"U.S. News's College Rankings Face Competition and Criticism"

Read the full article by Valerie Strauss, in The Washington Post, August 17, 2007.

Excerpt:

U.S. News will release the 2008 rankings online today and in the magazine Monday. But this year's list comes amid a growing backlash. Critics, some of whom produce their own college guides, have questioned the magazine's methodology. At least 63 college leaders have signed a letter agreeing not to fill out the reputation survey, which now accounts for 25 percent of the rankings. More are expected to join in the boycott.

Over nearly 25 years, U.S. News has seen its rankings gain unprecedented influence among schools; some have changed policy and awarded bonuses to presidents and administrators who spearhead a leap in rankings, according to educators. But as the magazine's influence has grown, so has the competition.

Princeton Review has a guide. So does Fiske. And Kaplan, which is owned by The Washington Post Co., does, too.

Comment: Colleges are big places and the average undergraduate experience (if there is such a thing) may be quite different than the best or the worst at the same college. Of course, college ratings are at best estimates, and ideally those using them should be aware of the methods for making the rating and their limitations if the decision is a serious one -- as in the case of a student who would be accepted by many universities and is considering expensive options. Rankings should be used even more cautiously. I think the information involved in the distinction between the nth ranked university and the n+1th ranked is essentially zero. Having said that, it seems to me that there is information in the ratings, and something to be gained by knowing if a university is in the top ten or not in the top 100. Of course, misuse of the information may lead to worse decisions than would be made by a simple random process. (And you know how many 17 year olds are best described as simple and random processes.) JAD