College rankings: the concept that has launched a thousand college trips, that’s had so many words spilled in its defense, in opposition, or in ambivalence. The machine churns on today, with Money magazine on Monday releasing a national ranking of colleges, using for its metrics all things dollars and cents. For details on the list, read the Chronicle reporter Eric Hoover’s post, which examines the ranking’s pursuit of objectivity.
But what about the industry’s undeniable appeal? Why do I (a college graduate) feel the need to stay abreast of the A-list, and why do we write about them? It’s a question that has been posed before, but worth revisiting in an era dominated by lists.
Perhaps the most common refrain amid the commentary is that all rankings are flawed. In the case of Money’s list, Eric points out that, among other things, alumni’s self-reporting of their earnings skews the results. Robert Kelchen, an assistant professor of higher education at Seton Hall University, notes various other flaws in the earnings data.
Also it’s generally unclear to what extent, or in what ways, students use rankings to inform their college choices (they certainly play some role). Here’s another wrinkle in the whole enterprise, from William Goggin, executive director of the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance:
As with every ranking, the points of criticism are numerous and well publicized. So why feed the beast? In skewering the metrics of the latest of 1,000 lists, do the critics not lend the almighty lists the importance they also seek to undermine? Perhaps college rankings share some ancestry with the much-maligned but ubiquitous listicle. We may love to hate “31 Things You Learn During Your Third Trimester,” but will buy into the illusion for “The Definitive Ranking of Disney Character Hairstyles” if we like the result.
Kevin Carey, writing in The New York Times, says the appeal lies not in what is considered but who is featured:
“The mark of a good new college rankings system—or, at least, an interesting one—is a deft combination of familiarity and surprise. Publish a list of nothing but unknown colleges and you lose credibility. Simply replicate the U.S. News [& World Report] hierarchy and you haven’t done anything worthy of attention. By this measure, the Money rankings are successful.”
So never mind the data. All hail Babson College, king for a day.
