In 1983, US News and World Report began ranking colleges and publishing an annual list. Today, the US News list is the juggernaut of college rankings. In one month after the 2011 rankings were announced, the US News website got 10 million visitors who found out that Harvard and Princeton tied for the number one spot. It’s big business, and yet if you look at the methodology of the rankings, it’s hardly scientific. Some of the criteria include the average SAT scores of admits, the admissions yield (what percentage of admits decide to enroll), and a “peer assessment score,” which asks deans and college presidents to rank their competition on a scale from one to five. How does the president or dean of one school know how to rank an entirely different college, one that’s his or her competitor? That’s like asking the CEO of McDonalds to rank Burger King’s food.
My problem with college rankings, beyond the fact that they’re so subjective, is when a student or parent accepts them as gospel and won’t consider schools that aren’t ranked high enough. That doesn’t just eliminate dozens, even hundreds of schools that might be good fits, but it also guarantees that the student will apply only to those colleges that reject most of their applicants.
Don't let US News tell where—or even worse, where not—to apply to college. The rankings are controversial, they change every year, and they have nothing to do with whether or not a school is right for you. If you just can't let go of the rankings, use them as one factor, not the driving force of your college selection.
You know youself better than US News does.
Arun says
Timely and well-put! As kids start shaping and then finalizing their college lists over the summer, I can’t think of a better reminder than the process is about THEM. Not some magazine editors trying to keep some mediocre media outfit afloat.
And if you’re determined to be obsessed with rankings, how about considering a few others? http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/college_guide/rankings_2011/national_university_rank.php and http://www.payscale.com/best-colleges/top-us-colleges-graduate-salary-statistics.asp use other criteria that are arguably just as “valid” as USNWR.