US NEWS RANKS COLLEGES

US News, one of several journals and organizations that rank colleges. has released its latest list of top colleges and universities.  Princeton (NJ) takes Number 1 in the "National Universities" category, while Williams (MA) nabs the top spot in "National Liberal Arts Colleges".

Harvard (MA) is ranked 2nd-best university and Yale (CT), 3rd.  In a 3-way tie for 4th are Columbia (NY),Stanford (CA), and the University of Chicago (IL).  Rounding out the Top 10 are MIT (MA), Duke (NC), Penn (PA), and Cal Tech (CA).

Following Williams is Amherst (MA) and Swarthmore (PA).  Wellesley, a women's college in MA, is ranked 4th.  Others in the first 10 are: Bowdoin (ME), Pomona (CA), Middlebury (VT), Carleton (MN), Claremont McKenna (CA), and Haverford (PA).


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TOP-RANKED COLLEGES – NUMBER 1 MAY SURPRISE YOU

Forbes is a major player in ranking colleges.  At its site you can find what Forbes considers the best “private” colleges, “public” colleges, “value” colleges, “business” schools, etc.   

On its overall “top colleges” list, Stanford ranked Number 1 last year and Number 2 this year, and that comes as no surprise to anyone in the world of academics.  Stanford is a superior institution, well endowed and highly regarded in virtually every discipline, from Engineering to English Literature, from Computer Science to the Physical Sciences and Social Sciences.

But what about this year?  With Stanford slipping to Number 2, who took the top ranking?  Hint: it’s not Yale, Harvard, MIT or Princeton.

It’s Williams College, a relatively small but highly respected liberal arts college in western Massachusetts, affectionately known as one of the “Little Ivies”. 

Williams, like several colleges in the upper echelon of the list, is a relatively small school in comparison to the giant universities that usually dominate many rankings – for example, it does not have comparable enrollment statistics or endowment resources.  But it certainly is not small in terms of “student satisfaction” or “post graduate success”, two of the criteria that Forbes uses to determine its list.  Rather than focusing on how difficult it is to get admitted – as many other rankings do – Forbes looks for “ROI” – return on investment, that is, “what are students getting out of college?”

In addition to the previously mentioned criteria, Forbes also looks primarily at student debt, graduation rate, and nationally competitive awards.

Last year’s #2 school – ranking behind Stanford – was Pomona, one of the five Claremont Colleges in California.  In size and scope, many may see it as a western version of Williams.

Harvard, no stranger to a Number 1 ranking on other lists, could muster only a Number 7 this year for Forbes, up one from Number 8 in 2013. 

For a look at the complete list go to http://www.forbes.com/top-colleges/list/ .  For specifics, simply click on the name of college that interests you.

And for information about Dr. Droge's helpful book, College Admission: A Simple, No-Nonsense Guide To Getting Into The College Of Your Choice, CLICK HERE.