UConn #60 in US News Rankings

[Dibbie]

Just for the hell of it, here's how we'd stack up in the rankings with the entire current Big 12 if they invited us to join:

56. Texas
[60. UConn]
71. Baylor
82. TCU
111. Iowa State
111. Oklahoma
118. Kansas
135. Kansas State
152. Oklahoma State
176. Texas Tech
183. West Virginia

Big 10:

12. Northwestern
27. Michigan
44. Illinois
44. Wisconsin
50. Penn State
54. Ohio State
[60. UConn]
60. Maryland
60. Purdue
70. Rutgers
71. Minnesota
82. Iowa
82. Michigan State
86. Indiana
111. Nebraska

ACC:

8. Duke
15. Notre Dame
24. Virginia
27. Wake Forest
30. North Carolina
31. Boston College
34. Georgia Tech
44. Miami
[60. UConn]
60. Syracuse
66. Clemson
68. Pitt
74. Virginia Tech
92. Florida State
92. N.C. State
. . .
171. Louisville

Assorted others:

129. Colorado State
159. USF
176. UCF
194. Houston
. . .
. . .
(Rank Not Published). Memphis

Damn, why do we want to join the B12?

 

[Dibbie]

Would be interesting to take a poll of black boneyarders and ask if they would have rather lived from 1890-1950 or today. I think I can guess the result.

Well if born in 1890, you'd sure as hell be dead by now, so my guess is today

 

[Jimbo]

Btw re: Memphis, "Rank Not Published" means that Memphis does indeed have a ranking, but it ranked in the bottom 25% of schools, in which case U.S. News doesn't publicize the exact number. (But they will tell Memphis just how low they rank if Memphis really wants to know, which I guess is nice.)

With the usual caveat that these rankings are imperfect and to take them for whatever they're worth, this still provides some indication for how Memphis is regarded academically, even as compared to the Louisvilles and Houstons of the world. And I doubt this was lost on the Big 12 when Memphis didn't make the most recent cut.

 

[SAMCRO]

I blame Diaco.

Fire Warde

 

[EdgewoodNHV]

Damn, why do we want to join the B12?

 

[CashewCrew]

Tied with Cuse and Maryland? I'm going to be sick...

I honestly thought we'd at least hold on to #57... this is not a good look that we fell. wtf

 

[HoopsFan21]

Tied with Cuse and Maryland? I'm going to be sick...

I honestly thought we'd at least hold on to #57... this is not a good look that we fell. wtf

I guess others did more to improve? A school that can come in to a conference as no worse than middle of the pack academically while bringing sports that actually win titles and a good TV market still has lots of value I would think.

 

[Marty Jackson]

Damn, why do we want to join the B12?

I think way to much emphasis is placed on a subjective ranking... We're turning college rankings into the BCS.
Does anyone think that the difference between #19 and #22 is significant? Realistically you can probably lump these into groupings (maybe 10 or 20 schools).
I just don't see the difference in a school that one year is #11 but the following year is #15. Unfortunately, the kids that are applying are also buying into this. So much pressure to get into your top school that if you don't succeed, it's seen as a huge failure. But in some cases we're talking about Wash U and Duke. Can anyone really say that students entering either program are not bright?
More important is the programs offered and what you are looking to study. What is the strength of that program.
and, in a lot of cases, some schools some of those 'lower' ranked schools have some very strong programs.

I really doubt that Uconn's ranking today changes the view the Big12 had yesterday or a week ago. But please, continue on this debate about the 1950's being better...

 

[Sea Goat]

Well this thread is in the dumper...

I'm sure we could e-f-f up a one car funeral.

 

[Kolumbo]

And it's a Top 10 Cool School!

UConn Marks 6th Year Among Top 25 Public Universities - UConn Today

2016 Cool Schools Full Ranking | Sierra Club

 

[CL82]

And it's a Top 10 Cool School!

UConn Marks 6th Year Among Top 25 Public Universities - UConn Today

2016 Cool Schools Full Ranking | Sierra Club

Wait, weren't we the number 1 school in the past. First USNWR and not this? Suzie has us headed in the wrong direction!

 

[HuskyHawk]

Very surprised at Kansas and Iowa State. AAU. pffft.

You do realize AAU is about research right? Primarily graduate schools, while USNWR is looking at undergrad admissions. Also, KU (don't know about ISU) is, by law, required to admit all KS HS grads with a certain GPA and test score. It hurts the acceptance rate and median scores. They then flunk a bunch of them who proceed to go to Emporia State or similar.

