Mine neither. Maybe it’s because they’re the prep school set, but what turned out to be the tie breaker for my multi-Ivy admit friends was the campus visit. I remember one who was adamant about getting in shape in college and chose the one where the freshman dorms were closest to the campus recreation building.

If you’re of a certain background, it’s really your mom or dad’s alma mater, and then one of a few “perfectly acceptable, fine schools.”

I think the difference between say #4 and #12 in a given year exists in the minds of middle class strivers. I went to a public university and a private one for undergraduate and graduate school, and at the top levels it really comes down to the professors on an individual level and perhaps the department, more than the institution itself.

And in any case, if you pay attention to the finer movements in the rankings, schools rarely keep the same position between publications. It’s just the same ones playing musical chairs with each other year after year.

I find this hard to believe. Obviously everyone had more important considerations, but I know a few people that got full rides to a few top schools and absolutely chose based off rankings.

These rankings absolutely influence people's decisions.