2013-14 College Rankings

US News Releases its 2014 Best Colleges Rankings Just in Time for Application Season US News World Report released its much-anticipated 2014 Best Colleges Rankings today, and, unlike in this year's Forbes rankings, there were few surprises. Princeton and Harvard took the number one and two spots this year, switching places from 2013's rankings. The top 10 National Universities remained unchanged, with a few schools flip flopping spots. Below are this year's Best Colleges Rankings compared to last year's spots. NATIONAL UNIVERSITIES 2013 2014 1. Harvard 1. Princeton 2. Princeton 2. Harvard 3. Yale 3. Yale 4. Columbia 4. Columbia 4. UChicago 5. Stanford 6.MIT 5. UChicago 6. Stanford 7. Duke 8. Duke 7. MIT 8. UPenn 7. UPenn 10. California Institute of Technology 10. California Institute of Technology 10. Dartmouth 10. Dartmouth 12. Northwestern 12. Johns Hopkins 13. Johns Hopkins 12. Northwestern 14. Washington University in St. Louis 14. Brown 15. Brown 14. Washington University in St. Louis LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGES 2013 2014 1. Williams 1. Williams 2. Amherst 2. Amherst 3. Swarthmore 3. Swarthmore 4. Middlebury 4. Bowdoin 4. Pomona 4. Middlebury 6. Bowdoin 4. Pomona 6. Wellesley 7. Carleton 8. Carleton 7. Wellesley 9. Haverford 9. Claremont McKenna 10. Claremont McKenna 9. Davidson 10. Vassar 9. Haverford 12. Davidson 12. U.S. Naval Academy 12. Harvey Mudd 13. Vassar 14. U.S. Naval Academy 14. Hamilton 14. Washington and Lee 14. Washington and Lee The question that always arises when new rankings are released is how is this measured? Methodologies can vary year-to-year, so it's important to know what has changed from the year before, as this can significantly impact where a school falls on the list. Much of the data used to calculate the US News rankings is self-reported. This is why there are sometimes several cases each year of schools admitting to falsely reporting things like GPAs, SAT and ACT scores, etc. Last year, Tulane, Bucknell, Claremont McKenna, Emory, and George Washington University were the biggest culprits of misreported data. So what changed in US News's methodology this year? A couple of things. The weight of class rank was reduced from 6% to 3.125%. High school class standing dropped from 40% to 25% More weight was given to ACT and SAT scores in the student selectivity indicator, increasing from 50% to 65%. Weight of student selectivity overall has declined from 15% to 12.5%. Graduation and retention rates weight was increased from 20% to 22.5% for National Universities and National Liberal Arts Colleges. It was noted in this year's explanation of the methodology that these changes could impact a school's ranking, causing it to rise or fall a few spots. However, there were few significant spot changes this year. Forbes rankings, however, did have a few surprises this year. 2012 2013 1. Princeton 1. Stanford 2. Williams 2. Pomona 3. Stanford 3. Princeton 4. UChicago 4. Yale 5. Yale 5. Columbia 6. Harvard 6. Swarthmore 7. U.S. Military Academy 7. U.S. Military Academy 8. Columbia 8. Harvard 9. Pomona 9. Williams 10. Swarthmore 10. MIT 11. MIT 11. U Penn 12. Notre Dame 12. Brown 13. Amherst 13. Amherst 14. Bowdoin 14. UChicago 15. Washington and Lee 15. Duke Most notably, Stanford and Pomona took the top two spots, with Princeton falling to #3 and Harvard to #8. The top two schools on US News's list are barely in the top five on Forbes rankings. This is why, at, we like to caution students and parents on how much emphasis they put on rankings in the college search process. While the lists of Princeton Review Best 378 Colleges, US News's rankings, and Forbes Top Colleges are great places to start, you shouldn't let overall rankings be a major factor in your college decision. Instead, break down what's measured in these rankings, like graduation rates, student satisfaction, and post-grad success, to determine if a school is right for you. What do you think of this year's college rankings? Tell us in the comments below!

