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BOGUS?
By Mohit Lalvani
How important are rankings to you? We have summarized an article,
which we found on the net that should help shatter the rankings myth
or at least put them in perspective. Read on and draw your own conclusions.
If you would like to read my personal views on the subject stay posted
to our editorial link on the educationmatch.com homepage.
"According to 'U.S. News and World Report', this year Princeton is
the country's best university and Caltech, which is in Pasadena, is
no.4 --- a reversal from last year, when Caltech was the best and
Princeton was no.4
Bruce Gottlieb of the 'Slate' contends that about -turns such as these
occur because the 'U.S. News' fiddles with the rules. According to
him, Caltech zoomed up in 1999 because 'U.S. News' changed the way
it compares per- student spending. Conversely, Caltech plummeted this
year because the magazine glossed over what it wrote last year. So,
are we talking facts here or logarithmic adjustments?
Gottlieb probably,
wasn't quite correct in saying that the 'U.S. News' alters its formula
merely to create a phony arena in which to stage the annual rankings.
Its motives are more Machiavellian - and alarming. Its machinations
involve editors and statisticians who contribute their own ingredients
to the cooking of the rankings. The 'U.S. News' is run like a feudal
estate, with the Editor and his chosen statisticians as its overlords,
and, therefore, the arbiters of the college rankings.
Nevertheless,
for these rankings to be credible, Caltech needs to have produced
the results that justify its top ranking. Yet the 'U.S. News' itself
can't list many Caltech graduates in the top ranks within the last
year, nor has ' The New Yorker' published an article by one.
The man in the
street, if asked to name the best college in the country, will not
enthuse about Pasadena's pride. He will certainly, however, rhapsodize
about Harvard, Yale and Princeton! The 'U.S. News' can warrant its
rankings for just one reason -because the schools we know are the
finest come out on top. Last year, that logic fell apart. This year
the magazine has straightened it out; and Harvard, Yale and Princeton
are back where they belong -on the summit."
So there you
have it. Rankings may not be as accurate as you think. It makes
sense to look for specifics which match your profile, needs and
requirements. If you need more help, send us an email at counselor@educationmatch.com
or go onto the educationmatch.com interactive counselor and complete
our pre-app for an auto match.
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