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Most Bothersome Wake Forest Development in the last 12 months? Pit/Tunnels Adjace

Why are we questioning why Wake dropped in the rankings? We dropped in the rankings because they moved the goalposts. I don't see how we will ever move back up significantly if the rankings place importance on diversity and research and place no importance on class size, quality of professor education, etc. On the other hand - looking at the list, I see mostly all the usual suspects near the top of the list - why didn't some of them drop - Duke, Vandy, Emory, etc...

Did any other schools drop as far as we did?

After actually looking at the list it simply should no longer be called "Best National Universities" anymore. A lot of the schools now ranked ahead of us are fine institutions but no one would consider them "better" schools according to the generally accepted criteria (selectivity, quality of professors, quality of education delivered, etc.). Like I said, create a new list with a different name.
 
Seems to me instead of attacking the new criteria, maybe we need to self examine. Or is it just easier to say fuck them? I dont put much credence in any of these rankings. Easier to ask people are you satisfied with your education? How was your Wake experience? The answers to those questions predict your future.
 
Can we add this to the list? Gotta be grist for someone's mill:
  • Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, on the old campus, rising 106 spots in US News
 
Based on surface reading it seems like the new metrics derive less value from the 4 year experience and place more emphasis on the support for lower income students and economic value of the degree post graduation.
 
Even the increased value of faculty research and publication would point toward faculty professional reputation having a positive impact on the value of a degree, vs terminal degree having less value
 
Louis Gossett Jr said:
It’s real hard seeing how faculty research translates into a better undergrad education.
Click to expand...
yeah this is my whole thing. like how many students make their decision so they can study under the tutelage of famous Dr. So and So? it's not like Oppenheimer is teaching or something.
 
scooter84 said:
Why are we questioning why Wake dropped in the rankings? We dropped in the rankings because they moved the goalposts. I don't see how we will ever move back up significantly if the rankings place importance on diversity and research and place no importance on class size, quality of professor education, etc. On the other hand - looking at the list, I see mostly all the usual suspects near the top of the list - why didn't some of them drop - Duke, Vandy, Emory, etc...

Did any other schools drop as far as we did?

After actually looking at the list it simply should no longer be called "Best National Universities" anymore. A lot of the schools now ranked ahead of us are fine institutions but no one would consider them "better" schools according to the generally accepted criteria (selectivity, quality of professors, quality of education delivered, etc.). Like I said, create a new list with a different name.
Click to expand...
Third hand reason offered for WF taking a hit based on the new criteria as compared to other private schools, like Duke, Stanford and the Ivie,s is because those schools have more expansive programs to provide ways for applicants from lower income backgrounds to attend and those schools are more research focused than WF.

The world has become ranking obsessed. In its simplest terms, rankings are only a function of the criteria used to rank. Used to be rank was dominated by selectivity (percentage of applicants admitted). Now selectivity is not a "first tier" criteria. If US News and titled rankings as "College rankings based on faculty research productivity, Pell Grant graduation rates and first generation student percentage" everyone would expect WF's ranking to decline as compared to ranks that do not include those criteria. That is what has happened. If it's important for WF to rise in these rankings, it will change its priorities.
 
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if a student goes 4 years to a big research university, what percentage of their classes will be taught by actual profs vs TAs?
 
dc9deac said:
Can we add this to the list? Gotta be grist for someone's mill:
  • Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, on the old campus, rising 106 spots in US News
Click to expand...
This is from The Onion, right? Because SEBTS hasn’t been a decent school since the late ‘80’s, early nineties.
 
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