How We Should Really Rank Colleges

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Here's how I say colleges should be ranked:</p>

<p>So you're a recent graduate and recipient of your undergraduate degree. You walk into the profession of your choice and give your interview/credentials. Your interviewers are impressed by you attending the institution that you have your degree from.</p>

<p>Other considerations: Do people know why your college is so good and is it recognizable? What initial impressions to people get from you going there? How hard is it to get into your college and what kinds of applicants are applying there? </p>

<p>Meaning that most people in the real world aren't CC junkies, so they don't know that U-Chicago is really good or that UPENN is not Penn State. </p>

<p>In the end, all that really matters about your college is that you went there, other people aspire to be there, people recognize the name, and you can open up doors in any manner just because of a name. Yes, factors like experience at the college are nice, but let's be realistic folks...</p>

2

<p>
[quote]

Meaning that most people in the real world aren't CC junkies, so they don't know that U-Chicago is really good or that UPENN is not Penn State.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Most people in the "real world" know UChicago and UPenn as the elite colleges that they are. I, for one, got my first >$15/hr job offer in high school right after I mentioned where I was going to college.</p>

3

<p>Just used 3 of my friends as an experiment who are in my room right now:</p>

<p>My question: "Guys, how good do you think the University of Pennsylvania is?"</p>

<p>Answer 1 : "I mean, it's OK, it's a state school, it's got to be pretty solid."</p>

<p>Answer 2 : "Who cares?"</p>

<p>Answer 3 : "They have a good football team."</p>

<p>I rest my case. All three of them laughed at me when I told them their selectivity rate was under 20% and that it was an Ivy League school.</p>

4

<p>Judging by that conversation, I'm guessing your friends do not/will not have the power to make hiring decisions.</p>

5

<p>Dude, your friends are not professional employers. Don't you go to the Naval Academy? It's weird that your roommates wouldn't know what UPenn is.</p>

6

<p>Get better friends.</p>

7

<p>To be quite honest, I think the rankings would stay pretty similar. Notre Dame, BC, and the like would shoot up, but for the most part, the established idea is probably similar to what would happen under this system.</p>

8

<p>I'm not sure how you're even going to go about gathering such data.</p>

<p>And be open to surprises if you do, because relying on your relatively narrow list of contacts is NOT going to give you a good idea of where colleges stand with regards to your criteria.</p>

9

<p>A previous poster has hit the point that I've been trying to spot on. Notre Dame and Boston College would skyrocket under this system. College junkies know that Williams or Tufts might be better than Notre Dame, but in no way do they trump name recognition and prestige.</p>

10

<p>Dude, your information gathering methods are flawed. Give up the cause.</p>

11

<p>GoNavyXC...
By your reckoning, Ohio State would easily trump BC and Notre Dame.</p>

12

<p>
[quote]
Judging by that conversation, I'm guessing your friends do not/will not have the power to make hiring decisions.

[/quote]
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<p>hahaha, good one ;)</p>

<p>Those who need to know Penn, Chicago, etc., know.</p>

13

<p>I think gonavy is right about penn .. I know people who go there who are constantly confused with penn state students</p>

14

<p>I'd like to see a tally for various schools of the spread between entering SAT/ACT scores and departing GRE/MCAT/LSAT scores; the bigger the spread, the better the school?</p>

15

<p>I kind of agree with GoNavy...if you say you're a grad from the Naval Academy or West Point most people would be very impressed...I would be.</p>

<p><em>Then again, views might be different to some anti-military peacenik</em></p>

16

<p><em>And views might be different to some Air Force Academy grad</em> ;)</p>

17

<p>That really depends on the direction of the spread, vossron.</p>

18

<p>Yeah, UCBChemGrad is with me once again on this issue.</p>

<p>But it really shouldn't matter where you went all that much. What should matter is that you got the experience you were looking for by going to a particular school and you can justify how you developed yourself and how you are ready to take on the job you're looking for.</p>

<p>And from people I've talked to, places like Ohio State, BC, Wisconsin outdue places like Williams, Swarthmore, UPENN, and Columbia due to recognition...it raises the question: what's in a name?</p>

<p>^^^^My school's stock is on the rise because the future president of the US is an alum :)</p>

19

<p>You go to Columbia? Surprising.</p>

20

<p>OK, let's not get into a presidential debate here, but I don't think that John McCain went to Columbia...</p>