Forbes America's Top Colleges

#32 Rice University Texas $56,316 6,628
#389 Louisiana Tech University Louisiana $33,273 11,015
#487 Florida International University Florida $35,509 47,663
#491 University of Texas, El Paso Texas $32,029 23,003
#495 University of North Carolina, Charlotte North Carolina $32,542 26,571
#518 University of Alabama, Birmingham Alabama $33,957 18,568
#536 Florida Atlantic University Florida $34,316 30,759
#551 Old Dominion University Virginia $39,248 24,828
#570 University of North Texas Texas $29,926 38,315
#575 University of Southern Mississippi Mississippi $29,170 15,249
#584 Western Kentucky University Kentucky $33,356 20,448
#635 Middle Tennessee State University Tennessee $37,704 23,881
#642 University of Texas at San Antonio Texas $29,854 28,623

http://www.forbes.com/top-colleges/list/#tab:rank

How is UTSA third on one list and last in the other?

(07-29-2015 10:46 AM)FIUFan Wrote:  How is UTSA third on one list and last in the other?

Welcome to the world of academia. Never has anything been so over-rated in life as "colleges". When I see that someone is paying $64K a year to attend Williams College, Haverford College or some other minor league school that I've never heard of, then I know the whole system is ridiculous and absurd.

(07-29-2015 02:57 PM)HogDawg Wrote:  

(07-29-2015 10:46 AM)FIUFan Wrote:  How is UTSA third on one list and last in the other?

Welcome to the world of academia. Never has anything been so over-rated in life as "colleges". When I see that someone is paying $64K a year to attend Williams College, Haverford College or some other minor league school that I've never heard of, then I know the whole system is ridiculous and absurd.

Williams is a feeder for Eastern elite institutions like the State Department and CIA. My high school guidance counselor really, really wanted me to go there, but I wasn't willing to put up the $. In retrospect, maybe I should have. How do you put a price tag on watching your alma mater repeatedly shoot itself in the foot?

(07-29-2015 03:26 PM)AndreWhere Wrote:  

(07-29-2015 02:57 PM)HogDawg Wrote:  

(07-29-2015 10:46 AM)FIUFan Wrote:  How is UTSA third on one list and last in the other?

Welcome to the world of academia. Never has anything been so over-rated in life as "colleges". When I see that someone is paying $64K a year to attend Williams College, Haverford College or some other minor league school that I've never heard of, then I know the whole system is ridiculous and absurd.

Williams is a feeder for Eastern elite institutions like the State Department and CIA. My high school guidance counselor really, really wanted me to go there, but I wasn't willing to put up the $. In retrospect, maybe I should have. How do you put a price tag on watching your alma mater repeatedly shoot itself in the foot?

If you have to explain it, it's not worth it. You don't have to explain a degree from Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Rice, etc... But some of the schools on that list --for 60 something thousand a year?--it's total nonsense, and a waste of money. It's really silly.

(07-29-2015 10:11 AM)Saint Greg Wrote:  Forbes America's Top Colleges

#32 Rice University Texas $56,316 6,628
#389 Louisiana Tech University Louisiana $33,273 11,015
#487 Florida International University Florida $35,509 47,663
#491 University of Texas, El Paso Texas $32,029 23,003
#495 University of North Carolina, Charlotte North Carolina $32,542 26,571
#518 University of Alabama, Birmingham Alabama $33,957 18,568
#536 Florida Atlantic University Florida $34,316 30,759
#551 Old Dominion University Virginia $39,248 24,828
#570 University of North Texas Texas $29,926 38,315
#575 University of Southern Mississippi Mississippi $29,170 15,249
#584 Western Kentucky University Kentucky $33,356 20,448
#635 Middle Tennessee State University Tennessee $37,704 23,881
#642 University of Texas at San Antonio Texas $29,854 28,623

Which one of these doesn't belong?

Funny thing is, Rice fits perfectly in the American West should UH ever move up:

Navy 27
Rice 32
SMU 108
Tulane 135
Tulsa 173

(07-29-2015 03:41 PM)HogDawg Wrote:  

(07-29-2015 03:26 PM)AndreWhere Wrote:  

(07-29-2015 02:57 PM)HogDawg Wrote:  

(07-29-2015 10:46 AM)FIUFan Wrote:  How is UTSA third on one list and last in the other?

Welcome to the world of academia. Never has anything been so over-rated in life as "colleges". When I see that someone is paying $64K a year to attend Williams College, Haverford College or some other minor league school that I've never heard of, then I know the whole system is ridiculous and absurd.

