The Big Bang by Rock Mafia free essay sample

Starring: Kevin Zegers Miley Cyrus The video begins with Kevin standing in a parking garage, sketching a graveyard. He begins to hear ghostly voices asking him if he misses her. He looks up and sees Miley drive up and look at him. He flashes back to a day on the beach and when he returns to that moment in time, he sees Miley drive off, only to be hit by a car. Kevin runs to make sure she is alright and finds the car abandoned. So begins the chase of a lifetime. Kevin begins to follow his beloved around town, while every so often flashing back to the same day at the beach. Each time he comes close enough to touch Miley it seems she vanishes into thin air only to be found elsewhere a little while later. I found the premise to this music video to be slightly confusing and slightly intriguing. We will write a custom essay sample on The Big Bang by Rock Mafia or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page As I watched, I found myself repetitively thinking, This would be an amazing premise for a movie(Maybe Ill start work on that.) The only problem I saw? Well, duh! Miley Cyrus. Actually she wasnt too badwhen she was moving. When she would look at Kevin, attempting sexiness, it was obvious she was trying to be sexy, which really just made her look dumb. I wasnt at all annoyed by her during the chase scenes or even the club scene (Shocking! It was *gasp* clean!), but when she found herself trying to be seductive or sexy, she was extremely irritating. If you can ignore that (which I can), The Big Bang was a pretty entertaining, intriguing music video. Many debates have gone out about what the story behind the music video is. Was Rock Mafia trying to tell the story of lost love? Or of a love to come? Well, my personal opinion is that its the story of lost love. The flash backs seem to be memories; most times wheneither in movies, TV shows or music videostheres a dream or fantasy, theres usually no question about the fact that its a dream; this leads me to believe that The Big Bang is the story of a lost love. Rock Mafia didnt appear once throughout the video, but since I havent scene any of their other music videos, I cant really comment on that. The message behind the song I also cant comment on. Im quite confused about this and have no desire to dig deeper if there is any chance of my finding the lyrics to be perverted. It was an entertaining and catchy song, but that is all I will say on that topic. I give this video four and a half out of five stars, and the song, three just for confusion. But good job, Rock Mafia!

An Impartial Perspective on Research Papers Writers

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Research Topics For Research Paper

Research Topics For Research PaperResearch topics for a research paper can be very varied and often depend on the topic. If you are trying to find research topics for a research paper, think about whether or not your subject has been covered before. Sometimes the topic is covered too well, and others may be quite interesting, but unfortunately may have already been covered before by a different writer.The best source of information in this field is perhaps the past masters of ethics, the experts who wrote the best ethical issues in the field. You will be able to get a lot of information from past masters of ethics by speaking to them on the phone or by writing them an email. They will also be able to offer you great insights and tips on what ethical issues may be covered in the future.Other times, it is wise to broaden your horizons and focus more on current events. If there is a case which is already covered by a previous article, then a good idea is to cover that topic on the first article too. This is a way of broadening your research on the topic and also to explore new areas as well.Once you have your topic narrowed down, you need to consider whether or not the topic of your research topics will be suitable for the topics that you wish to research. For example, if you wish to do a psychology research paper, you need to think about whether or not this is suitable for a topic which covers self help. Psychology, just like law, can often be a difficult subject. However, a psychology research paper can give you a lot of information and insight, so make sure you read a lot of research papers in this area.It may also be wise to consider whether or not a law and legal issues research paper would be appropriate. Legal issues in this field can often be quite detailed and quite long, so if you want to cover legal and ethical issues, then it is worth considering whether you will want to research these topics separately. In addition, if you already have an idea of the kind of research topic you wish to do, then researching this topic separately can help you avoid wasting time by trying to get information from another source.Finally, before writing a research paper, you need to think about whether or not your topic is something which is well known in the world of research. The more obscure a topic is, the harder it can be to find information for it. Therefore, if you find that your topic is not widely known, or even if it is well known, it is probably best to research a topic that is more obscure, or at least less known.Whatever research topics you choose to do, remember that your research paper will be completed once you have done all of the research. Remember that you are not required to publish your work until you have finished the research, and so your work is not yet finished. Also, remember that once you have finished the research, it will not look quite as professional if you don't send the article out for publication.Writing a research pap er is an art and it is one which should be practiced and perfected over time. The best way to learn this art is by reading research papers and gaining experience in reading research papers.