Ben Garrett - ThoughtCo

The Cask Of Amontillado By Edgar Allan Poe - 854 Words

â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† was written by Edgar Allan Poe and was published in 1846. In the short story the narrator, Montresor, executes his friend Fortunato because he feels like he insulted him. For this, he seeks revenge. Fortunato is known to be very knowledgeable about all types of wine. Montresor uses this to his advantage to take him down to his family crypt during the carnival celebration. He tells him that he has a unique wine, and believes it is an Amontillado. After Montresor and Fortunato go deeper and deeper into the crypt, Montresor chains Fortunato and builds a wall around him. At first Fortunato thinks it is a joke, but he soon realizes that he will be dying in the crypt. Montresor goes on to boast about his crime and how he has never been caught. This shows that Montresor is a sinister, mentally insane, and a narcissist. Throughout the short story, Montresor appears to be murderous and mentally insane. As Montresor continues to tell his story, the reader learns that Montresor is not only a murder and insane, but he is a narcissist as well. Montresor displays the characteristics for this to be true. When Montresor decided to take revenge on Fortunato, he was persistent in doing it himself for his own satisfaction. As his plan began to go along perfectly, he was very pleased with himself. In addition, the cause for Montresor’s revenge plan was because of an insult. The death of Fortunato was not justifiable by his actions. It was merely a prize for MontresorShow MoreRelatedThe Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe888 Words   |  4 PagesThe Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe In ?The Cask of Amontillado?, Edgar Allan Poe takes us on a trip into the mind of a mad man. Poe uses certain elements to convey an emotional impact. He utilizes irony, descriptive detail of setting, and dark character traits to create the search of sinful deceit. Poe also uses first person, where the narrator is the protagonist who is deeply involved. The purpose is to get the reader to no longer be the observer. He wants them to see with MontressorRead MoreThe Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe836 Words   |  3 Pagesqualities in the story. In the story many things are used as symbols such as the actual cask of amontillado, the trowel, the jester costume and the setting in which there is two in the story. Another literary technique used significantly in the story is irony. Irony is the expression of ones meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite. In the short story â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado,† Montresor a very troubled man who plans to seek revenge on another man named FortunatoRead MoreEdgar Allan Poe And The Cask Of Amontillado1384 Words   |  6 PagesWhat makes Edgar Allan Poe work unique? Other than being a strange individual, Poe has become a remarkable literature writer. The Raven, Annabel Lee, and The Cask of Amontillado are just a few of Poe’s work that staples the theme of gothic literature. This essay will allow you to see the gothic elements Edgar Allan Poe uses through his most common poems. Gothic literature has many elements which play into its definition. The actual definition is a style of writing that is characterized by elementsRead MoreThe Cask Of Amontillado By Edgar Allan Poe906 Words   |  4 Pages â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† was written in 1846, by Edgar Allan Poe. Born in 1809, Poe never knew any of his parents. At the age of three, his mother died of tuberculosis, and his father deserted the family before he was born. Taking care of him was his foster parents in Richmond, Virginia. They loved Poe, but were not supportive of his decisions and kept Poe poor. Having debt and not being able to provide food and clothes for himself caused Poe to quit school. Later, heRead MoreThe Cask Of Amontillado By Edgar Allan Poe920 Words   |  4 Pageswhen that trust no longer exists? In â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† written by Edgar Allan Poe, Fortunato is about to find the answer to this question. On the surface, Montresor seems friendly with Fortunato, but deep down he feels nothing but hate for him. Could this hatred have an irrationality that only Montresor understands? In different ways, both of these men are proud and affluent, yet both have downfalls that will l ead to a tragic ending. Edgar Allan Poe’s use of language contributes to the understandingRead MoreThe Cask Of Amontillado By Edgar Allan Poe1555 Words   |  7 PagesIn his writing, Edgar Allan Poe has multiple uses of direct and indirect characterization. In The Cask of Amontillado, Montresor had rules such as â€Å"I must not only punish but punish with impunity. A wrong is unredressed when retribution overtakes its redresser. It is equally unredressed when the avenger fails to make himself felt as such to him who has done the wrong† (Poe, 2). Poe used indirect characterization to show the reader that Montresor is an unreliable narrator because he justified hisRead MoreThe Cask Of Amontillado By Edgar Allan Poe1303 Words   |  6 PagesIn Edgar Allan Poe’s â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado,† the narrator recalls an extremely significant time in his life, and takes the reader along with him. Throughout the story, one experiences a perfectly planned murder which took place over fifty years ago, and still no one has discovered what truly happened to poor Fortunato as he was chained to a wall in a room that was then closed off, and torched to death due to all the nitre in the walls. As the story goes on, the reader can see some of Poe’s unfortunateRead MoreThe Cask Of Amontillado By Edgar Allan Poe1076 Words   |  5 PagesThe short story, The Cask of Amontillado, written by Edgar Allan Poe is a story of terror and betrayal. Like many of Poe’s literary works, the story has a dark undertone with a theme of terror and depression. More than