College Rankings: Helpful or Hurtful?

"I tell my students that rankings can help them build a list of colleges to consider—simply names to put on the pile to research," says John Boshoven, counselor for continuing education at Community High School (MI) and director of college counseling at the Jewish Academy of Metropolitan Detroit.

But just because a magazine says that a particular college is number one doesn't mean that it would be a good match for you. Every student looks for different characteristics in a college—characteristics that may not be considered by a magazine writer looking for a hot story. You may find that the college of your dreams is ranked number one, number ten, or not at all.

"The detriment comes when students and families confuse rankings and/or selectivity with quality," says Boshoven. "They often have little in common."

John Yaegel of Tenafly High School (NJ) often asks students to compare college rankings with rankings in other areas of life. "How about the Academy Awards? Do you always agree on the best movie, actor, or actress? Are the top 40 songs always in the order that you would rate them? Do you always agree with sportswriters' lists of the top 25 college football teams?" Like these lists, college rankings are in the eyes of the beholder. Your top ten college list may be completely different from any magazine's-or even from your best friend's list.

"I often ask families to tell me, 'Who is the best person sitting at this table?'" says Boshoven. "They say, 'It depends on what qualities you seek.' Exactly. It's the same with colleges."

So go ahead and read the college rankings magazines. Many times, the articles accompanying the rankings are full of solid advice for students and their families. But don't take the rankings themselves too seriously—the most important question is what college is right for YOU.