Whenever the topic of studying abroad comes up, who hasn't heard of the USNEWS college rankings? Along with the QS World University Rankings, Times Higher Education World University Rankings, and the ARWU (Academic Ranking of World Universities), USNEWS is recognized as one of the four most authoritative world university rankings.
However! Even the most authoritative rankings can't hide the fact that some incredibly strong universities did not make the list.
Some are because their factors differ from those used in the USNEWS ranking:
◆ Do not consider SAT/ACT scores as a factor in undergraduate admissions
◆ Too few valid scores were submitted about the school by other ranked institutions
◆ Total enrollment below 200 students
◆ Most enrolled students are non-traditional and there are no first-year undergraduate students
◆ Highly specialized institutions: art colleges, business colleges, engineering colleges, etc.
Others do not agree with the USNews ranking methodology and simply don't care about the so-called rankings.
Today, let me show you which universities are so outstanding yet low-key!
1School
St. John's College
Reason
Too proud to participate in the "ranking game" of mere mortals (meow?).
St. John's is the third oldest liberal arts college in the United States, with campuses in Annapolis, Maryland, and Santa Fe, New Mexico. It has no modern textbooks, no lectures, and even no exams. This is probably what you'd call the ultimate laid-back school... Apart from occasional language assessments, a mandatory algebra exam at the end of sophomore year, and a French exam at the end of junior year, there are no other written exams. Students are evaluated based on class discussion participation and essays.
St. John's is so unique that considering this school is a big gamble. Think about it: Are you someone who can truly immerse yourself in "scholarship"? Can your scholarship become a driving force for improving human life? Where do your ambitions lie? If you're only interested in philosophy and literature because they're "interesting" but don't understand their deeper meaning, then St. John's is definitely not a rational choice. However, don't assume that St. John's students are bookworms buried in piles of books—St. John's ranks 5th in the nation for the number of undergraduates who go on to earn PhDs in the humanities, and an impressive 81% of graduates enter fields such as education, engineering, law, and medicine.
2School
Babson College
Reason
A specialized business college, not eligible for ranking.
Yes, Babson only has one school—the School of Business—providing the most specialized business programs for students who want to study business. Babson's Entrepreneurship program has consistently ranked first in USNews' Best Undergraduate Business Programs, and most applicants to Babson are aiming for this major. It's worth introducing Babson's signature course, FME—Foundations of Management & Entrepreneurs, where you can learn nearly all the basics of starting a company. The most interesting part is that the school provides funding for students to actually start their own company. Students first brainstorm business ideas, then go through group selection until they decide on the company to create, and finally, 30 students form a company and run the project themselves.
Babson graduates have been among the most sought-after by top companies year after year, far surpassing many Ivy League schools.
3School
Bentley University
Reason
A specialized business college, not eligible for ranking.
Bentley University primarily offers business-related courses. Among Americans, it's considered a highly cost-effective business school that everyone praises. Its absence from the USNews rankings doesn't matter—Bentley's undergraduate business program is ranked among the top 20 in the nation, and its graduate business programs are ranked in the top 10 in the northern US region. Its accounting program is on par with MIT's equivalent program.
4School
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Reason
A specialized engineering college, not eligible for ranking.
RHIT does not participate in USNews' overall rankings; you can only find it topping the list in the engineering specialty rankings for schools that do not offer doctorates. Its campus is small and located in a suburban area, much like a liberal arts college, but it offers no majors other than science and engineering. Its goal and positioning are very clear—everything is for highly focused and elite undergraduate STEM education.
Worried that RHIT is too niche and unknown, leading to difficulties in internships and employment? Don't be! For many experienced tech companies, RHIT graduates are a rare and sought-after talent, and for this reason, they spare no expense flying from all over the US to hold info sessions and career fairs for the graduating class. But the most convincing fact might be that nearly 100% of RHIT graduates secure jobs, with an average starting salary of $64,000.
5School
Olin College
Reason
A specialized engineering college, not eligible for ranking.
Olin College of Engineering is a mysterious presence even for American students. With a total undergraduate enrollment of just 355, it is an extremely intimate engineering school located near the Boston area. In the USNews rankings for engineering programs that do not offer doctorates, Olin's electrical and communications engineering ranks seventh, and mechanical engineering ranks eighth.