It's hard for those of us in New England to understand the mission of these schools to educate the people of the state. They don't have dozens of private schools. KU has been fighting to raise minimum admission criteria, but state reps in the small towns tend to resist it.

 

[Kolumbo]

You do realize AAU is about research right? Primarily graduate schools, while USNWR is looking at undergrad admissions. Also, KU (don't know about ISU) is, by law, required to admit all KS HS grads with a certain GPA and test score. It hurts the acceptance rate and median scores. They then flunk a bunch of them who proceed to go to Emporia State or similar.

It's hard for those of us in New England to understand the mission of these schools to educate the people of the state. They don't have dozens of private schools. KU has been fighting to raise minimum admission criteria, but state reps in the small towns tend to resist it.

I don't realize sheet. I'm just looking at a ranking and how good UConn is in so many areas, better than many P5 schools. That's all I care about. Hey, UConn was everyone's safety school at one time so if Kansas is left behind, F them. I am not interested in reasons why some AAU programs are ranked much lower than UConn.

Besides, I thought that's what Kansas State was for.

 

[LoyalFanCT]

Should UConn tighten up admission standards and let in fewer students -- to improve ranking on USNWR list? There are pluses and minuses with that strategy. But it could be considered.

 

[Samoo]

60 rating in recruit ranking is 4 star. So we're a solid 4 star recruit from the academic stand point. 5 star from the national champ perspective.

 

[huskymedic]

>>“Universities expect some movement on this list annually. Moving a place or two up or down in a given year is not significant. A school’s overall trajectory is what to watch,” UConn President Susan Herbst says. “UConn has gone from being number 38 among public universities only 15 years ago to being a Top 25 university for the past six years. We intend to remain there.”

UConn has more control over some factors in the ranking than others. For instance, its strong graduation and retention rates are a benefit to the overall score that U.S. News calculates, while some other measures – such as assessment by other colleges’ presidents and provosts – are more subjective.

Herbst says there are two factors at work in the case of UConn’s movement this year from No. 19 to No. 20. “The first is movement among other schools, which we cannot control. This year, one top UConn peer university fell, while another rose. The combined effect likely pushed UConn down a notch.

“The second is that temporary budget pressure has meant slower faculty hiring even as we have enrolled more students,” she adds. “This can affect some U.S. News measures.”

Herbst says UConn remains very strong in key areas. “Our retention and graduation rates are high and holding steady, our academic reputation is firm, and we have successfully maintained the academic quality of our incoming classes, even as enrollment has grown.<<

 

[John Greene]

Should UConn tighten up admission standards and let in fewer students -- to improve
ranking on USNWR list? There are pluses and minuses with that strategy. But it could be considered.

Not going to happen, in fact just the opposite. Herbst's plan has been to grow the enrollment. Since the vast majority of UConn applicants are from CT and the number of CT high school grads is either flat or declining the most likely scenarios are as follows:

1 Capture more high scoring instate applicants who in the past chose a private or out of state public school. This may require significant financial incentives that UConn will have to offset somehow. (Can you say higher tuition and fees for students as a whole)

2 Accept more instate applicants overall and thereby cut into the State U applicant yields. This has already been happening to an extent that State U enrollments are down for the last couple of years.

3 Attract more high scoring out of state applicants through a combination of active recruitment and financial incentives. This has also been happening and may become a political issue since it often requires very attractive financial aid packages to get these applicants to choose UConn.

 

[Kolumbo]

Should UConn tighten up admission standards and let in fewer students -- to improve ranking on USNWR list? There are pluses and minuses with that strategy. But it could be considered.

I think UConn is in an excellent position. The quality of its freshman class seems to go up every year, it is admitting valedictorians and top ranked high school students. I don't think moving a few slots in either direction means anything. It is among the best schools out there. Reminds me of Calhoun's quote:

"My dad told me something a long time ago: You’re known by the company you keep. That’s awfully sweet company."

 

[upstater]

Tied with Cuse and Maryland? I'm going to be sick...

I honestly thought we'd at least hold on to #57... this is not a good look that we fell. wtf

Don't get worked up over it. It doesn't mean that much in terms of evaluation to the presidents. It means a lot to incoming students and parents, but it's a bad list overall. Some of those B12 presidents around 100 are looking at the schools in front of them and they're going WTF!!!!

