A Consumers’ Guide to College Rankings
Saturday, August 16th, 2008
It is that time of the year to play the college rankings sweepstakes. U.S News & World Report is promoting its “America’s Best Colleges 2009” (available in print on August 22) and Forbes.com, a newcomer to college rankings, released its version of “America’s Best Colleges” on August 13.
Other ranking guides are sure to follow as editors can’t wait to ply the “science” of their surveys on an audience of consumers eager for a scorecard that quantifies the mythical pecking order of colleges.
Before you get out your credit card or rush to printout a list of the “best” colleges, take a moment to ask yourself three questions:
1. Who is defining the “best” and what does it mean for me/my child?
2. What do the editors of ranking guides know about me/my child?
3. Where is the evidence that rankings will make a difference in our college planning outcomes?
Let’s take a closer look at the importance of each question.
1. Who is defining best and what does it mean for me/my child? Don’t assume that there is a universal application of the term—and don’t assume the definition you are being given by editors is the most appropriate. References to the “best” in any context are heavily value-laden and are offered from the perspective of the person making the statement. Be discriminating. Know that the definitions of “best” that are thrown around to sell magazines may not—and, in fact, should not—be the beginning point for your own definition.
2. What do the editors of ranking guides know about me/my child? Where, for example, do they talk about the colleges that are best for the bright but timid student who wants to study classical archaeology or the student who learns best through engagement in the classroom or the young person whose sense of self and direction is still emerging? Despite editorial acknowledgments that the choice of a four-year undergraduate education is “one of the biggest decisions a typical American family can make” what tangible take-aways do college rankings offer that apply to your situation?
3. Where is the evidence that rankings will make a difference in our college planning outcomes? More specifically, you need to ask yourself, “What’s in it for me?” Unlike the purchase process with regard to other commodities (cars, appliances, etc.), the ultimate choice of a college is the product of a mutual selection process. Rankings don’t get kids into college nor do they point you in the direction that is best for you. This is illustrated by the inevitable headlines in early April that read, “Record Numbers of Talented Students Rejected at Top Colleges.” Who is really being served when the effect of ranking guides is to shine a brighter light on a handful of institutions that already turn down 80-90% of their applicants?
The college-going process has been turned upside down by ranking guides. Whereas the focus should be on the kids—and what is best for them—college ranking guides put the focus on destinations that are presumed to be desirable. The rankings are artificial metrics for quality in education that detract from sensible, student-centered decision-making.
Herein lies the disconnect. If ranking guides are truly useful to consumers, why do so many students apply to schools where the chances of gaining admission are less than one out of four? And where is the usefulness of college ranking guides when barely half of the students entering college this fall will graduate from any college in 4-5 years?
There are no shortcuts or easy substitutions for thoughtful and reflective research in the college planning process. The choice of a college is one of the most important decisions in the life of a family. Avoid unhappy outcomes by establishing the student, not the destination, at the center of your deliberations
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Contact me at Peter@TheAdmissionGame.com for a free copy of “Seven Tips for Interpreting College Rankings.” In addition, my book, Winning the College Admission Game, (available in the TAG Bookstore, online at Amazon.com and in bookstores) gives students and parents strategies for working together to find and gain access to schools that represent the best fit for the student.
