Find out where your dream school ranks on the 2019 list of colleges!
US News has released their college rankings list, and it has some expected universities, as well as a few surprises.
1. Princeton University
2. Harvard University
3. Columbia University
4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
5. Yale University
6. Stanford University
7. University of Chicago
8. University of Pennsylvania
9. Northwestern University
10. Duke University
11. John Hopkins University
12. California Institute of Technology
13. Dartmouth College
14. Brown University
15. University of Notre Dame
16. Vanderbilt University
17. Cornell University
18. Rice University
19. Washington University in St. Louis
20. University of California – Los Angeles
21. Emory University
22. University Of California – Berkeley
23. University of Southern California
24. Georgetown University
25. Carnegie Mellon University
So what do these rankings really mean?
Theoretically, it means these schools are the best of the best. Students have higher average ACT and SAT scores, the student-faculty ratio is better, and graduation and success rates are higher. However, when you’re applying to colleges, these factors don’t do much for you. Harvard University is certainly an amazing school, but being located in the heart of Boston, it would be a terrible choice for someone who dreams of living in a small college town. If you plan on majoring in anthropology, you might be better served at Yale instead of Princeton.
While you’re deciding what colleges to aspire to, keep in mind that these rankings are not indicative that the school is better in every way. The criteria for the lists is fairly general, and what you consider important in a college may not be included. Sit down with family, friends, guidance counselors, and admissions advisors to determine what colleges should be on your own personal rankings list, so that you enter a school that will best suit your wants and needs.
