College Rankings
Time published this story about the college ranking system. Apparently a substantial group of liberal arts colleges (124 schools), will not be participating in the classic U.S. News and World Report rankings, because of concerns about how those rankings are decided.
I didn’t know this, but 25% of a school’s ranking under the U.S. News system is based on a survey of school reputation, filled out by college administrators and presidents. That seems like a poor way to rank schools. Reputation doesn’t necessarily equate to performance, and given the fierce loyalty that some people have to a school (and the equally fierce dislike for rival schools), I have a hard time believing that survey data.
It’s interesting, because the U.S. News rankings are well-known and widely-cited. MSU tells everyone who will listen that we have the highest-rated education program in whatever, and so on. The more people who believe it, the more the reputation persists. [A note to MSU fans -- this is not intended to be a disparaging remark in any way]
I’m guess I’m just not sold on college rankings. It seems like you can get a decent education most places, if you care enough to try. If you’re devoted to half-assing your way through, you can probably do that anywhere.
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