Are College Rankings Important?

Why College Rankings Should Influence Your Application Strategy

 The college ranking system developed by U.S. News and World Report provokes strong feelings in private colleges, public universities, professors, and students alike. Oregon's Reed College, for example, has famously snubbed U.S. News' ranking system. Many other schools, however, choose to flaunt their U.S. News rankings on their websites. If you are a college student, you need to understand how U.S. News rankings work--your application strategy could depend on it.

A System that Favors Private Schools

To create their school rankings, U.S. News rates schools on seven unique criteria: peer assessment, student retention, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, graduation performance, and alumni giving. These factors have especially favored private schools. Since public schools usually admit large numbers of diverse students, low-scoring students may cause public schools' student-selectivity ratings to drop. Also, many private schools boast superior fundraising programs, which can hurt public schools' alumni-giving rankings. As a result, loads of outstanding public schools may seem deceptively low on the U.S. News scale.

Healthy Competition: Raising Academic Standards

Plenty of advocates claim that the U.S. News rankings are working wonders for education. Supporters say that by encouraging schools to meet competitive guidelines, the U.S. News rankings raise academic standards across the board. Also, the caliber of college applicants is increasing, which heightens the struggle to gain admission into college: Business Week claims that the top 20 schools, as ranked by U.S. News, are shattering records for rejecting applicants. In April of 2007, for example, Duke University's Dean of Undergraduate Admissions reported that Duke had received 19,170 applicants for just 1,665 spaces.

Beat the System: How to Use Rankings for Your Benefit

When college application time rolls around, you can use the U.S. News ranking system to:
  • Bolster future career prospects. If you want to work in a cutthroat field such as law or business, use the U.S. News scale to pick out nationally ranked colleges. After graduation, your degree from such an institution may give you a leg up on the competition.
  • Save money. If you wish to enter a less competitive career area such as social work or nursing, find a school that fits your budget. There's no sense in blowing loads of money on an Ivy League education if your field does not demand it.
  • Find strong academic departments. Some top-ranked schools host spectacular English departments but weak engineering programs, and vice versa. Use the U.S. News rankings to find schools with reputable programs in your desired area of study.
Do not forget that each student has different educational needs, and rankings systems should only be used as a guide in your quest to find the perfect college for you. And remember, a nationally ranked school does not ensure personal success. Ultimately, you should seek out a college in a city you love, with a student body you can relate to, and with programs that challenge you to improve as both a student and a person.

Sources:
"Admission: College Rankings," Reed College
"In Praise of Rankings," Newsweek
"Playing the Rankings Game," The Chronicle of Higher Education
"Throw the Book at College Rankings," Business Week
"U.S. News Rankings Criteria," University of Illinois