Best Colleges and Universities 2018
College Consensus (https://www.collegeconsensus.com), a unique new college ratings website that aggregates publisher rankings and student reviews, has published their ranking of the Best Colleges and Universities 2018 at https://www.collegeconsensus.com/rankings/best-colleges/
To identify the Best Colleges and Universities 2018, College Consensus combined the latest results from the most respected college rankings with thousands of real student reviews to produce a unique consensus score for each school. According to College Consensus founder Jeremy Alder, “Like Rotten Tomatoes or Metacritic does for movies, College Consensus gathers the publisher rankings and student reviews from around the web and distills the results into simple, easy to understand scores so students can quickly and easily compare schools. It is the ranking of all rankings, so to speak.” Learn more about the College Consensus rankings methodology at https://www.collegeconsensus.com/about/.
To help prospective college students and their families evaluate the educational options open to them, College Consensus has identified the best colleges and universities, according to the combination of published rankings and student reviews. The top 10, out of more than 300, are:
1. Harvard University – Cambridge, MA
2. Stanford University – Stanford, CA
3. Massachusetts Institute of Technology – Cambridge, MA
4. Amherst College – Amherst, MA
5. Yale University – New Haven, CT (tie)
5. Pomona College – Claremont, CA (tie)
7. Williams College – Williamstown, MA
8. Bowdoin College – Brunswick, ME (tie)
8. Princeton University – Princeton, NJ (tie)
10. Claremont McKenna College – Claremont, CA
“The top universities ranking is the real deal,” Managing Editor Carrie Sealey-Morris said; “the ranking of the best colleges nationwide, full stop. That’s because the College Consensus method brings together the colleges and universities that have the best schools ranking based on publisher and student ratings, all arranged regardless of size, location, form, or classification.” However, Sealey-Morris explains, “It’s not mixing apples and oranges – it’s crunching the numbers, pure and simple, to see which colleges the experts admire, and which ones the students love. College Consensus brings it all into view on an equal playing field.”
For readers who may be surprised by the showing of their alma mater, and administrators who are thrilled with the recognition, Sealey-Morris explains, “This ranking of the best colleges will look different from other similar rankings, simply because it’s an aggregate ranking.” With College Consensus, “Some colleges that get overlooked in other rankings get their chance to shine; some universities that hog all the glory get their proper place in the ecosystem.” In the Best Colleges and Universities ranking, alumni loyalty and affection can make up for a lower national profile, while strong rankings among their peers can prove that small students bodies are not an impediment to greatness in teaching, research, and professionalization. For those reasons, a small liberal arts college can stand toe-to-toe with the Ivy League confidently as the best of the best in the College Consensus ranking.
College Consensus is a new approach to college rankings. We combine the latest results from the most respected college ranking systems with thousands of real student review scores from around the web to produce an aggregate College Consensus rating for each school. Students will not find a more comprehensive ranking of the top colleges and universities anywhere. In addition to rankings, College Consensus also offers expert advice and guidance on all aspects of college life, from finding the perfect college, to getting accepted, paying for it, and finding your professional path after graduation.
