Each fall when U.S. News & World Report releases its rankings of colleges, its effects are felt at colleges, high schools and homes across the country. For some, rankings are of great value and others question how one can accurately rank over 2,000 colleges and universities. Rather than involve us in this ‘great debate’ I’ll share some random thoughts.
Rankings can cause you great anxiety when you use them as the factor rather than a factor. That bit of wisdom comes from the people who produce the rankings.
If you look real close you’ll find some schools that aren’t household names ranked quite highly.
No college – despite what their literature or the rankings might say – has cornered the market on providing a great education. Rather, schools take different approaches to education: Jesuit schools (Holy Cross, Gonzaga, Loyola-Marymount) emphasize service and volunteerism; women’s colleges (Wellesley, Smith, Bryn Mawr) hold the education of women central. The great part about all of this that you get to choose which style or philosophy suits you.