Tips for Finding Good Research Paper Topics

Tips for Finding Good Research Paper TopicsGood linguistic research papers are really an excellent way to make your mark in the field of linguistics. It is really a difficult task to come up with a thesis paper and there are some suggestions to help you find good linguistic research papers for graduate students.The first step is to figure out what is the best research topic for you and to see if it is related to your current field of interest. This can be a challenging task for graduate students because most of them have a strong desire to build a career in their desired field but are not clear about which specific field they should specialize in. Therefore, this step may take quite a bit of time before you come up with a research topic that is appropriate for you.Another useful tip for students who are new to writing their own research papers is to choose topics that relate to your field of interest. For example, if you are interested in studying vocabulary in an extinct language, t hen choose topics that are in this genre. However, if you are a scholar specializing in the Indo-European languages, then you would have a harder time choosing vocabulary from these languages. It can also help to go through your existing research materials such as textbooks, articles and other printed materials to identify the words or phrases that appear in the subject of your research.Once you have identified the right research paper topics, you will then need to make a list of questions that need to be answered in your research paper. It is important to be very clear about how you want to address the research question. If you have a preferred research method, then make sure you document the information clearly so that you can easily cite the data when you write your paper.Other good ways to narrow down your research paper topics is to look for research on your target topic, look for related documents, watch other people in the field who are writing about your topic and consider t he opinions of other scholars. You can also get assistance from the American Historical Association and Harvard University.For students who are already accomplished in their chosen field, writing a good linguistic research paper topics is easier. However, you will still need to ask questions and explore the existing literature to come up with fresh research ideas.After you have selected a few research paper topics, be sure to seek advice from your advisor so that you are comfortable with the topic. Also, keep in mind that the last thing you want to do is to write a paper for one single topic and then have to write it for several different topics in the future.

Sample Essay on Abortion - Tips For Writing One

Sample Essay on Abortion - Tips For Writing OneWriting a sample essay on abortion is an effective way to study the topic of abortion in a non-biased manner. Sample essays do not need to be polished because students should be encouraged to write at their own pace. If students read and enjoy the sample, they will be more motivated to write the sample essay on abortion for the class.One way to encourage students to study the subject is to make it as challenging as possible. If you want them to read and improve their writing, try making the assignments harder than the average grade. Making the assignment difficult will also ensure that the students put more effort into the topic. The essay should be written in a way that even the easiest of them will find it easy to comprehend.If students are afraid of writing an essay because of fear of being criticized, make sure you help them to become confident before you start writing. Make your sample essay on abortion easy enough for them to under stand. The sample essay can also be used as an example in the test or paper, they will be writing.Students should also be encouraged to write in a way that relates back to the reading that they have done so far. As the essay is not based on one topic, students will not feel bad about repeating some topics from the reading.In some cases, students may feel embarrassed writing an essay on their own. While this may be the case, it is important to remember that this type of essay is not meant to be a reflection of the student's personal views but rather a reflection of the topic as a whole. As long as they are comfortable with what they are writing, the essay will be more beneficial to the course.Students can also choose to use a sample essay that has been graded. This will be beneficial if the student has not done a lot of research and is uncertainof how to write the sample. Additionally, students who are afraid of writing a decent essay should consider using a sample essay that has alr eady been assigned to them because they will be assured that it will be difficult.There are other ways that a student can use to make their essay more enjoyable such as choosing sample essays that include humor. This will make the assignment easier for the student and they will also be able to give the essay a more personal touch.