Williams is a feeder for Eastern elite institutions like the State Department and CIA. My high school guidance counselor really, really wanted me to go there, but I wasn't willing to put up the $. In retrospect, maybe I should have. How do you put a price tag on watching your alma mater repeatedly shoot itself in the foot?

If you have to explain it, it's not worth it. You don't have to explain a degree from Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Rice, etc... But some of the schools on that list --for 60 something thousand a year?--it's total nonsense, and a waste of money. It's really silly.

I hear you. You know where I chose to attend college. But I don't think Williams would be considered obscure at the kind of places where a Williams grad would apply. Those people graduate super-connected. So I guess I understand spending $60,000 on a year at Williams better than I understand spending, say, $40,000 at Tulane, Baylor, or Millsaps. Still not my personal cup of tea.

Maybe in the end, the best way would be to take all these different ranking systems (I think there are 4 or 5 of them altogether), with all their different methodologies and criteria, and make a composite ranking.

Another option would be to look at which criteria, if any, they all (or most) have in common, and make a separate ranking based on just those since they would seem to be the factors most deem to be important.

(07-29-2015 10:46 AM)FIUFan Wrote:  How is UTSA third on one list and last in the other?

Technically, Marshall is last as they aren't even listed...

(07-29-2015 03:41 PM)HogDawg Wrote:  

(07-29-2015 03:26 PM)AndreWhere Wrote:  

(07-29-2015 02:57 PM)HogDawg Wrote:  

(07-29-2015 10:46 AM)FIUFan Wrote:  How is UTSA third on one list and last in the other?

Welcome to the world of academia. Never has anything been so over-rated in life as "colleges". When I see that someone is paying $64K a year to attend Williams College, Haverford College or some other minor league school that I've never heard of, then I know the whole system is ridiculous and absurd.

Williams is a feeder for Eastern elite institutions like the State Department and CIA. My high school guidance counselor really, really wanted me to go there, but I wasn't willing to put up the $. In retrospect, maybe I should have. How do you put a price tag on watching your alma mater repeatedly shoot itself in the foot?

If you have to explain it, it's not worth it. You don't have to explain a degree from Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Rice, etc... But some of the schools on that list --for 60 something thousand a year?--it's total nonsense, and a waste of money. It's really silly.

Williams and Pomona (a part of the Claremont Colleges) have awesome reputations. A large amount of their graduates, as well as graduates of similar institutions, are who largely populate Ivy League graduate programs.

(07-29-2015 04:43 PM)Volkmar Wrote:  Maybe in the end, the best way would be to take all these different ranking systems (I think there are 4 or 5 of them altogether), with all their different methodologies and criteria, and make a composite ranking.

Another option would be to look at which criteria, if any, they all (or most) have in common, and make a separate ranking based on just those since they would seem to be the factors most deem to be important.

LOL. Go for it.....and after you've done all that, what'a you got? There's a reason the same universities are always at the top....the indexing service weight the things they do well highest. Heaven forbid they ever look at actual VALUE.

(07-29-2015 03:52 PM)CougarRed Wrote:  

(07-29-2015 10:11 AM)Saint Greg Wrote:  Forbes America's Top Colleges

#32 Rice University Texas $56,316 6,628
#389 Louisiana Tech University Louisiana $33,273 11,015
#487 Florida International University Florida $35,509 47,663
#491 University of Texas, El Paso Texas $32,029 23,003
#495 University of North Carolina, Charlotte North Carolina $32,542 26,571
#518 University of Alabama, Birmingham Alabama $33,957 18,568
#536 Florida Atlantic University Florida $34,316 30,759
#551 Old Dominion University Virginia $39,248 24,828
#570 University of North Texas Texas $29,926 38,315
#575 University of Southern Mississippi Mississippi $29,170 15,249
#584 Western Kentucky University Kentucky $33,356 20,448
#635 Middle Tennessee State University Tennessee $37,704 23,881
#642 University of Texas at San Antonio Texas $29,854 28,623

Which one of these doesn't belong?

Funny thing is, Rice fits perfectly in the American West should UH ever move up:

Navy 27
Rice 32
SMU 108
Tulane 135
Tulsa 173

Meh.
Been there, done that.
Instead of playing those four, I'd rather play our 2015 OOC slate:
Army 11
Texas 82
Baylor 197
Wagner 287


And your request to move back up to CUSA is pending likely approval. It will be good to get a third returning charter member back.

