2014 Forbes Top Colleges….

Money magazine has Babson College ranked number 1 for undergrad degree. Many surprises in their rankings. It is interesting reading.
 
What is interesting is student debt is 25% of the score. I wonder how the rank would be if that factor was removed.
 
Student Debt! and I wonder how most of those schools would rank if getting out in four years instead of the common five, or even six?

I find these rankings to be suspect in many regards.

How about rank the colleges as to how successful graduates are five, ten, twenty years from graduation?

Rank them by how much of their student debt is retired five, ten, twenty years out.

Rank them by whether or not grads would send their children to the same schools (legacies).

So much goes into choosing a college. I am sure, 100% certain, that I would never permit my child (especially on MY dime!) to attend more than half of the colleges listed there. But that's just me.
 
For those parents who are paying out of pocket $65,000 a year for their children's college educations:

1) did you put restrictions on what major your child could study? (At $6000+ for Freshman English, you can bet I would have done so!)

2) Who made the final decision about college selection? Parent? Child? Financial Aid package?
 
fencersmother said:
Student Debt! and I wonder how most of those schools would rank if getting out in four years instead of the common five, or even six?

I find these rankings to be suspect in many regards.

How about rank the colleges as to how successful graduates are five, ten, twenty years from graduation?

Rank them by how much of their student debt is retired five, ten, twenty years out.

Rank them by whether or not grads would send their children to the same schools (legacies).

So much goes into choosing a college. I am sure, 100% certain, that I would never permit my child (especially on MY dime!) to attend more than half of the colleges listed there. But that's just me.
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Completely agree! I tilt my head on some of these college rankings as well especially that they weighed so much on student debt and 25% for data retained from RateMyProfessor.com. I would be surprised if a lot of SA students went on there to rate their instructors but I could be wrong on that.

To be fair I didn't list out all of the methodology but here is how they weighted things. I'm sure a big brain like Hornet with his time at Rand could put some better perspective on this stuff.

1. Student Satisfaction (25%)
Student Evaluations from
RateMyProfessor.com
(10%) Actual Freshman-to-Sophomore Retention Rates (12.5%) Predicted vs. Actual Freshman-to-Sophomore Retention Rates (2.5%)
2. Post-Graduate Success (32.5%)
Salary of Alumni from
Payscale.com
(10%) American Leaders List (22.5%)
3. Student Debt (25%)
Average Federal Student Loan Debt Load (10%) Student Loan Default Rates (12.5%) Predicted vs. Actual Average Federal Student Loan Debt Load (2.5%)
4. Four-year Graduation Rate (7.5%)
Actual Four-year Graduation Rate (5%) Predicted vs. Actual Four-year Graduation Rate (2.5%)
5. Academic Success (10%)
Student Nationally Competitive Awards (7.5%) Alumni Receiving PhDs (2.5%
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I see my name! Gotta respond now and live up! :big grin:

I think their rating has some good parts, but definitely some poor spots. I would eliminate student satisfaction altogether. Like many other fields, I don't think student satisfaction in any way defines a good university.

Not sure why Alumni receiving PhDs matter - that's VERY career/field dependent.

My biggest change would be in the student debt category. The way I would try to measure it is MEDIAN debt over MEDIAN 10-year post-graduation salary (or reverse the ratio, either works). The averages for both debt and salary tend to be very skewed but medians are relatively reliable. I think that would give you a much more accurate idea of the debt load felt by graduates. If a higher salary makes up for higher debt, then it's not a huge issue paying more.

Be nice to see a 10-yr post graduation happiness survey. Salary is great, but happiness is more important, IMO.
 
Hornet, I like your idea... Now, because you don't have anything else to do, get busy and post that, would ya?

I talked to a young lady this week, a recent Ivy-League grad, who graduated with about $72,000 in student debt. OMG... That's more than I paid for my first house! She is teaching third grade in a small southern city - not gonna make much of a dent in that debt.

That's one of the best things about the SA's: no student debt. Yes, you can take on that Ring Loan (and both mine did), but it's not at 12%.
 
I don't put a lot of stock in these reports either, especially after reading that USNA came in at number 3 in this one, just behind UCLA and Cal Berkeley :shake::yllol::

25 State Universities with the Happiest Freshman

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/25-state-universities-with-the-happiest-freshmen/

I don't think many plebes would agree they are "happier" than freshmen at civilian colleges!

The criteria this was based off of: retention rates
 
The fighting Hornets of Sac State come in at 430. Sweet! Go Green & Gold!
 
LineInTheSand said:
Did USAFA not reply?
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I went to the actual web site that has the data and USAFA is listed at 93%, which would have put it on the list. I guess it goes to show that the people who do these evaluations can't even mine their own data very well.

Stealth_81
 
Notre Dame at 17? Go Irish!

This is the highest point the school will be ranked in ANY poll this fall. Once football season starts reality will set in.

So we will accept with absolute certainty that the Forbes ranking is legit.
 
falconchic88 said:
I don't put a lot of stock in these reports either, especially after reading that USNA came in at number 3 in this one, just behind UCLA and Cal Berkeley :shake::yllol::

25 State Universities with the Happiest Freshman

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/25-state-universities-with-the-happiest-freshmen/

I don't think many plebes would agree they are "happier" than freshmen at civilian colleges!

The criteria this was based off of: retention rates
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Obviously the 2/c aren't doing it right.... :biggrin:
 
On the plus side, USMA came in #3 on the Princeton Review's Top 20 Sober Schools. :thumb:
 
ca2midwestmom said:
On the plus side, USMA came in #3 on the Princeton Review's Top 20 Sober Schools. :thumb:
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When I was thinking about colleges back in the days of yore, "sober" would not have been a positive. OTOH the Playboy list of party schools... :shake:
 
hornetguy said:
I see my name! Gotta respond now and live up! :big grin:
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I knew I would get you to respond if I said your name!:yllol:

hornetguy said:
My biggest change would be in the student debt category. The way I would try to measure it is MEDIAN debt over MEDIAN 10-year post-graduation salary (or reverse the ratio, either works). The averages for both debt and salary tend to be very skewed but medians are relatively reliable. I think that would give you a much more accurate idea of the debt load felt by graduates. If a higher salary makes up for higher debt, then it's not a huge issue paying more.
Click to expand...

Would you still give the same weight (25% of overall score) with your changes? And wouldn't this measurement still greatly favor an SA? Or would you somehow create a factor that would count the 5 year service after graduation a "debt" to even this out?

Once again this is just an exercise in curiosity on my part.
 
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