Conference Academics, SEC, ACC, et al

[DKW 86 7,441]

By US NEWS AND WORLD REPORT: ONLY RANKED THE TOP 120 SCHOOLS:

SEC:

Vanderbilt-18

Florida-50

Georgia-58

Auburn-85

Tennessee-85

Alabama-104

South Carolina-109

Kentucky-120

(Arkansas, LSU, Ole Miss, Miss State, did not get ranked)

ACC:

Duke-5

Virginia-23

UNC-27

Wake Forest-27

Georgia Tech-37

Boston College-40

Maryland-55

Miami-55

Clemson-78

NC State-78

Virginia Tech-78

Florida State-109 :huh:

(All 12 Schools Ranked)

Big 12:

Texas-52

Texas A&M-60

Baylor-78

Colorado-78

Missouri-85

Iowa State-85

Nebraska-97

Kansas-97

Oklahoma-109 

(Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, Kansas State not ranked)

120? Why do they even call themselves a University?

The total scores also inlcude Alumni giving percentages. I know they give a ton. Therefore, what is like academically?

Same for OU and FSU. You know their alumni give in droves. So why do they rank so poorly? Their academics must REALLY inhale....

Any school that did not rank? I must think there was just not enough info on them. Otherwise, they must really be bad as ever.

[SouthLink02 8]

Got to give the ACC credit...they sure have a hell of an academic conference.

[bigsixfive 328]

I question the validity of those polls. While they might give a general idea, there's no way they're absolute.

For one, they're comparing apples to oranges to bannanas. Different schools fill different niches. Auburn's is engineering, ag, vet, etc. Alabama is business and law. LSU has a good dental program. So why compare a highly technical school, like MIT, to one of the most distinguished law schools, like Harvard? That doesn't make much sense to me.

For two, the polls can be very innacurrate. A few years ago, a poll came out (I think it was USN, could have been Princeton reveiw, don't remember exactly) saying Berkley had a top 10 aerospace engineering program. Thats great, but they don't have an aerospace engineering program. The honor of being ranked in that area came purely on name alone. Auburn doesn't have a "household" name outside of our corner of the southeast. Our programs can consistently come in the top 5 and 10, and even win, but we stay ranked low. For instance, look at the success of the War Eagle Motorsports teams, especially formula. They consistently compete and stand out as a team to beat. Aero recently won an international competition building a UAV. Solar house took 1st or 2nd a few years ago. A project I'm working on did great last year, beating out UF and a few other notables. This year, we're outdoing the likes of MIT and Princeton. Yet, AU gets no credit after competing and occasionally outdoing these big name schools. On paper, the AU engineering program is identical to VT. Out in the field, alumni from both schools are strikingly similar, garnering praises about being some of the best engineers on a team, project, or withing a company. Yet, VT is a top 25 school, AU is what, 60th now, and falling despite great surges within the department?

I wonder if some universities contribute to those polls in some form to help bump their ranking as well. They're great recruitment utilities... what parent wouldn't want their kid going to a highly ranked school?

[Streyeder 0]

I question the validity of those polls.  While they might give a general idea, there's no way they're absolute. 

For one, they're comparing apples to oranges to bannanas.  Different schools fill different niches.  Auburn's is engineering, ag, vet,  etc.  Alabama is business and law.  LSU has a good dental program.  So why compare a highly technical school, like MIT, to one of the most distinguished law schools, like Harvard?  That doesn't make much sense to me.

For two, the polls can be very innacurrate.  A few years ago, a poll came out (I think it was USN, could have been Princeton reveiw, don't remember exactly) saying Berkley had a top 10 aerospace engineering program.  Thats great, but they don't have an aerospace engineering program.  The honor of being ranked in that area came purely on name alone.  Auburn doesn't have a "household" name outside of our corner of the southeast.  Our programs can consistently come in the top 5 and 10, and even win, but we stay ranked low.  For instance, look at the success of the War Eagle Motorsports teams, especially formula.  They consistently compete and stand out as a team to beat.  Aero recently won an international competition building a UAV.  Solar house took 1st or 2nd a few years ago.  A project I'm working on did great last year, beating out UF and a few other notables.  This year, we're outdoing the likes of MIT and Princeton.  Yet, AU gets no credit after competing and occasionally outdoing these big name schools.  On paper, the AU engineering program is identical to VT.  Out in the field, alumni from both schools are strikingly similar, garnering praises about being some of the best engineers on a team, project, or withing a company.  Yet, VT is a top 25 school, AU is what, 60th now, and falling despite great surges within the department?

I wonder if some universities contribute to those polls in some form to help bump their ranking as well.  They're great recruitment utilities... what parent wouldn't want their kid going to a highly ranked school?

175329[/snapback]

I have to agree. Collegiate academic rankings are just a bunch of hot air to sell copy. I bet US News sells the hell out of all of their ranking to families with high schoolers. They sell it in print and online. Do they even do news anymore? I never think of them when I'm searching news sites.

I think it would be better top look at how schools perform at competitions and how their alumni perform in the jobplace. Hell, UA must be doing something right to get so many awarded scholars. Usually outdoing the entire ivy league. Of course, I doubt any of them read the US News college rankings before applying, lol.

As you know, if someone will buy it, they will sell it.