A Numbers Game

Danielle Cicka - Associate Editor
September 30, 2009
Filed under Features

Stacks of books listing numerous colleges and their requirements line the shelves at Borders, but students can only attend one college. To determine the school of their choice, students take a lot of information into account, including a college’s ranking. But how students use these rankings in choosing their prospective school and how colleges determine these rankings is not usually considered.
Opinions vary on whether or not a college’s rank is an important part of the selection process.
“I think the college’s ranking plays a significant role in determining what college to attend,” said Rebecca Lambert, junior.
Many sources put out ranking lists, and though they are quite similar, there are some differences to be taken into account. For example, the Princeton Review judges colleges by academics, demographics, town life, type of school, politics, quality of education and how much their students achieve.
More widely used, U.S. News and World Report rank colleges with a test, assigning points to a college based on the set requirements the Report has established. If they do not fulfill these exact standards, they do not receive as high of a ranking.
Some argue that the ranking system is helpful because it compiles tons of information into one long list.
“It helps because you want to know that the college is well known and well ranked,” said Carolyn Bonacquisti, senior.
But, others complain that it forces a student to choose whether to attend a higher ranked college than a lower ranked college that may be better for them.
“I would rather go to a lower ranked college. than a higher ranked one if it is better for my field of study. My field of study is more important,” said Bonacquisti.
Daniel Everett, junior, agrees with this point.
“A college’s rank is important, but I’m not going to let it strictly determine where I go,” said Everett.
Also, it is said that the ranking system is unfair and argue that it is impossible to put a number on a college. Some say that it hinders the student choice in picking a school that fits their ideals and dreams the best.
A survey taken by the U.S. News and World Report in 2008 showed that a college’s rank is the sixth most important way a student looks at a college. The top two were through the Internet and friends.
At the same time, though, a higher ranked college looks better on a job resume.
“A rank is important, but a job interviewer is not going to think less of you if you did not go to a certain college,” said Everett.