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Does Rank Matter When Exploring College Options?
A variety of magazines produce annual reports that rank the nation’s colleges and universities. These rankings provide many discussion points and focus on diverse topics such as most studious to best partiers and everything in between. These ranking issues get a lot of attention from the media, colleges and students and parents. Yet are these rankings really relevant in your own college search?
Rankings can help to organize your own educational priorities and what you wish to find in your perfect school. Some rankings will highlight affordability and amenities while others focus on selectivity and networking potential. Such ranking lists can help in locating new possibilities and alternatives not previously considered.
A number one ranking in a magazine does not translate into an immediate (if any) perfect fit for every student. Each potential student has different ideas of the things that need to exist in his/her perfect school. These characteristics may not be what the writer of a magazine considered important to drive sales of their magazines rather than what is in the student’s best interest. It should not come as a surprise to find that your dream college could be ranked first, twentieth, or completely overlooked depending on the ranking.
A high ranking in a magazine should not be seen as an automatic indication of the quality of a given school for the program in which you are interested.
As the famous adage goes, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” If you are interested in studying English literature, the high ranking of an MIT or CalTech is irrelevant. Conversely, if you are interested in engineering, the performing arts program at a given school is of little consequence. Also, you need to remember that the rankings are based on the opinions of an individual or group of individuals who know nothing about your specific needs and may be more interested in selling magazines than whether you find your college experience worthwhile.
Feel free to read the college rankings found in magazines and online. You can indeed learn about new options and begin to define what is truly important for your personal educational goals. Often these pieces can provide additional information of value for students and parents regarding the whole college experience. Just remember, even five years from now, you are never going to remember the name of some faceless author of a college ranking article, but you will be attending college for at least four years, and potentially paying for it well into your career. Trust your own research, so that you get the most for your hard earned dollar.
Janelle Jalbert
March, 2009
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