Hechinger report on ranking universities

The Hechinger Report on the challenges of ranking universities. 

The Rankings

U.S. News & World Report, national universities

1. Princeton
2. Harvard
3. Yale
4. Columbia
5. Chicago, Stanford (tie)

Times Higher Education

1. CalTech
2. Oxford
3. Stanford
4. Harvard
5. MIT

Shanghai World University Rankings

1. Harvard
2. Stanford
3. Berkeley
4. MIT
5. Cambridge

QS World University Rankings

1. MIT
2. Harvard
3. Cambridge
4. University College London
5. Imperial College London

Forbes, America’s Top Colleges (based on such results as graduation rates and student satisfaction)

1. Stanford
2. Pomona
3. Princeton
4. Yale
5. Columbia

Washington Monthly, (based on social mobility, research, and service)

1. UC San Diego
2. UC Riverside
3. Texas A&M
4. Case Western Reserve
5. Berkeley

Washington Monthly, (best value)

1. Florida
2. Georgia
3. UNC Chapel Hill
4. NC State
5. Texas A&M

Princeton Review
Best-Run: Claremont McKenna
Best Food: Bowdoin
Best Dorms: Smith
LGBT-Friendly: Emerson
Top Party School: Iowa

Parchment electronic transcript service Student Choice College Rankings (based on admissions acceptances)

1. Stanford
2. MIT
3. Harvard
4. Princeton
5. Duke

U.S. Department of Education (most expensive)

1. Columbia
2. Sarah Lawrence
3. Vassar
4. George Washington
5. Trinity

Alternative medicine: medicine either not proven to work or proven not to work

Animation by Tim Minchin on alternative medicine, "scientism" and more...

An Escher staircase masquerading as a career ladder

More good stuff from the Baffler: Ann Friedman discusses the uselessness of Linked-in in "All Linked-in with Nowhere to Go". Choice quote: It’s an Escher staircase masquerading as a career ladder.

What's the matter with higher ed

The Baffler's business is debunking (theme for the current issue is "A Carnival of Buncombe"), and Thomas Frank's  is not concerned with balanced argument in this screed on the state of US higher ed, Academy Fight Song. He makes good points though, and the article is a fine example of what the Guardian (describing the Baffler) calls "Beautifully discontented prose by people who'd rather be out scrapping."

The Ylvis brothers

Norwegian duo the Ylvis brothers do a fine job of parodying the banality of pop music.....