(07-29-2015 02:57 PM)HogDawg Wrote:  

(07-29-2015 10:46 AM)FIUFan Wrote:  How is UTSA third on one list and last in the other?

Welcome to the world of academia. Never has anything been so over-rated in life as "colleges". When I see that someone is paying $64K a year to attend Williams College, Haverford College or some other minor league school that I've never heard of, then I know the whole system is ridiculous and absurd.

The thing about some of these tiny Northeast liberal arts schools is it takes explaining to you and me, but not to their target demographic. These are schools for the well-connected elite who couldn't buy their kids into the Ivy League. But make no mistake, they are still incredibly selective and most of their grads will have their choice of high-paying jobs and top grad schools.

(07-30-2015 03:31 AM)owl at the moon Wrote:  

(07-29-2015 03:52 PM)CougarRed Wrote:  

(07-29-2015 10:11 AM)Saint Greg Wrote:  Forbes America's Top Colleges

#32 Rice University Texas $56,316 6,628
#389 Louisiana Tech University Louisiana $33,273 11,015
#487 Florida International University Florida $35,509 47,663
#491 University of Texas, El Paso Texas $32,029 23,003
#495 University of North Carolina, Charlotte North Carolina $32,542 26,571
#518 University of Alabama, Birmingham Alabama $33,957 18,568
#536 Florida Atlantic University Florida $34,316 30,759
#551 Old Dominion University Virginia $39,248 24,828
#570 University of North Texas Texas $29,926 38,315
#575 University of Southern Mississippi Mississippi $29,170 15,249
#584 Western Kentucky University Kentucky $33,356 20,448
#635 Middle Tennessee State University Tennessee $37,704 23,881
#642 University of Texas at San Antonio Texas $29,854 28,623

Which one of these doesn't belong?

Funny thing is, Rice fits perfectly in the American West should UH ever move up:

Navy 27
Rice 32
SMU 108
Tulane 135
Tulsa 173

Meh.
Been there, done that.
Instead of playing those four, I'd rather play our 2015 OOC slate:
Army 11
Texas 82
Baylor 197
Wagner 287


And your request to move back up to CUSA is pending likely approval. It will be good to get a third returning charter member back.

(07-29-2015 03:52 PM)CougarRed Wrote:  

(07-29-2015 10:11 AM)Saint Greg Wrote:  Forbes America's Top Colleges

#32 Rice University Texas $56,316 6,628
#389 Louisiana Tech University Louisiana $33,273 11,015
#487 Florida International University Florida $35,509 47,663
#491 University of Texas, El Paso Texas $32,029 23,003
#495 University of North Carolina, Charlotte North Carolina $32,542 26,571
#518 University of Alabama, Birmingham Alabama $33,957 18,568
#536 Florida Atlantic University Florida $34,316 30,759
#551 Old Dominion University Virginia $39,248 24,828
#570 University of North Texas Texas $29,926 38,315
#575 University of Southern Mississippi Mississippi $29,170 15,249
#584 Western Kentucky University Kentucky $33,356 20,448
#635 Middle Tennessee State University Tennessee $37,704 23,881
#642 University of Texas at San Antonio Texas $29,854 28,623

Which one of these doesn't belong?

Funny thing is, Rice fits perfectly in the American West should UH ever move up:

Navy 27
Rice 32
SMU 108
Tulane 135
Tulsa 173

As the UH motto says: In Time. Moved up 31 spots to 358 this year, ahead of everyone in CUSA not named Rice. And at least we're 45 spots ahead of Texas Tech

Two small liberal arts schools at the top of the list?

(07-30-2015 12:17 PM)ODU2011 Wrote:  Two extremely selective liberal arts schools at the top of the list?

fify

(07-29-2015 04:43 PM)Volkmar Wrote:  Maybe in the end, the best way would be to take all these different ranking systems (I think there are 4 or 5 of them altogether), with all their different methodologies and criteria, and make a composite ranking.

Another option would be to look at which criteria, if any, they all (or most) have in common, and make a separate ranking based on just those since they would seem to be the factors most deem to be important.

We need a playoff.

(07-30-2015 09:48 AM)NTXCoog Wrote:  As the UH motto says: In Time. Moved up 31 spots to 358 this year, ahead of everyone in CUSA not named Rice. And at least we're 45 spots ahead of Texas Tech

Congrats and - seriously - keep up the good work.
Thanks also for pointing out La Tech > Tx Tech