OT: SU #53 in US News and World Report Rankings

[Millhouse]

Now if we can just get the Maxwell School to regain it's #1 ranking next year which it held for many years. It dropped to #2 behind Indiana last year. I'm sure Keith Smart was somehow involved.

also, if we could get undergraduate political science majors to stop saying they went to maxwell.

 

[Millhouse]

Anyone know why all the UC schools are top 50 now? Is it price tag and students available in California? Amazing how they all are top 50

that struck me too. i don't remember seeing so many random UC Chico and UC Sausalito

 

[Cusefan0307]

Mr. Glass Half Empty here...I hope the whole institution is actually improving and they're not just gaming the ranking system and/or taking advantage of whatever metrics were changed this year. The day Syracuse University's quality matches its reputation -- as a top-40 university -- will be a good day for all of us.

Not sure how it is judged, but job placement % and salary both increased from 2014 to 2016. I think that has to play a part.

 

[Hoo's That]

Anyone know why all the UC schools are top 50 now? Is it price tag and students available in California? Amazing how they all are top 50

The big thing is the demand to get into them (with the accompanying lower admissions rate) and that's a big factor in the USN&WR rankings along with the lower price tag than a private school. UCLA and Berzerkley have the pick of those who don't go to USC-w and Stanford. And when you're talking about a geographic area running from South Carolina to just south of Boston, you've got a lot of really good students to choose from. One interesting point about the application process to all the UC schools, you have to choose a major coming out of HS and apply to that specific department rather than to the school as a whole.

 

[Hoo's That]

Not sure how it is judged, but job placement % and salary both increased from 2014 to 2016. I think that has to play a part.

Post-graduation outcomes do not factor into the rankings.

 

[Cusefan0307]

Post-graduation outcomes do not factor into the rankings.

Weird.

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

What number were we last year?
Also this is part of the October 24 hour giving campaign (which will once again be done this year, I think it is October 25). 10% of a school's ranking comes from how many alumni donate, and how many new ones donate who have not donated before. So there is an emphasis on working on that number, which schools like BC do to get their numbers up.
Also there has been an ongoing effort to analyze how those schools get the numbers, and to try to duplicate things that those schools that should be our nearest competitors are doing. BC is considered one of the schools SU is trying to duplicate. They feel in the past, there was not enough emphasis at looking at our rankings compared to those schools as opposed to just increasing our rankings. So some schools that should be comparable were making larger strides, and that was setting us back. Trust me, getting our rankings up is a huge priority. Obviously academics is also a part. But there are those other tricks that the BCs of the world were doing that we were not. Now we are.

So schools, through alumna, can buy higher rankings. Boy, I can see how that is indicative of the quality of education.
What a scam.

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

Post-graduation outcomes do not factor into the rankings.

Yet alumni contributions do. SMH

 

[Hoo's That]

Weird.

No. That would put engineering schools like anything with "Tech" in its name ahead of other schools. Here's the point that will be argued from now until doomsday - "Are colleges there for education or for job training?" Obviously schools of business and engineering are there for job training. But what about the >2000 others? Also, if you go to law or medical school after college, you aren't employed and would count against the "# of people getting jobs at graduation" rate, but you're going to be. And probably will make more than the engineers and a goodly number of the business school people by the time you stop working. The VPI folks like to talk about this to us, then we remind them about how many end up getting cured by us or are represented in court by us.

 

[Hoo's That]

Yet alumni contributions do. SMH

Because of that the Ivies have money to burn on facilities and faculty. See also my post #34.

 

[Millhouse]

No. That would put engineering schopols like anything with "Tech" in its name ahead of other schools. here's the point that will be argued from now until doomsday - "Are colleges there for education or for job training?" Obviously schools of business and engineering are there for job training. But what about the >2000 others? Also, if you go to law or medical school after college, you aren't employed and would count against the "# of people getting jobs at graduation" rate, but you're going to be. And probably will make more than the engineers and a goodly number of the business school people by the time you stop working. The VPI folks like to talk about this to us, then we remind them about how many end up getting cured by us or are represented in court by us.

it wouldn't be that hard to compare apples to apples based on what your particular school is more heavily weighted towards. if your school focuses on worthless majors that end with "studies", measure those outcomes against other schools offering the same worthless major

 

[Cusefan0307]

Job placement plus grad school placement would be an easy fix.

 

[Hoo's That]

it wouldn't be that hard to compare apples to apples based on what your particular school is more heavily weighted towards. if your school focuses on worthless majors that end with "studies", measure those outcomes against other schools offering the same worthless major

This is a value judgement and discussion of it belongs on the OT board. It's not "worthless" because it will still get you into law school, medical school, or a job, not involving ________ studies, but in something else because employers value the ability to think creatively, ability to write, etc., that comes with a liberal arts education. The myth English Lit-major barista has been proven to be just that, a myth.

And before you ask, all medical school cares about is that you've taken Bio 1-2, Chem 1-2, Organic Chem 1-2, and Phjsics 1-2. They don't care what your major was. A doctor friend of mine majored in Econ at UVa.

 

[Millhouse]

This is a value judgement and discussion of it belongs on the OT board. It's not "worthless" because it will still get you into law school, medical school, or a job, not involving ________ studies, but in something else because employers value the ability to think creatively, ability to write, etc., that comes with a liberal arts education. The myth English Lit-major barista has been proven to be just that, a myth.

great then you can start comparing outcomes and not worry about it

 

[Hoo's That]

great then you can start comparing outcomes and not worry about it

You're making the "job training" argument, and I won't discuss any further on that because I totally disagree

 

[llandz]

So schools, through alumna, can buy higher rankings. Boy, I can see how that is indicative of the quality of education.
What a scam.

That is the standard that the ranking systems set up. It is not exactly buying rankings, but they feel there is a direct correlation between the level of alumni support, and the quality and experience of the education that those alumni feel they received. Also the more money raised, the better equipped the school is to provide more services, new courses, more professors, and to offer more financial aid. There is some sense to this being part of the formula. The rankings are not strictly educational. They include other things.