US News rankings released Tue, Sept 13

[tristatecoog]

Hoping for a strong move up for the Ponies. Currently at #61 nationally, tied with Clemson, Georgia, Purdue and Syracuse. I predict #57.

18. Rice
52. UT-Austin
70. A&M
72. Baylor
82. TCU

[gostangs]

I predict 56

[DanFreibergerForHeisman]

58

[orguy]

Hoping for a strong move up for the Ponies. Currently at #61 nationally, tied with Clemson, Georgia, Purdue and Syracuse. I predict #57.

18. Rice
52. UT-Austin
70. A&M
72. Baylor
82. TCU

How the hell can we be tied with Agricultural and Mechanical CLEMSON? and Syracuse? Does Dabo even speak the English language or rather some backwoods Carolina/Alabama vernacular?

The others mentioned are ok (Purdue is quite good in Engineering). I have UGA alumni friends who call SMU a safety school for those seeking admission to UGA. Rubbish of course but fantasies persist. UGA is a good school but it aint SMU.

[gostangs]

It is a mystery how we can have the student quality we have (incoming stats above UT) and still be tied with schools that are far below us in student quality. We are not communicating well with our peers (the other voters) if they don't understand that. UGA is the safety school.

[Greenwich Pony]

We don't handle our own P.R. very well at all. We have excellent resources and have added a bunch more, but we don't get much credit. However, we have sort of half-donkeyed some things that would have helped (i.e. we have a presidential library, but no real academic support programs with it, no real expanded research center, no real IP development/entrepreneur programs of any size, no legitimate consolidated university press, the residential commons idea a good one but really only half baked, etc.) It is tough to move up the rankings, and this administration hasn't really executed very well in the details. Therefore our peers don't really regard us as up-and-coming. We have pieces of a good thing but they are unrefined or unexecuted.

[tristatecoog]

Some feel there may be a drop in rankings due to the recent budget cuts.

Clemson has an average incoming SAT of 1280, 50% acceptance rate and a 94% retention rate from freshman to sophomore year. Syracuse should be beatable since it's in an area with declining population. I believe Purdue has fallen victim to that as well.

If applications increased considerably during Larry's successful run, hopefully a lower acceptance rate and higher incoming stats show up in this year's numbers.

[gostangs]

our incoming SAT is 1310 + , and we are now pretty well below 50% acceptance rate - so i guess i would say you make my point for me - we should be several spots above Clemson and way above Syracuse.

[rodrod5]

oops my mistake the "sneak peek" was not what I thought

looking at the public sneak peek it looks like there are some pretty big changes at least at the top

[AfricanMustang]

#15 - Rice
#15 - Cornell
#15 - UND
#15 - Vanderbilt
#56 - SMU
#56 - UT Austin
#56 - UGA
#56 - GWU
#82 - TCU

[gostangs]

Glad it the right direction but it's a slow climb

UT is sure gonna be sore. Their admission rules are sinking them.

No idea how UGA is 56. They are not on par with SMU or UT.

[Pony^]

All "National," Texas public universities dropped in the rankings (maybe a funding issue):

UT from #52 to #56
A&M from #70 to #74
UT Dallas from #140 to #146
Texas Tech from #168 to #176
University of Houston from #187 to #194

Baylor #71 is now ahead of A&M #74

Biggest Texas gain (National Universities) = SMU from #61 to #56

Biggest Texas drop (National Universities) = Texas Tech from #168 to #176

[StallionsModelT]

We will pass UT for good in the next few years. Our student quality is already superior to theirs.

Sweet spot for SMU should be somewhere between 35-45 in USNWR. Tulane at 39 shows that it's possible. As DFW continues to grow it is important for SMU to distance itself from in state privates TCU/Baylor and make our rightful ascent to being the USC/Vandy/Duke/Boston College of Texas. A new president and focus on research/endowment building can make it happen within a decade.

[gostangs]

SMT -

I think you are right on target - and would add that we need more scholarship support for Cox in both MBA and BBA to move up academic reputation since that is where we get the most bang for the buck.

Sobering fact - California has 9 schools in the top 50. Texas has one (Rice) and two just outside (SMU and UT). That is not a good recipe for the future of our state. We ALL need to step it up and perhaps reorganize our priorities.

[tristatecoog]

Wow, that's a great result for SMU! Tied with UT. Very solid.

Sorry to see my Coogs drop seven spots. Tech was #155 or so two years ago. Good observation about TX public U's dropping with lower funding. I'd have thought that more people are moving and applying to TX universities.

Now Baylor can claim its superiority to A&M. And TCU didn't make progress for the first time in a while.