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In the same way that one restaurant flouted Yelp ratings[1], couldn't all the Ivy League schools just refuse to participate in US News' annual rankings? What wo

In the same way that one restaurant flouted Yelp ratings[1], couldn't all the Ivy League schools just refuse to participate in US News' annual rankings? What would happen if Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, et. al. decided that this ranking is not helpful, so they won't supply any info? Readers of US News would more likely start to lose trust in the rankings rather than move their assessments of the Ivies downward, right? [1] https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2014/09/why-this-tiny-italian-restaurant-gives-a-discount-for-bad-yelp-reviews/ https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2014/09/why-t...

ketzo 4y ago
But it’s a prisoner’s dilemma situation, right? If none of the Ivy’s are on US News, well, it’s probably a shitty ranking. But if e.g. just Penn falls off the list… most people are just gonna assume that Penn got worse.
- mlinsey 4y ago
  This is why it is really just Harvard (likely Stanford, Yale, and Princeton too, but definitely Harvard) that can make a statement boycotting the list, just like a billionaire can get away with wearing a plastic $10 watch but mere millionaires feel the need to wear a Rolex to show off their money. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if Harvard did the least to game the US News metrics of any top 25 university, because the US News staff would just tweak their formula to keep Harvard in the top 5 regardless.
  - brewdad 4y ago
    Harvard doesn't need to game the rankings because Harvard grads own the friggin' board. The rankings will fall in line accordingly.
lbarrow 4y ago
These rankings consistently tell people that Harvard, Yale, Princeton, etc are the best schools in the country. Why would they boycott rankings that praise them?
- genericone 4y ago
  Because it puts other 'less desirable' non-elite schools in the same lists for top twenty/thirty/forty, etc.
  - kupopuffs 4y ago
    Is that even really a negative?
  - CobrastanJorji 4y ago
    The Ivies rank 1, (UNLISTED), 2, 5, 8, 13, 14, and 17. All of the "less desirable, non-elite schools" are listed BELOW these schools, which keeps them looking good.
bee_rider 4y ago
Yeah they should stick all the ivies, MIT, etc... in a top "non-rankable" rank. Like realistically a student will be happy to go to whichever one they get into, and if someone gets into multiple, they probably won't pick based on position in some list.
- ketzo 4y ago
  > if someone gets into multiple, they probably won't pick based on position in some list Not trying to be contrarian, but I had two friends literally pick between Ivies based on this very list (in 2015). It’s generally accepted as “The List” by a lot of people. If you’re a parent with no other frame of reference, The List has a serious impact.
  - buzzy_hacker 4y ago
    I’ll chime in with contrary anecdotal experience having gone to a high school with lots of selective college placements. I didn’t know anyone who chose between two elite schools based on their relative US News ranking.
    - colinmhayes 4y ago
      I find this hard to believe. Obviously everyone had more important considerations, but I know a few people that got full rides to a few top schools and absolutely chose based off rankings.
      - buzzy_hacker 4y ago
        I'm saying among people I knew, if you got into #4 and #10, for example, you didn't pick #4 because it was higher rated. At that point the difference came down to other things. If you got into #4 and #40, then yes, you were going with #4.
      - mypalmike 4y ago
        Call me crazy but... Perhaps there are people who did, and others who did not.

ketzo 4y ago

But it’s a prisoner’s dilemma situation, right? If none of the Ivy’s are on US News, well, it’s probably a shitty ranking. But if e.g. just Penn falls off the list… most people are just gonna assume that Penn got worse.

mlinsey 4y ago
This is why it is really just Harvard (likely Stanford, Yale, and Princeton too, but definitely Harvard) that can make a statement boycotting the list, just like a billionaire can get away with wearing a plastic $10 watch but mere millionaires feel the need to wear a Rolex to show off their money. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if Harvard did the least to game the US News metrics of any top 25 university, because the US News staff would just tweak their formula to keep Harvard in the top 5 regardless.
- brewdad 4y ago
  Harvard doesn't need to game the rankings because Harvard grads own the friggin' board. The rankings will fall in line accordingly.

lbarrow 4y ago

These rankings consistently tell people that Harvard, Yale, Princeton, etc are the best schools in the country. Why would they boycott rankings that praise them?

genericone 4y ago
Because it puts other 'less desirable' non-elite schools in the same lists for top twenty/thirty/forty, etc.
- kupopuffs 4y ago
  Is that even really a negative?
- CobrastanJorji 4y ago
  The Ivies rank 1, (UNLISTED), 2, 5, 8, 13, 14, and 17. All of the "less desirable, non-elite schools" are listed BELOW these schools, which keeps them looking good.

bee_rider 4y ago

Yeah they should stick all the ivies, MIT, etc... in a top "non-rankable" rank. Like realistically a student will be happy to go to whichever one they get into, and if someone gets into multiple, they probably won't pick based on position in some list.

ketzo 4y ago
> if someone gets into multiple, they probably won't pick based on position in some list Not trying to be contrarian, but I had two friends literally pick between Ivies based on this very list (in 2015). It’s generally accepted as “The List” by a lot of people. If you’re a parent with no other frame of reference, The List has a serious impact.
- buzzy_hacker 4y ago
  I’ll chime in with contrary anecdotal experience having gone to a high school with lots of selective college placements. I didn’t know anyone who chose between two elite schools based on their relative US News ranking.
  - colinmhayes 4y ago
    I find this hard to believe. Obviously everyone had more important considerations, but I know a few people that got full rides to a few top schools and absolutely chose based off rankings.
    - buzzy_hacker 4y ago
      I'm saying among people I knew, if you got into #4 and #10, for example, you didn't pick #4 because it was higher rated. At that point the difference came down to other things. If you got into #4 and #40, then yes, you were going with #4.
    - mypalmike 4y ago
      Call me crazy but... Perhaps there are people who did, and others who did not.