The perfect college rankings list is the one you make yourself.
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Many years ago in high school, I noticed something. Most of the schools at the top of college rankings lists were really different from the ones that my classmates and I talked about. It wasn't an issue of selectivity; many of us had stellar G.P.A.s and test scores. Over time I realized that the reason our interests weren't being served was simple: The designers of those lists had completely different values from the ones that my classmates and I had. |
Besides exceptional academics, what we wanted was something that was affordable and close to home, had a large athletic program and would set us up for a job that paid well after graduation. These are details that most rankings just don't (or can't) take into account. For example, the country's most famous list, by U.S. News and World Report, includes none of those factors in its methodology. |
Another problem is that instead of being a helpful (or, at worst, trivial) guide, popular college rankings are interpreted far too seriously. As the contributing Opinion writer Frank Bruni writes in a guest essay today, students think that rankings "must mean something, so they let it mean almost everything. They come to believe that the luster of the institution they attend, as defined by its ranking and its exclusivity, will not only define their place in the world but also determine their professional success and contentment. And they minimize other, better criteria for choosing a college." |
So I thought, "What if people could design their own rankings to reflect their own values?" |
It would be a more useful tool, and students would get some insight into what goes into the rankings. I've worked with data for most of my career, and I can tell you that these numbers that students put so much faith in are very sensitive. In other words, a small shift in values could lead to a big change in the rankings. |
Maybe once we all realize that the difference between first and 10th isn't that great, we can stop hyperventilating about college admissions. |
Creating this tool wasn't an easy process. First, we sifted through reams of data from the Department of Education. But the government doesn't keep records on softer measures like student life and athletic programs, so we enlisted Niche, a college ranking company that collects millions of reviews on school campuses, to share information on those measures. |
After running through a dozen iterations and consulting experts in higher education, we came up with a tool that offers an insightful ranking system tailored to each user and that person's values. We hope you find the tool informative, whether you're a rising high school senior trying to select a college or a graduate who may harbor regrets about your choice. |
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