How do you actually compare placement records across programs? Ok so I'm deep in the weeds trying to figure out where to apply and I keep coming back to placement data as the thing that actually matters most. But honestly comparing programs is SO hard. Some departments list every graduate going back 20 years, some only show the last 5 cohorts, some only list "selected" placements (lol of course), and some don't have a page at all. Even when the data is there, how do you account for program size? A program that places 3 people at R1s out of 5 graduates is doing way better than one that places 5 out of 25, but the raw numbers make the second one look better. Has anyone found a good systematic way to do this? Or is it just vibes and asking around?