Free Essays on New Product Marketing Plan

Abstract This is a complete strategic marketing plan for Harley-Davidson’s latest model, the War Eagle. The War Eagle represents a new style of motorcycle for Harley-Davidson, which will help ensure the viability of the company in the future. This paper will detail the following points of the strategic marketing plan. 1) Objectives & Mission Statement 2) Customer Targets 3) Competitor Targets 4) Product/Service Features 5) Core Strategy 6) Marketing Mix a) Communications & Promotion b) Price 7) Product Policy 8) Channels of Distribution 9) Customer relationship Management STRATEGIC MARKETING PLAN: HARLEY-DAVIDSON WAR EAGLE Objectives & Mission Statement The long-term objective Harley-Davidson hopes to achieve with the War Eagle is to introduce new, younger riders to the brand to eventually replace the older baby boomer riders who will soon be retiring from the sport. The short-term objective of the War Eagle is to gain market share. (Winer, R.S. (2004) p.33) We are setting a goal of selling 3,000 units for the 2006 model year. In order to achieve market penetration and take market share away from our competitors, we will keep the price of the War Eagle relatively low (to other Harley models), and sell it at a very small profit margin. (Winer, R.S. (2004) p.34-35) Customer Targets Motorcycles were once viewed as a cheap means of transportation. By the 1980s, they came to be viewed as a recreational, or luxury item. This new perception of motorcycles led to the introduction of more expensive models with higher prices. Gross domestic product in the US is projected to increase by 3.5% in 2005. (www.cpb.nl, 2005) This will result in an increase in disposable income. When disposable income increases, consumer spending increases. Harley-Davidson motorcycles are considered a discretionary item and sales of Harley-Davidson depend mainly on disposable income. Disposable income has seen a grow... Free Essays on New Product Marketing Plan Free Essays on New Product Marketing Plan Abstract This is a complete strategic marketing plan for Harley-Davidson’s latest model, the War Eagle. The War Eagle represents a new style of motorcycle for Harley-Davidson, which will help ensure the viability of the company in the future. This paper will detail the following points of the strategic marketing plan. 1) Objectives & Mission Statement 2) Customer Targets 3) Competitor Targets 4) Product/Service Features 5) Core Strategy 6) Marketing Mix a) Communications & Promotion b) Price 7) Product Policy 8) Channels of Distribution 9) Customer relationship Management STRATEGIC MARKETING PLAN: HARLEY-DAVIDSON WAR EAGLE Objectives & Mission Statement The long-term objective Harley-Davidson hopes to achieve with the War Eagle is to introduce new, younger riders to the brand to eventually replace the older baby boomer riders who will soon be retiring from the sport. The short-term objective of the War Eagle is to gain market share. (Winer, R.S. (2004) p.33) We are setting a goal of selling 3,000 units for the 2006 model year. In order to achieve market penetration and take market share away from our competitors, we will keep the price of the War Eagle relatively low (to other Harley models), and sell it at a very small profit margin. (Winer, R.S. (2004) p.34-35) Customer Targets Motorcycles were once viewed as a cheap means of transportation. By the 1980s, they came to be viewed as a recreational, or luxury item. This new perception of motorcycles led to the introduction of more expensive models with higher prices. Gross domestic product in the US is projected to increase by 3.5% in 2005. (www.cpb.nl, 2005) This will result in an increase in disposable income. When disposable income increases, consumer spending increases. Harley-Davidson motorcycles are considered a discretionary item and sales of Harley-Davidson depend mainly on disposable income. Disposable income has seen a grow...

