How important are the US News Rankings when selecting a college. If a college is ranked lower than another college, does that necessarily mean that it will be easier to get a job after graduation and harder to do well while at the college? In my case, my favorite college is Manhattan college, which is ranked 18 in the US news rankings, but I have the option to go to go to fairfield or Loyola Maryland, which are both ranked higher at 3 in the north regional rankings.However, I strongly believe that I like manhattan college the most and could be extremely successful if I chose to go there. In addition, it is also a little cheaper. So I keep the rankings in consideration, or should I just go to manhattan college?
No, you should not be using rankings when making your decision. It’s such a superficial aspect and they change yearly.
How well you do in college will not be determined by some editors’ attempts to sell more magazines. It will be determined by what you DO when you get there. Go where you want to go and disregard these rankings. Manhattan is a good school and if you have a strong feeling for it then go there.
Fit is more important than ranking – especially if schools are in a similar range. If the schools are in wildly different tiers (to be extreme say Harvard v a community college) then you need to consider rankings. That is not the case with the schools you are considering – if you do well at any of them you should be fine. IMO if you are happy, chances are that you will do better and ultimately be more successful.
If you have any doubts whatsoever then go to accepted students day or revisit your top choices – IMO it is a good idea to see schools a second time as your perspective may change as an accepted student and/or you may have had a particularly great tour guide a one school and a particularly poor tour guide at another school which could skew your initial impression. However, if you feel certain that Manhattan is the best fit, send in your deposit, buy your hoodie and go there.
Ok. I think I’m heading to Manhattan college. Especially after this and I talked it over with my parents and my brother. I love the college, so I might as well. Thanks guys!