Treat College Rankings With a Grain of Salt

Parents and counselors are often asked to advise students about how to evaluate the college or colleges they are considering. Most Americans have read articles devoted to rating colleges and universities. In these articles, a list of the top 20 schools may change from year to year. Why? How can people compare one school to another?

What goes into a college ranking?

These are questions worth addressing. First of all, consumers should be wary of comparing colleges by means of a ranking system. Since they are largely based on factors such as institutional reputation and the size of the school's endowment, ranking systems may be difficult to understand and may measure things that do not affect the quality of educational and other resources available to students. Institutions benefit a great deal by how they are ranked, yet some schools have begun to question the ranking systems, even if they have received a high "score". One obvious failing of a number-ranking system is that no one really knows what it means; that is to say, students need to know specifics such as the average class size or the quality of the Engineering Department, not a number.

How do I rank colleges for myself?

Many educational consultants suggest that people should enjoy these publicized college rating reports, but NOT make serious decisions about where to attend based solely on rankings. What are the most important factors to consider when comparing colleges? Time and again, the experts suggest parents and their college-bound children discuss the specifics of their personal situation.

What are the student's goals and needs? While one school may have a terrific research facility, a student's own need for a learning environment of smaller class size may completely overshadow what that school can provide the student. Students may wish to generate a personal checklist of things they require from a college. Many questions can best be answered by students, staff, and/or graduates of the college under consideration. For this and other reasons, students and parents may wish to visit the college or university. They should ask a lot of questions about ancillary services, the availability of merit scholarships, the core requirements, etc. If the student wants to study a foreign language, is it offered? Are there opportunities to study abroad or other specialized programs important to the student? Some experts suggest scheduling a personal interview, even if this is not an admission requirement, simply because so much information is available this way, in addition to information the school has in a catalog or on-line.

The bottom line for students is to investigate as many aspects as possible of a particular college experience. To know how well a school will meet one's educational and other needs requires more information than a subjective ranking provides.