We did drop last year, and I attribute that drop to PT numbers. Fordham's score, 62, remained the same this year. Other schools climbed to 63. Fordham is essentially one spot lower than it was, with the same overall score.itsfine wrote:Yeah, but they had the same part time program when they were ranked higher, while USNWR looked into part time programs and counted them. They did nothing different, and are now ranked lower. So isn't it a bit foolish to say that their decrease is a result of part time program?? Maybe if this happened a year ago like it did to GW because the policy was different at USNWR, but it hasn't changed this year, and Fordham dropped, so it seems pretty reasonable to assume that the drop was not because of their part time program.OperaSoprano wrote:Here are my observations, as shared in another thread:timertimer61 wrote:i must admit, i am pretty disappointed with fordham's new ranking. i feel like its extremely under-ranked at its current 34 rank. is it b/c of part-time? how did it get pushed back so far?
OperaSoprano wrote:GW dropped eight spots last year, when PT numbers were first included. This year, GW cut the PT class to around 50 people and added more FT seats. Fordham did not allow USNews to shape its policies regarding PT class size. Since evening classes are crucial to working adults, people with families, and people who want/need more scheduling flexibility, I believe Fordham did the right thing by not shrinking its part time class to game the rankings. My PT class is the same size as the one that came before it. There are rumors afoot that Fordham may be forced to change this policy, because people care a lot about the rankings, and deans have been fired if schools slip. I think the evening program is one of Fordham's singular strengths, and I very much hope this doesn't happen because people are obsessed with a news magazine.
Other schools, most notably GW, changed their PT policies. In staying at 62, Fordham declined relative to those schools that increased their scores, and after seeing GW's bounce back, it makes sense that my school plans to follow suit. To be clear, I think Fordham would have risen this year if it had done the same, but I'm glad it didn't. I wouldn't be here, most likely, if it had. I know it could save our rank, but I still feel that shrinking this program is a disservice to students who want or need to work.