We're number #327! What College Rankings are Good For

Just in case you've been hiding in a cave--or hiking the Inca Trail to pad your resume--the annual US News & World Report college rankings are out. And with them, the annual are-rankings-good-or-bad controversy.

First, the rankings themselves:

• Harvard, Princeton and Yale, the perrenial top three, are yet again on top
• Cal Tech, MIT, Stanford and Penn show up tied for fourth
• Columbia, U. Chicago and Duke round out the top 10. 

(By the way, I once heard the rumor that the year that Harvard dropped out of first place, the ranking's managing editor--a Harvard grad--fired half the staff. Probably an urban legend, but Harvard hasn't been out of the top place since...)

And, just as predictable as the list of schools in the top 10, is the coverage of the media (no less than 1,600 stories as of today, according to Google): Do Rankings Matter? Did Our Local School/Alma Mater Move Up (or Down)? Who Are the Fascinating People Who Compile the Rankings?

A better question: Who cares?

First, the rankings themselves have been around long enough that everyone's (hopefully) on to the fact that the difference between a score of 87 (#12 Washington University) and a score of 85 (#15 Cornell) is really irrelevant. 

Second, any ranking methodology--and the US News one is about as refined as any--is always going to be open to criticism. For instance, US News gives 25% of its score to a survey of academics who rank other schools' academics. 

Is the dean of School X really the best person to assess the education of School Y? Maybe, although academics are as susceptible to marketing and reputation--and peer envy--as anyone. And should this category get 20, 25 or a 30% ranking? Change anything slightly and you reshuffle the whole mess.

Point: Any "objective" ranking is, well, not. They're always subjective, just with numbers.

So are they worthless?

Not really. The rankings are a great starting point. Read through the top 100. Familiar with Carnegie Mellon? It's a great school, and if the fact that it's in the rankings brings it to your attention for further investigation, then the rankings have done a great service.

US News actually--for all their overly precise scoring flimflam--does a great job of highlighting schools that doing something cool. In addition to sub-rankings by geography, you can now sort by majors, up-and-coming programs, teaching, etc. They also do a great job of compiling all the information (class size, acceptance rates, % on financial aid, etc) in one location. 

So, take it with a grain of salt. Don't apply (or don't don't-apply) to a school just because it's #22 this year on the US News rankings. Use the rankings for what they are--a starting point.

By the way, if you're not a US News fan, you'll be happy to know there are also rankings of schools by social good, green-ness, and of course, return on investment (don't get me started on that one...). 

And naturally, rankings of what really matters.

If you're already sick of all the rankings.... you might enjoy this last one. ---CJ