All the College Ranking Lists You Should Read

All the College Ranking Lists You Should Read SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips People love ranking lists. It seems that the majority of articles posted on social media and television shows on basic cable are ranking something, from the prettiest celebrities to the best songs of the 1980's. The fascination with college ranking lists has been around for over 30 years since the U.S. News World Report debuted its list in 1983. There are quite a few college ranking lists out there, but which ones are the best ones? Which ones should you look at? Honestly, all overall college ranking lists are flawed, and you should spend more time researching and visiting colleges than obsessing over college rankings to determine which college you should attend. However, in this article I will detail the pros and cons of different college ranking lists and of college ranking lists in general. You can obtain some worthwhile information from these lists, so you shouldn't completely dismiss them. The Benefits of Using College Ranking Lists From looking at college ranking lists, you can discover colleges you may not have been familiar with that could be a good fit for you. By looking at these lists, you may find a school that matches what you're looking for in a college. College ranking lists provide extensive data in one place for you to compare schools. In one list, you can see statistics for different colleges like average class size, high school GPA, SAT/ACT scores, and cost. Also, these lists give you a rough idea of the reputations of different colleges. While these lists are subjective, they do tend to reflect how colleges are regarded in the academic and professional worlds. There is probably little difference between a #1 and a #5 school in terms of reputation, but the #1 school in a list is going to have a better reputation than #100. Finally, these lists can give you an idea of what you need to do to make yourself competitive for admission to a specific college. These ranking lists often give you the average GPA, standardized test scores, and the percentage of students who graduate in the top 10% and 25% in their high school classes. From these numbers, you can determine what you should accomplish to make yourself a qualified applicant. Your numbers should compare favorably to those of the average student at a particular collegeif you want to give yourself a realistic shot at gaining admission. Why You Should Avoid Basing Your College Decisions on the Rankings Some of the criteria these lists use to compile their rankings are highly subjective and are based on survey responses. "Quality of life" and "academics" can be major factors for rankings and both are often based on opinions from surveys. The primary problem with these survey results is that they don't seem to be representative; they suffer from voluntary response bias and nonresponse bias. For example, Princeton Review ranks colleges in 62 categories. Often, a college alerts the student body that the Princeton Review surveys are available online and then students choose to complete the surveys. Those students who volunteer to take the surveys are likely to not be representative of the student population as a whole. Typically, those who would volunteer have stronger opinions than those of the average student. Similarly, U.S. News World Report determines the academic quality of an institution based on survey responses from top academics and administrators from other colleges and from high school counselors. Are those who choose to respond to the surveys necessarily representative of all college representatives and high school counselors? Some top academics and knowledgeable high school counselors who are sent surveys choose not to submit responses. Additionally, some colleges, like Reed College, may have their rankings affected because they choose not to submit information because they do not want to participate in college ranking lists. Students can get too focused on the rankings instead of figuring out which school is the best fit for them. There's probably not much difference in the quality of education at a #5 school vs. a #10 school. The #10 school may be a much better fit for a student who could excel academically at both. Furthermore, colleges are motivated and influenced by the rankings. Colleges understand that these rankings are popular and influential. They'll spend money on things the lists consider important or aggressively recruit students who have little chance of gaining admission just to raise their selectivity rating to increase their rank. Finally, and perhaps most disturbingly, schools cheat to improve their rankings. Colleges have lied (and probably do lie) when reporting their numbers to college ranking lists to get a better rank. Colleges have cheated to improve their rank. How Should Reputation Factor Into Your College Decision? As much as some of us like to discount the importance of reputation, it can play a significant role. Colleges that are ranked more highly often have more motivated and academically gifted students, and colleges that do well in the rankings tend to have influential alumni and professional connections that can have a positive impact on your future. Similarly, graduates from well-ranked schools are often favored when they apply to professional or graduate schools. Keep in mind that your work ethic and aptitude will have a far greater influence on your future success than the college you attend. You can be highly successful regardless of the college you go to; however, going