half a century ago, Marshall McLuhan argued that though Poe was fascinated by evil, the evil that he had in mind was not that of Calvinism, but that of the split man and the split civilization. In general, McLuhan was right, but in this instance Calvinism, and its God, provided a darkRead MoreThe Cask Of Amontillado By Edgar Allan Poe707 Words   |  3 PagesIn the short story of The Ca sk of Amontillado, Edgar Allan Poe writes in first person point of view from the perspective of Montresor who seeks revenge against Fortunato. Montresor began to develop the perfect plan for revenge. During the carnival season, Montresor meets with Fortunato and decides to implement his plan carefully through irony. Poe s story describes the murderer s mind which has lived as a memory of Fortunato s death for fifty years. Poe uses different types of irony and symbolismRead MoreThe Cask Of Amontillado By Edgar Allan Poe985 Words   |  4 PagesEdgar Allen Poe is a well known author of short stories and poetry from the 19th century. He is known especially for his stories of horror and suspense. The Cask of Amontillado is one of his more famous pieces. The story follows the narrator, Montresor, as he exacts revenge on Fortunato. Montressor draws Fortunato into the wine cellar where eventually he chains Fortunato to the wall and encloses him inside it. Throughout the story the narrator continually proves that he is not the most reliable source

Payday loans free essay sample

1. What are the dominant economic characteristics affecting the payday lending industry? Payday lending became relevant because they were marketed to prevent and cover costs from bounced checks and overdraft protection fees, late bill payment penalties and other informal extensions of short term credit. When events happen in the economy it can impact the demand for consumer loans. For example, generally within the first quarter of the year consumers are receiving their tax returns. If there is a consumer has borrowed a payday advance and they receive a payday loan they are more than likely going to pay off their loan, instead of re-borrowing, because they have more disposable income and no longer needs a payday advance. So that can generate a time period that the payday lending companies can expect to process less loans. There are also times where payday lending companies do more loans. During the holiday season they are expecting to get more customers and are expecting to have more consumers that do loans because they are shopping more and need more money. So these companies have to strategize so they can prepare themselves when there are fewer customers utilizing their services. Payday lending companies have to consider that they are in competition with other companies. Consumers have the option to go use other products and services from banks and utilizing credit cards to meet their financial needs. So it’s vital that the payday lending companies have a sustainable strategy to continue to gain and retain their customers. That way they remain the most convenient option for the customers. People in the economy have negative perceptions of how payday lending companies operate. This is looked at as an increasing concern because many people think these companies take advantage of low income people in financial trouble. If the people continued to renew their loans every time they pay them back they will eventually paying more money in fees than they can find themselves owing more than what they originally borrowed. So this could affect the customer in a negatively by costing them more money in interest if the utilize the loan for long term purposes. if they used his as a long term 5 percent of the population has taken out at least one payday loan. 24 million Americans said that they would take out a payday advance. The dominant economic effects on the economy are that the payday industry  provides 155,581 jobs throughout the United states and are responsible for compensating $6,415,800,00 billion dollars in wages, with an approximate $37,689 in salaries per year. While paying $2,630,000,000 in taxes. The industry contributed 10 billion dollars to the gross domestic product in 2007.Even though the payday advance company have a bad reputation and are known for targeting the lower income and working class they do have a positive effect on the economy. 2. What is the competition in the payday lending industry? Companies within the payday lending industry have several competitors. There are lots of other stores and companies provide payday advances and there are also credit cards companies, banks and payday companies that solely operate online. If a customer would like to borrow a money on their credit card it can get expensive because the interest rates a normally higher when taking cash off a credit card but the customers may explore this option because with a credit card customers do not have to pay back the total amount they have an option to pay a monthly percentage of the money they borrowed which may be beneficial for them. They can use their overdraft protection on their checking account to cover items that cannot afford to pay. Last they can use the online payday services because it does not require them to submit the documents that the stores may request making the process easier. Even though there are so many companies that offer these services all the companies are not appealing to customers. It is important for Cash connection to position themselves in a market where are more appealing, convenient and provide excellent customer service. How strong are each of the competitive forces that make up porters forces model? There is a very high bargaining power of customers because they can choose to go to any payday advance company that they would like to if they qualify. There is a high and low threat of new entrants. If the new company comes into the market with a sustainable strategy that pleases its customers and they are able to retain the customers then they have a better chance of lasting as a company. If a new