University Rankings

I missed commenting about this when it happened because I was on vacation, but I think it's worth noting: I found it very amusing when I got an e-mail from my alma mater, the University of Chicago, urging us alumni not to make a big deal about the fact that the U of C was ranked 9th in this year's US News and World Report annual ranking of US universities, tied with Dartmouth and Columbia. The irony, of course, is that had my University not sent out this sort of global e-mail, I wouldn't have thought about it at all, and this tells you a little bit about the passive-aggressive relationship universities and colleges have with this listing (here's the rankings for the colleges, by the way).

I think ranking colleges and universities is silly, personally. I am of the heretical opinion that what matters is not how a college or university is ranked, but how well its offerings fit a particular student; which is to say that the reason I went to the University of Chicago was not that it was a highly-ranked college, but because when I was reading about it and hearing people talk about it, it seemed like the sort of place I could be really happy at (and you know what? I was). The fact is that you can get a good undergrad education at nearly all of the US' colleges and universities, so long as you're willing to do the work. Once you know that, it's a matter of finding the place that fits.

If you're a parent with a high school kid (or are that high school kid), I would really urge you not to give college rankings too much creedence. Make 'em a data point, but not a major one. Instead, find someplace you'll be happy spending four years of your life at -- and will be happy to get random, self-congratulating e-mails from for the rest of your life. That's my advice, anyway.

P.S. to the kids -- wanna drive your parent nuts? Here's a list of the top ten colleges and universities... for playing video games. Bwa ha ha ha ha hah! Oddly, the University of Chicago is not on this list. Pity, that.

Written by johnmscalzi Blog about this entry

This entry has 4 comments: (Add your own)

#4 Comment from lurkynat
8/30/06 4:09 PM | Permalink

Dear John,
ummmm..(thinks, ponders) well Ive overheard some one say that employers are not hiring people just because they went to an Ivy League school; which must mean that the scope of interest is way bigger now; the University of Chicago has always been tops with me.
I totally agree with you about picking a college that :a. has a similar feeling as your child in terms of how they think about the students and what they offer the students,b. do they feature classes that your student is interested in and if so, how huge are these classes?
c. does the student identify with the campus as being interested in his or her skills and as in providing a quiet environment or study and explaration of interests,
d. being student oriented goes a long way for me. Some colleges and universities may say they are in the brochures but whoa! when you get there, you realise that they don't have time for your student literally.
e. Thanks John! hugs Monponsett!
natalie
#3 Comment from princesssaurora
8/30/06 1:30 PM | Permalink

I agree with you... the rankings are dumb... it is about the individual and how the education is suited to them and what they do with it!!

be well,
Dawn
#2 Comment from mavarin
8/30/06 1:00 PM | Permalink

As it happens, I used the U.S. News and World Report college search engine on Saturday night to pick potential colleges for a character in my current science fiction serial. I was looking for a good physics department for her, and that was the best research tool that presented itself. - Karen

http://mavarin.blogspot.com
#1 Comment from nzforme
8/30/06 12:35 PM | Permalink

The difference that college/university rankings make is in resume value. I've been invited back for interviews based ONLY on the highly-ranked school I attended, and I've also worked for people who will NOT interview someone unless they came from a school with a good reputation.

Now, I'm not saying it matters whether your school is 9th or 20th on the list, but it does matter if your school is 1st or 2nd tier.

Which is a shame -- because you CAN get a great education at a 2nd tier school. But realize that it will be harder to get in the front door of a prospective employer. (Or a grad school that is itself highly ranked.)

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University Rankings