30 Ways To Rate A College: Chronicle Of Higher Education Chart

The end of August means the end of college rankings season -- and what a season it was. U.S. News and World Report's list barely changed, Forbes tried to shake things up and Washington Monthly zigged while everyone else zagged, looking at the schools' social consciences instead of their median SAT scores.

So how to separate the college rankings wheat from the college rankings chaff? The Chronicle of Higher Education created this handy graphic to demystify how each outlet ranked colleges. Decide for yourself which is the most accurate (and tell us what you think in the comments section). Check out the Chronicle's site to see the graphic's interactivity.

Comments

[DavidWyld]

10:57 AM on 08/31/2010

OK, we may not like it, but the world in 2010 is one driven by metrics, performance measures, bar charts, etc. - all done to make good PowerPoint slides!

This article - and I would encourage you to go read the Chronicle of Higher Ed's original piece on the matter as well - shows how little agreement there is out there nationwide on how to evaluate quality and performance when it comes to the world of higher education. Still, this is the world we live in (and which students and their parents have to make informed choices as to where to spend (read invest) tens of thousands of dollars for their future). In order to succeed (and even exist) in the long-term, we've got to do a better job of yes determining which measures are important - both in terms of inputs AND outcomes - and work to get better at raising these standards. An informed marketplace demands nothing less.

David http://wyld-business.blogspot.com/

[Dokemion]

05:38 AM on 08/31/2010

According to the College Board, the average cost for students who attend a 4 year public college is around $17,000 per year; that average cost jumps up to around $34,000 a year for students of private universities. If you are a member of a family whose financial resources are limited, these costs may prohibit your college choices. However, making use of financial aid may allow you to attend a more expensive university, so do not automatically cross a school off of your list simply due to costs. Choosing a school that is close to home will also help you save on costs—your family will surely welcome your visits back home for laundry catch-up and grocery restocks! The best advice is to narrow your possible choices down based on a holistic view: keep academics, social atmosphere, and costs all in mind as you think about where you will attend college.

http://www.school-scholarships.org/

[Arrive2 net]

03:13 PM on 08/30/2010

This chart could be useful for identifying which of the rating services you want to seek. What's matters to you ... total cost or SAT scores of entering freshmen, etc. Campus visits seem like a excellent idea to me, but I also had to look at objective criteria, such as do I have the resources to sustain a four-year college career there, and what happens to the people who graduate...can they pay for the expense. If I knew then what I know now, I might have done things differently, but it worked out OK. Rating services also give the student and idea of what he or she could consider, what is relevant. Looking at the list of possible factors, the student finds out what relevant facts are available for consideration. I don't really aggree with the individual, descrete ranking system though. It seems to me that the top ten schools in the nation are close to equal, as probably are #100-#150. The colleges could be ranked great, good, average, etc., with more emphasis placed on what may or may not make them a good match for the individual, and less emphasis on assigning numbers. The most important factor is the match between the college and the student.

Bernard Schuster
Arrive2.net

[joefoss]

01:56 PM on 08/30/2010

All of these "objective" criteria can be valuable in winnowing down a student's college list; but,
the last, best and only reliable way to choose where to apply and, finally, where to attend is for the candidate to spend time on the campus--yes, the famous "college visit."
=Amidst all the highly-touted rankings and myriad of statistics, like the above, and often professionally-created school images, on-line and in print, young people maintain a remarkable ability to get an accurate "feel" for a college atmosphere.
=So, see the schools you care about the most. Take the tour but, also, go off on your own--mom & dad can have a bite in the cafeteria. Wander around and just observe. For example, how do the students interact, or do they?
=And, whatever "gut reaction" you get after a few hours on a campus, positive or negative, that
should determine your decision. Don't worry that, sometimes, you can't put how you feel into words [this, of course, will make your parents crazy]. All that matters, in the end, is how YOU like the place!

[palindrom]

09:09 AM on 08/31/2010

Absolutely! The important thing is to get a feeling for the peer group you're about to join, and that means (1) ditch Mom and Dad and (2) interact with current students outside of the earshot of the admissions office or any other representatives of officialdom. If a place is any good, the admissions people etc. should be delighted to have you go off and wander on your own, because they know the students will tell you they like it there.

Also : as a professor, I've had many conversations with prospective students in my office. The parents often sit in. They shouldn't -- the best parents just drop the kid off and go look around.

[lilpeg]

09:39 AM on 08/31/2010

There's a great sense of both parental and student intuition that can operate on a college visit. Going around for a good few hours, taking a class, people watching, doing the info. sessions and tours can all give each a sense of the vibe. What is surprising is how easy it is to decide that a school did not make the student's application list. My older daughter and I thought it had something to do with the tree/acre ratio. The rankings are a good way to maintain perspective and to be able to discover schools that were not on the initial lists.

[MJVs Common Sense]

01:55 PM on 08/30/2010

*sigh* It's too bad there isn't more emphasis put on the student's actual experience.

Considering the majority of the college experience that people remember is the extra curricular, social, residential, etc. you'd think rankings would include these elements.

Adding those things might also eliminate some of the questionable practices that schools engage in to try and up their rankings (USC's Engineering School lies about faculty membership, Harvard/Yales massive financial incentives, etc.), and maybe schools would pay more attention to their students.

These rankings are most certainly play a role in many of the problems we have in Higher Education.