College degrees and rankings

College degrees and rankings


Parents often ask about the benefit of college rankings in picking a college. Two articles released this week suggest rankings and guarantees of student success are hurting families as they look for colleges, rather than helping them.



Research presented at a conference of the Association for the Study of Higher Education suggests that colleges trying to reach the #1 spot in college rankings pay a high price for trying to do so—they end up looking like every other college in the country, and that makes them weaker. (The Chronicle of Higher Education, http://chronicle.com/daily/2008/11/7010n.htm?utm_source=at&utm_medium=en )



Faithful readers of this column (Hi Mom!) know I’ve always advised against the use of rankings, simply because the data used in these rankings doesn’t help college-bound families answer the question “Is this the school for my child?” The answer to this question depends on a host of factors centering on the student’s academic interests, their academic preparation, their socio-emotional needs, and their economic interests.



Since no ranking can possibly take these factors into consideration without knowing each applicant as an individual, the ranking of colleges as “the best” for every single student cannot help any student make an informed decision. Based on the conclusions of the article, rankings can actually make it more difficult for students to see the individual assets of each college, making it harder to answer the question “Is this place for me?”, and increasing the chances a student will make an under-informed college choice.



The second article from the Chronicle talks about colleges that guarantee success for all students. To quote the article, “the average student experience doesn't differ that markedly among institutions, says this year's National Survey of Student Engagement. Rather, the survey found, more than 90 percent of the variation in educational quality occurs among individual students on the same campus.”

In other words, the leading factor in a student making the most out of a college experience is how much the student gives to the college experience.



Does this mean it really doesn’t matter where you go to college? Not quite. A big part of a student giving the most to a college experience depends on the match between the student’s interests and needs, and the college’s ability to meet those interests and needs—if a student is more comfortable speaking up in small classes, a college with lectures of 300 isn’t going to psyche that student up for giving their all.



What the study does suggest is you need to focus on fit—a college that’s right for you—rather than believe claims that a college will guarantee success for all students. It’s certainly true that some colleges have reputations for being places where ambitious students make friendships that can take them places after college—but does that do you a lot of good if the school has an atmosphere that takes the ambition out of you?



Choosing a college means looking around and asking a lot of questions-- reading material, visiting campuses, sitting in on classes, and thinking about your future. If it sounds like there’s a little more to it than reading a ranking and applying to someone else’s idea of the “best” school, you’re right, but you can do complicated things if you’re focused—driving a car isn’t exactly a breeze, but you can do that. With the right motivation and a little consistent work, you’ll find more than enough colleges that will inspire you, challenge you, and take you to new places. Do that, and your college hunt will be the first step of many on your road to success.

College degrees and rankings