 

[upstater]

Also, Herbst may not have even noticed this, but Villanova moved into the rankings for the first time and pushed everyone down.

 

[CallMeBruce]

Not going to happen, in fact just the opposite. Herbst's plan has been to grow the enrollment. Since the vast majority of UConn applicants are from CT and the number of CT high school grads is either flat or declining the most likely scenarios are as follows:

This hasn't been true in over a decade. 2003 was the last year with more in-state applications than out-of-state.

 

[CashewCrew]

Also, Herbst may not have even noticed this, but Villanova moved into the rankings for the first time and pushed everyone down.

I noticed that as well. Surprised they aren't higher, actually.

 

[SubbaBub]

As if that's a bad thing.

Your right. In 1950, the Internet didn't exist. You'd be muttering to your cat and we wouldn't know you existed.

 

[John Greene]

This hasn't been true in over a decade. 2003 was the last year with more in-state applications than out-of-state.

My bad, you are correct. I should have said students not applicants. The last number I saw was about 75% of undergrads were CT residents.

 

[upstater]

I noticed that as well. Surprised they aren't higher, actually.

Really? I would put them much much lower.

 

[WestCoastHusky]

Really? I would put them much much lower.

Why is a school like Nova considered a national university vs. a school like Santa Clara University (#2 ranked west regional) is only regional? They are both private and similar in size.

 

[kibblesnbits]

Here's something you don't understand. White people in the South may have denied blacks from high-paying jobs, but they had to hire them for agricultural jobs as they didn't want to do them. The reason That a lot of blacks left the labor force under LBJ was because they got more in welfare benefits than they did from their low wage jobs. LBJ figured out a way to get blacks dependent on the government and get their votes at the same time.

I'm not sure what point you are trying to make - that the 1950s were better for blacks because they were able to be held back (presumably via withholding education, labor discrimination, etc.) in de facto slave labor agricultural jobs? As for participation rates, are you aware that agricultural automation has eliminated most of those jobs and the roles that can't be automated (e.g. picking season for some crops) are largely performed by transient labor? Total farm employment is a minute fraction of 1950s levels. So, perhaps it was not LBJ making them dependent, but the result of holding an entire race back for hundreds of years so many were not prepared for this change in employment patterns nor did they have the accumulated economic assets to pursue other options.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

In reality, these US News rankings are nonsense and largely meaningless. They're formulaic and reliant upon the schools actually participating in the information gathering that the magazine does. Some schools in the past notoriously didn't participate and were lower in the rankings than they would be otherwise. The problem is, so many parents use this as the gospel of what a "good school" is that they've become too popular to not play along with their game.

 

[VPDcurt]

Why is a school like Nova considered a national university vs. a school like Santa Clara University (#2 ranked west regional) is only regional? They are both private and similar in size.

How U.S. News Calculated the 2017 Best Colleges Rankings

"National Universities offer a full range of undergraduate majors, plus master's and doctoral programs, and emphasize faculty research."

"Regional Universities offer a broad scope of undergraduate degrees and some master's degree programs but few, if any, doctoral programs. Regional Colleges focus on undergraduate education but grant fewer than 50 percent of their degrees in liberal arts disciplines; this category also includes schools that have small bachelor's degree programs but primarily grant two-year associate degrees."

 

[upstater]

In reality, these US News rankings are nonsense and largely meaningless. They're formulaic and reliant upon the schools actually participating in the information gathering that the magazine does. Some schools in the past notoriously didn't participate and were lower in the rankings than they would be otherwise. The problem is, so many parents use this as the gospel of what a "good school" is that they've become too popular to not play along with their game.

Well, if only Carnegie would release their info publicly, then maybe parents would have a better idea. I suspect though that Carnegie needs the money (because it spends a ton bringing experts in to evaluate departments with a fine toothed comb over several days and even weeks) and because parents wouldn't really know what they were looking at. Carnegie would also lose customers if it ever decided to actually rank departments.

Having seen the Carnegie reports, they are very detailed and telling. You can see exactly how your department ranks in any metric, how your college (i.e. college inside a university) ranks, and that gives you an overall idea.

If you put the Carnegie stuff next to USNews, there is just a world of difference. The Carneige stuff look much more like the AAU, which isn't good or bad for UConn since UConn would still be around 60 in those numbers, but a lot of schools in the USNWP list would drop off.