Not only are the weightings arbitrary, but many of the criteria bear no relevance to quality of undergraduate education. As an engineering undergrad, why would it matter that my alma mater's teaching hospitals were among the best in the world and raked billions in research grants?
Rankings are a terrible way to select schools, not just because they don't even claim to rate quality of education, but also because many top schools explicitly IGNORE any measures of success that aren't included in major ranking schemes, whereas schools with no hope of ever cracking top 20 are forced to craft a different niche for themselves.
Rankings are a terrible way to select schools, not just because they don't even claim to rate quality of education, but also because many top schools explicitly IGNORE any measures of success that aren't included in major ranking schemes, whereas schools with no hope of ever cracking top 20 are forced to craft a different niche for themselves.