company is unorganized and customers do not utilize their services than they could possibly lose money and eventually fail as a company. I feel that they are not being proactive in marketing there service where they are able to gain profit because they do not have a solid  strategy. There is major and very high threat of substitute products that customer can use from using the banks services and credit cards, so they do have an alternative product that they can utilize to meet their short term financial needs. There is a high bargain for suppliers because generally consumers can go to any payday lending company as long as they meet the minimum requirements of having a checking account and having some income. They can choose to be selective when choosing from their payday lending company by comparing the interest rates, most likely choosing the company with the lowest rates, better customer service and flexibility if requested. What do your strength ratings reveal about the overall attractiveness of the payday lending industry? The strength ratings show that these companies have a high profit margin with low expenses, it is stable because this service is always in demand, more convenient than its alternative products and it doesn’t affect their credit when requesting this service. 3. What are the driving forces that a currently affecting the payday lending industry? Some driving forces that affect this industry are federal regulations and laws , competition and alternative products. 4. What are the prevailing key successes factors that most affect industry member’s ability to prosper in the marketplace? Key factors that affect the industry’s ability to prosper in the marketplace are convenience and brand loyalty. This applies to the payday lending industry because customers tend to want to obtain money whenever they would like. Since the payday lending companies normally have fewer requirements than taking out personal loans through the banks they look at this as a better option to help them when they need the extra money. They also establish brand loyalty with the payday loan companies because most people are not excited about taking out a payday advance but when they do they would rather stick with the same company so they do have to keep up with providing documents and dealing with other procedures. 5. What is Cash Connection’s strategy for competing in the financial services industry? Which of the 5 generic strategies discussed in chapte r most closely fits the competitive approach that Cash Connection is  taking? What kind of financial performance has the strategy produced? There was a study with the demographic about payday advance customers. They were middle income majority of the customers earned between 25,000 and 50,000. They were of average education 94% had a diploma and 56% had some college or college degree. They consisted of young families 68% were under 45 years old and majority were married. They were stable working class 42% owned home, 57% had major credit cards, and 100 % had steady incomes. The only requirements the customer had to meet are they had to have a source of income and have a checking account. 6. What evidence suggests that Cash Connection’s strategy and business model are ethical and beneficial to customers and to society at large? The evidence that suggest that the Cash Connection are complying with the truth in lending act, fair debt collection practices act, the federal deposit insurance act and Gramm-Leach-Biley Act. These acts protect the consumers and if the companies that are complying are informing the consumer about the conditions and terms of the loan. If the consumers are agreeing to these terms because they feel that agreeing to the loan is more beneficial that not doing the loan. There regulations in Georgia and North Carolina they prohibit the residents of those to states to take out payday advances. There was evidence that shows that there are more bounced checks and have filed for a higher rate than when they had the payday advance service. They feel that they wouldn’t have as many disconnections and late payment fees to pay for if they had t he payday advance services available. Is there evidence to suggest that the company’s strategy and business model are ethical nor beneficial to customers and that the entire payday lending industry has few if redeeming qualities? They are known to have a reputation in taking advantage of people with rates that are too high There is evidence that there are unethical business models because if these consumers 7. What recommendations would make to Allen Franks to ensure Cash Connection pursues an ethical strategy and does not engage wrongdoing? If Allen Franks would like to pursue an ethical strategy he should make sure that he is sure the company is complying with the regulations and laws are  being applied annually and also preparing for instances where the government could possibly ban the company from operating. I also feel that Mr. Franks should improve their marketing strategy. Instead of the company being focused on making more money from new and existing clients because that’s the nature of the business they should provide options that help customers stabilize their financial short comings. They could do this by offering a longer period to pay off the first loan so the customer does not have to utilize the service as much, especially if they don’t want to become a repeat customer it will give them a chance to save money to pay off the loan. They can also spend more time in marketing some other services to the customers so if they decide not to continue borrowing payday advances the company is still making money. They can spend more time and money into marketing their check cashing services for payroll and business checks. That way they can expect the customer to come and cash their checks consistently and this creates some brand loyalty. They can also incorporate a customer loyalty program that offers the customer promotions and incentives for using Cash Connections Services.