2008 Woodie Awards
Video related to this article is available below.Issue date: 9/12/07 Section: News
Quantifying Quality: The development of a collegiate dynasty
'U.S. News' rose from obscurity to notoriety over twenty years
Albert Sun
Part three in a four-part series
A lot has changed about U.S. News & World Report's college rankings since their simple beginning in 1983. But looking at today's top four schools, you wouldn't realize it.
The very first ranking began with a single survey sent to university presidents asking them to pick what were, in their opinions, the five best schools in the country.
Stanford, Harvard, Yale and Princeton universities occupied the top four slots.
Sound familiar?
Despite that similarity, the rankings were still markedly different back then, and certainly no one could have expected that over the next 20 years, U.S. News would build a dynasty.
In 1988, the magazine ushered in the beginning of its modern ranking system with a focus on quantitative data.
Five factors were considered: selectivity, quality of faculty, financial resources, retention rate and reputation.
"People were aware, but it's not something that people were crazy about," said Wharton 1993 alumnus Scott Hauncher of student attitudes toward the U.S. News rankings at that time.
The lukewarm reception that the rankings received reflected the admissions atmosphere of the time - a both less intense and selective environment when compared to that of today.
Quantifying Quality
This week, the 'DP' looks at the history and impact of the 'U.S. News' rankings
- Monday: Penn's rise through the rankings
- Yesterday: An analysis of ranking criteria
- Today: The history of the rankings
- Tomorrow: 'U.S. News' and lesser-ranked schools
A lot has changed about U.S. News & World Report's college rankings since their simple beginning in 1983. But looking at today's top four schools, you wouldn't realize it.
The very first ranking began with a single survey sent to university presidents asking them to pick what were, in their opinions, the five best schools in the country.
Stanford, Harvard, Yale and Princeton universities occupied the top four slots.
Sound familiar?
Despite that similarity, the rankings were still markedly different back then, and certainly no one could have expected that over the next 20 years, U.S. News would build a dynasty.
In 1988, the magazine ushered in the beginning of its modern ranking system with a focus on quantitative data.
Five factors were considered: selectivity, quality of faculty, financial resources, retention rate and reputation.
"People were aware, but it's not something that people were crazy about," said Wharton 1993 alumnus Scott Hauncher of student attitudes toward the U.S. News rankings at that time.
The lukewarm reception that the rankings received reflected the admissions atmosphere of the time - a both less intense and selective environment when compared to that of today.
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