Takeaways from 2022 U.S. News Rankings Drama
Every year around this time the US News and World Report releases its college rankings. If you’ve been following our recent posts, you’ll know that we’ve been covering the news of Columbia University.
Ranking Scandal
Columbia University previously held the #2 spot, but this year there were inaccuracies found in the data. Since Columbia failed to review the data by US News’s deadline, the magazine said they would not include Columbia in its rankings.
US News Ranks Columbia
When the US News rankings came out, Columbia had fallen to #18, despite US News’ original decision to include the university on the list this year. When asked how they came to this ranking, US News reported that they had used independent third-party data without elaborating.
Ranking Standards Contested
Many have called into question the legitimacy of this ranking given the fact that nothing substantial has changed at Columbia. There have been no major shifts in faculty or administration at the school, nor have they adjusted their curriculum. So how did they fall so far so fast? And what does this fall say about the system being used to rank the schools in the first place?
The New York Times recently published an article titled, “Despite Years of Criticism, the US News College Rankings Live On,” in which they noted, “Interviews with students, parents and education professionals suggest that the rankings are firmly established as a go-to part of the college selection process across the country. It is true for students vying for the Top 10, families looking for the best buy among regional schools and international students who want global name recognition.”
What does this mean for you student?
When applying for college, people tend to focus on the rankings to decide which schools they will consider. But why is so much emphasis put on the rankings? According to Dr. Majorie Haas, former president of Rhodes College in Memphis, “These are often parents who are perhaps more status conscious and they really see those rankings as, in some ways, a status signifier.”
In a culture that is so obsessed with status we sometimes overlook the quality of the education. Choosing a school can be stressful, and status can sometimes overshadow the quality of education and opportunities that will be available for your student at a given university. While recent events may have shed light on how the nation should update how it rates its schools, the university involved has continued to provide a quality education for its student body.