The SCOPE (Senior Capstone Program in Engineering) program requires senior students to complete an engineering project sponsored by a well-known client in engineering or technology within one year. In addition, Olin collaborates with Babson College, Wellesley College, and Brandeis University to offer courses in business, natural sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities.
Olin students are extremely intelligent, well-rounded, and creative, sometimes making you wonder if you've wasted your own years... Someone once said, "If I had the chance to study at such a legendary school and meet genius-level classmates, I'd be willing to pay any amount!" Now the question is, with a school where the average SAT score is said to be near perfect, can you get in?
6School
The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
Reason
A specialized college for engineering, art, and architecture, not eligible for ranking.
The Cooper Union is a renowned private college located in Manhattan, New York City. It was once known for offering full-tuition scholarships to all students, but the school decided to start charging tuition in 2013 to maintain financial balance. The college's main funding comes from alumni donations. Cooper Union is famous for its architecture and engineering programs, and it is known for its admissions being as rigorous as those of the Ivy League schools.
CU has a special application requirement:
All applicants to the School of Art and the School of Architecture must complete a series of projects on designated themes within 3-4 weeks and submit them to CU for admission consideration. Due to its generous financial aid and unique admissions requirements, USNews also ranks Cooper Union as one of the colleges with the lowest acceptance rates in the US, with an average annual acceptance rate of 10%.
7School
Emerson College
Reason
A specialized college for humanities and communication, not eligible for ranking.
Located in downtown Boston, Massachusetts (the birthplace of American journalism), Emerson College is an extremely small, and the only, liberal arts college in the US dedicated solely to writing, humanities, and communication education. Communication is Emerson's flagship school, and the college offers strong programs in writing, literature, publishing, public communication, and more.
From Boston to Los Angeles, from a bustling commercial center to a vibrant entertainment hub, the choice of locations for both campuses directly places students at the heart of communication and media, leveraging the environment to strengthen Emerson's advantages and resources in communication. To expand Emerson's influence in the entertainment industry, in the spring of 2015, the college officially launched a non-traditional minor in comedy, offering students more options and more laughter.
8School
Deep Springs College
Reason
Enrollment below 200 students.
Deep Springs College is one of the few remaining all-male colleges in the US, located in Inyo County, California, about 64 kilometers from Bishop, in Deep Springs Valley near the Owens Valley—in short, in the middle of nowhere, isolated from the world.
The college consistently maintains a total enrollment of around 26 students, with only 3 administrators, 8-9 professors, and 5 staff members. Apart from studies, students are required to work at least 20 hours per week on the college's farm. Deep Springs promotes material isolation, a crucial part of its philosophy, as isolation provides students with more time each year to think and re-examine their actions.
This college is lauded as even more selective and rigorous than Harvard: the average SAT score of admitted students is comparable to that of incoming freshmen at Harvard and Caltech. In addition, applicants must undergo two rounds of interviews before admission, and the second round requires them to visit the campus for a three-day trial involving farm labor and classroom challenges.
But once admitted to Deep Springs, it means you save about $50,000 per year in tuition and living expenses, as the school offers full financial aid to every student, in exchange for 20 hours of hard labor each week. Does this utopian, experimental model of American higher education appeal to you?
9School
Sarah Lawrence College
Reason
Does not require SAT scores from applicants, so it cannot provide SAT data to US News as a ranking reference.
Sarah Lawrence College is a liberal arts college located in New York. It once proudly turned down an offer to merge with Princeton University. SLC is highly praised in the humanities, writing, art, performance, music, and other fields, and over nearly 90 years, it has cultivated countless writers, musicians, artists, social science researchers, and other contributors to American society.
This school is less well-known in China, partly because it doesn't participate in the USNews rankings, and also because of a unique part of its application: a 3-5 page full-English paper completed during high school. This requirement deters many Chinese applicants, and SLC's high tuition and living expenses are also eye-popping.
SLC does not have traditional majors; students simply choose courses in the direction they wish to study.
SLC describes itself as a "Writing Intensive" college, and this is evident from the admission requirements designed to ensure students possess this skill. So, if you're not someone passionate about English literature and writing, you should think twice before applying to this school!
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