to a highly ranked school will offer you undeniable advantages. Now, let's take a look at some of the better and more well-known lists. U.S. News World Report The U.S. News college rankings are viewed as the gold standard of college ranking lists. Its list is the most well-known and referenced. Here is a basic overview of how U.S. News determines its rankings: A total weight of 30% is given to factors related to student retention and graduation rates. It gives a 22.5% weight to a school's academic reputation based on survey responses from peer institutions and high school counselors. The remaining 47.5% is devoted to objective statistics about the school including measures of selectivity, faculty information, financial resources, and alumni giving. Pros U.S. News separates colleges into four categories for its rankings: National Universities, National Liberal Arts Colleges, Regional Universities, and Regional Colleges. The categories allow for more direct comparisons and prevent ranking a large public college with 40,000 undergraduate students against a small liberal arts college with less than 1,000. Because U.S. News surveys top academics and college administrators to determine academic reputation, the rankings do provide a general idea of how well regarded a school is in academia. U.S. News rankings heavily emphasize student retention rates and graduation rates. Both are important factors to consider when choosing a college. They provide some clues about the quality of the support services and the student satisfaction level at different colleges Finally, because the U.S. News rankings are the most prestigious of all the ranking lists, they are the most influential and help shape public opinion. The top-ranked schools in U.S. News are generally considered to be the best schools by employers, academics, and admissions committees. Graduation rate is an important factor in the rankings. Cons Not all colleges are ranked in the U.S. News rankings. For the latest rankings, 148 colleges are listed as "unranked" within the four categories of schools. Schools are unranked because they lack regional accreditation, fewer than 200 students are enrolled, they don't use the SAT or ACT in admissions decisions, or they didn't get enough responses on the U.S. News peer assessment survey. Therefore, if you're interested in a very small school or a college that doesn't use standardized tests in admissions decisions, this rankings list won't be very helpful for you. Also, in the U.S. News rankings, there is little emphasis on quality of life. The most important criteria for the U.S. News rankings are the surveys regarding academic quality and the rates for student retention and graduation. This rankings list is less helpful than others in indicating how much students enjoy their experience at a particular college. While I previously mentioned some of the problems with relying on survey responses in U.S. News to determine academic reputation, there is an additional major problem. Many of those who respond to the surveys may not even be qualified to assess the academics at different colleges. The typical respondent grades about half of the colleges in his or her category. There are 262 National Universities. Are respondents knowledgeable enough to evaluate the academic programs of over 100 colleges, or are they simply relying on reputations generated from earlier rankings? Prominent writer Malcolm Gladwell addresses this point in a New Yorker article: (W)henU.S. Newsasks a university president to perform the impossible task of assessing the relative merits of dozens of institutions he knows nothing about, he relies on the only source of detailed information at his disposal that assesses the relative merits of dozens of institutions he knows nothing about:U.S. News...The U.S. News ratings are a self-fulfilling prophecy. Furthermore, the criteria used in U.S. News rankings seem to favor private colleges almost by default while disadvantaging public schools. Private schools often score higher in selectivity because public schools are more focused on being accessible to qualified in-state applicants. Similarly, because private colleges tend to have significantly lower student populations, they can offer smaller classes and their student-faculty ratio is lower. However, public colleges can offer advantages that are not measured nor reflected in the rankings. Public colleges can have larger and more diverse student bodies, more academic programs and majors, and more extracurricular activities. Finally, U.S. News rankings don't directly consider the salaries of graduates nor the likelihood of getting the job you want after graduating. Many people go to college specifically to prepare for a certain career or to get a well-paying job after they graduate. U.S. News rankings may not be as beneficial in helping you to decide which college is most likely to help you reach your professional goals. U.S. News doesn't consider the salaries of graduates. Forbes The Forbes college rankings list is newer and less prestigious than the U.S. News list, but the Forbes list is still very popular and Forbes is considered to be a reputable publication. Forbes emphasizes student outcomes from colleges to determine its rankings. Rankings are heavily dependent on post-graduation success, freshman retention rates, and graduation rates. Here is a general breakdown of the factors that determine the Forbes rankings: A weight of 25% is given to Student Satisfaction, which is determined from student evaluations from RateMyProfessors.com (7.5%), freshman retention rates (12.5%), predicted freshman retention rates compared to actual rates (2.5%), and a school satisfaction survey conducted by Forbes via Facebook (2.5%). A full 32.5% of the rankings is based on post-graduate success, which is determined from alumni salary statistics gathered from Payscale.com (10%) and rewarding the alma maters of those who are on the Center for College Affordability and Productivity's America's Leaders List (22.5%). America's Leaders List is composed of people who are at the top of their fields, including Nobel and Pulitzer winners, Guggenheim and MacArthur fellows, those elected to the National Academy of Sciences, and winners of an Academy Award, Emmy, Tony, or Grammy. A weight of 25% is given to student debt, which is determined by average federal student loan debt (10%), student loan default rates (12.5%), and predicted vs. actual federal student loan debt (2.5%). Graduation rate counts for 7.5% of the rankings. Graduation rate is divided into the four-year graduation rate (5%) and the predicted vs. actual four-year graduation rate (2.5%). Finally, academic success makes up the final 10% of the rankings. Academic success is based on students who receive prestigious academic awards like the Rhodes Scholarship (7.5%) and alumni who get PhDs (2.5%). Pros "Student Satisfaction" is an important component of the rankings.The Forbes listmay be more beneficial than the U.S. News list in determining the quality of life at different colleges. Because you'll probably be spending at least four years at the college you attend, you want to not only choose a school that will educate you well and prepare you for your future, but also you want to be happy during those years. You want to enjoy your living environment, your peers, and the time you spend outside of class. By emphasizing post-graduate success, the Forbes list may give you a better indication of the impact of a specific college on your attaining your future professional goals. Finally, the emphasis on student debt in the Forbes rankings separates it from most of the other college ranking lists. By measuring the average federal student loan debt and the student loan default rate, the Forbes list may give you an idea of the affordability of a school, the generosity of a school's financial aid, and whether students are capable of paying back their loans after they graduate. Cons Unlike U.S. News, Forbes does not separate colleges into categories. There is no distinction between the different types of colleges in the Forbes rankings. It's extremely difficult to effectively compare schools that vary tremendously in size, degree options, and research capabilities. Because some of these colleges are so different from one another, it's impossible to determine which school is "better" for everyone. For example, how can you rank Penn State University, which has over 40,000 undergraduates and more than 160 majors against Wesleyan College, which has fewer than 700 undergraduate students and only 31 majors? Additionally, the Forbes list can favor schools that have wealthy student bodies. A college's student debt grade may not reflect the generosity of the school's financial aid or whether students get high-paying jobs after they graduate. Students from affluent families are less likely to have to take out loans and are more likely to be able to pay back loans. Therefore, schools that have more wealthy students are likely to do well in the "student debt" component of the rankings. There is still only a small emphasis paid to the actual student experience. The student satisfaction survey given to students is only a very small component of the rankings. Additionally, information from Rank My Professors is hardly a reliable source to determine how happy students are with their classes at a particular school. Teacher evaluations from Rank My Professors are not representative because they suffer from nonresponse bias. Most students don't use that website. Furthermore,Forbes rankings provide little information about what life is like on campus. Finally, Forbes has a very narrow definition of success. "Student Success" is based on the salary of alumni and whether students obtain prestigious positions and awards. Schools with pre-professional programs in potentially high-paying fields like accounting and business may get a bump in the rankings. That doesn't mean much to you if you're not interested in pursuing accounting or business. Similarly, colleges who have more alumni who go into less lucrative fields like teaching or non-profit work may score poorly in "Student Success." However, that is no indication that a college isn't good or that its alumni aren't successful. Niche Niche is a website that has been around since 2002. It provides rankings and reviews for neighborhoods, cities, and schools. The Niche college rankings are less well-known than those of U.S. News and Forbes. However, the Niche college rankings list does provide some information and advantages that the other ranking lists don't have. Niche rankings are based on the overall experience at traditional 4-year colleges and universities. How does Niche determine the "overall experience" at a school? The academics grade counts for 35% of a school's ranking. The academics grade is based on objective statistics like acceptance rate, SAT/ACT scores, research expenditures, 6-year graduation rate, professor salary index, admissions yield, freshman retention rate, freshman National Merit Scholars, and faculty awards. Additionally, Niche incorporates survey responses from students regarding the quality of academics at their college