to Harvard, or to go to Claremont McKenna before going to Yale, you need to re-examine your methods and your head... "

I have no problem with an engineering student choosing Harvey Mudd over Harvard for whatever reasons. Just like I would still choose to go to UConn before I would go to Yale. But I would never generate a list that states that UConn is higher ranked than Yale as an institution....even though I think it should be...

 

[Sea Goat]

I was accepted at Babson, but chose UConn for business. I don't regret that.

You have proved your business acumen - by going to UConn you probably saved $200k and did not take one step back.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

You have proved your business acumen - by going to UConn you probably saved $200k and did not take one step back.

Babson has a reputation for entrepreneurial programs and, when I applied for MBA programs, as the best part-time MBA in the Hub in the late 1990's. I ended-up going to Boston U instead because I lived in the city and did not want to drive out to Wellesley two evenings a week. Boston U was OK: but, over priced in my opinion. Was only planning on taking a few classes and then leave to a more affordable state school out of the region (Indiana, UNC, UVA); but, work paid 80% of my classes and I met a girl...