and statistics and survey responses about diversity on campus to determine the academics grade. Then, 12% of the rankings are based on student survey responses about the overall experience at the college they currently or recently attended. Additional factors that influence the rankings are statistics and student survey responses based on campus quality (8%), loan default rate (6%), athletics (5%), average net price (5%), diversity (5%), local area (5%), endowment per full-time student (4%), "guys and girls" (4%), health and safety (4%), party scene (4%), and private gifts/grants per full-time student (3%). Niche grades colleges' party scenes. Pros Niche relies on many more factors to determine its rankings. The rankings are based on more than 50 statistics and survey responses on 20 topics from almost 300,000 current students and alumni. Niche tries to incorporate every factor that could possibly influence the college experience, from the acceptance rate to the attractiveness of guys and girls on campus. It seems to be a more well-rounded ranking list instead of just using factors that it deems important. Also, the Niche rankings place a much higher emphasis on factors that are related to quality of life. Student survey responses about the quality of the overall experience at the college count for 12% of the rankings. Additionally, Niche gives scores for "campus quality," "athletics," and "party scene." Besides overall college rankings, Niche also provides college rankings in 54 different categories. Some of those ranking lists include "best campus food," "best academics," "best party schools," and "safest campus." You can focus on the ranking lists in categories that are important to you instead of just looking at the overall rankings that may utilize criteria that don't matter to you. Another positive of the Niche rankings is that they incorporate average net price. Net price is the average cost of a school after financial aid for students receiving grants or scholarship aid. Unlike metrics such as average amount of federal loans and loan default rate, net price doesn't favor schools with more wealthy students. Finally, Niche is one of the few ranking lists that factors in diversity in its rankings. Diversity doesn't just refer to the ethnic and racial breakdown of the student body. Niche uses "diversity" to mean that a school "fosters a community that accepts and promotes a diversity of viewpoints, backgrounds, religious beliefs, sexual orientations, and socioeconomic statuses." Also, a diverse school has a significant percentage of international students and students that represent every geographic region of the United States, and the faculty is diverse in terms of gender and ethnicity. Cons Niche is not as well-known asU.S. News or Forbes. Because its rankings are not as prestigious or referenced, they have much less of an impact on the reputations of different colleges. Additionally, because Niche uses many more factors in its rankings, it's likely to use criteria that don't matter to you in a college. You may not be very concerned about a school's party scene, the athletics, or how the girls rank. Those are all factors in the Niche rankings. Final Thoughts Use college ranking lists to determine the reputations of different colleges. The ranking lists do tend to reflect and shape public opinion. While the exact ranking of a school will vary from list to list, the colleges that are consistently ranked highly do offer advantages while you're in college and after you graduate. Browse college ranking lists to discover new colleges that may be a good fit for you. You may not be familiar with Amherst College, Bowdoin College, or Pomona College, but Forbes ranks all three of them within their top 20 colleges. There are literally thousands of colleges, and ranking lists can introduce you to excellent schools that may match what you're looking for in a college. Instead of just looking at overall college ranking lists, pay attention to lists that focus on criteria that matter to you. You can look at lists from Niche that rank schools based on "best technology" or "best food" if you care about those things. Overall college rankings vary from list to list because there are so many factors that go into the college experience, and there is no exact science to determine if one school is better than another. U.S. News ranks the University of Chicago as the #3 National University while Forbes ranks it as the #18 college. Don't get too caught up in the specific ranking of a school. Each list focuses on the criteria that it deems important. When you're looking at a college rankings list, you should also be familiar with how the rankings are determined. Finally, college rankings should only be one small tool you use to help determine your college decision. More important than a college's ranking is figuring out whether or not the school is a good fit for you. Does it have the extracurricular activities you want to pursue? Does the school excel in the academic areas that most interest you? Are there appropriate support services that will allow you to be successful? How's the social climate? Make sure you know how to choose a college. What's Next? Instead of solely relying on ranking lists, use the best college search websites to help you find the right college for you. Also, learn more about the differences between public and private colleges. If you need to improve your grades to help get into the college of your choice, check out this post on how to raise your GPA in high school. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now: