rankings - Great College Advice

Denver Consultant on Washington Monthly Rankings

Jared Hobson — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 14:00:44 +0000

In a September 28, 2012 op-ed, New York Times columnist Joe Nocera decried the U.S. News and World Report college rankings for being inherently flawed — much as I did in my recent blog post, How Reliable Are College Rankings? Nocera blamed U.S. News for creating a status-climbing frenzy among colleges and the students who want to attend them. He argued that this system encourages colleges to try to improve their ranking by cheating the system, and indeed, there are several examples of such trickery.
Nocera suggested an alternative set of rankings: those published by The Washington Monthly. The magazine’s editors argue that U.S News “rewards colleges for spending more money, raising prices, and shutting out all but the most privileged students. While the college cost crisis has many causes . . . the relentless chase for status is undeniably driving prices up.” (The Washington Monthly)
Rather than focusing on how selective colleges are and the resources they provide for their students (as is the case with U.S. News), The Washington Monthly‘s system examines what colleges do for the country as a whole. Since 2005, these rankings have been based on three factors: social mobility, as determined by the number of low-income students a college enrolls and the percentage of them who graduate; research conducted by the college; and student invovlement in community service both during and after college. This year, the magazine’s editors added another factor, which they call “cost-adjusted graduation rate”. This measure is designed to give a higher ranking to colleges with above average graduation rates and below average costs.
To read more about The Washington Monthly‘s methodology and to see its rankings, click here. And remember, any rankings you consider in your college search should be just one of many sources of information.

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College Rankings: The Pros and Pitfalls

Jared Hobson — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 14:00:52 +0000

In a September 5, 2012 editorial, USA Today admonished colleges that have misrepresented themselves to improve their rankings. (See “Colleges Fail Students When They Game the Rankings”.) Although several colleges have been guilty of this over the years, the most recent one was Emory University, which in August admitted it had altered the data it reported to the U.S. Department of Education and U.S. News and World Report. For more than ten years, the university had inflated its students’ average ACT and SAT scores, as well as their high school class ranks. Unfortunately, with the amount of attention paid to rankings, particularly those published by U.S. News, this probably won’t be the last time we hear of a college changing its numbers.

Stories like this beg the question, “Just how reliable are the rankings, and how much should I use them in my college search?” When looking at rankings, it’s important to know what data went into them and to understand the methodology that was used to generate them. For example, U.S. News collects data on colleges’ selectivity, financial resources, faculty resources (including class size and the percent of faculty with the highest degree in their fields), freshmen retention rates, and graduation rates. All of these are factors that arguably indicate the quality of a college’s academics.

Yet, U.S. News’s rankings also are based on what the magazine calls peer assessments — ratings of colleges by presidents, provosts, and deans of admission at “peer institutions”. In other words, the president of one college is asked to judge the academic excellence of similar colleges. Additionally, the magazine asks high school counselors to rate colleges. These two factors are combined for a measure that U.S. News calls undergraduate academic reputation, which accounts for 22.5 to 25 percent of a college’s overall ranking.
It seems to me that there is an inherent problem when college administrators are asked to assess other colleges. Wouldn’t it be in an administrator’s best interest to rate a peer institution less favorably in order to boost the rankings of his or her own college?

While rankings can be a valuable source of information, they should always be taken with a grain of salt and should be one of many sources of information students use in deciding where to apply and eventually, where to enroll. When examining rankings, ask yourself, “Are the factors that went into these rankings a good indication of what my experience will be like at this college?” While U.S. News and World Report collects data that’s helpful in determining what one’s academic experience might be like at a particular college, keep in mind that there is much more to college than academics. Above all, remember that just because a college is ranked number one on a certain list, that doesn’t mean it’s the number one college for you.

Great College Advice

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Kiplinger’s Best Values in Public Colleges

Jared Hobson — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 16:01:32 +0000

We often warn clients to not take rankings too seriously. We encourage them to use the information to research schools, but don’t make a decision about a college solely based on where that college stands on a list.
Public higher education has had a rough road lately. It seems the all the media attention regarding public higher education is geared towards budget cuts and rising tuition. Kiplinger recently released their annual list of “Best Values in Public Colleges.” This list provides some insights into the positive aspects of public higher education. It highlights the fact that not only are there opportunities to obtain a cost effective college degree, but you do not have to sacrifice academic quality to do so.
The article, “How We Rank Top Public College Values” outlines both the financial and academic aspects that were reviewed in creating the rankings. On the financial side, Kiplinger looked at the total cost for in-state students, as well as the average cost after financial aid is factored in. They also looked at the percentage of students borrowing and the average debt amount upon graduation. For the academic side, they looked at factors such as admission statistics, and retention rates, and percentage of students graduating in 4 and 6 years.
In determining “value,” Kiplinger places higher importance on the academic factors over cost. Isn’t this what higher education is all about? Understandably, cost has become a determining factor in how families approach the college application process. While it is difficult to assess the academic value prior to enrolling at a school, it is something that families can still research. Kiplinger’s list shows that there are public schools that can still maintain high academic quality at a public school price.

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Is The College You Are Applying To A Good Investment?

Jared Hobson — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 16:39:58 +0000

No matter what way you look at it, college is an investment. It is an investment that pertains to many aspects of your life including: time, money, and happiness.
As you consider the college you are applying to, you may want to consider the investment you are making. The Daily Beast recently put together a list of colleges that looks at the “return on investment” you get from particular colleges based on satisfaction of alumni, donations to the school, and Payscale.com’s rankings which rank salary potential amongst other items.
Here are the top 15 “college investments” as they ranked them:
1. Princeton University
2. Amherst College

3. Dartmouth College
4. Williams College

5. College of Holy Cross

6. University of Notre Dame

7. Georgia Institute of Technology

8. Middlebury College
9. Harvey Mudd College

10. California Institute of Technology

11. Carleton College

12. Colgate University

13. Davidson College

14. University of Virginia

15. Union College
While this is a fun list to look at, as with every set of rankings, take these with a grain of salt. Remember, every student is different and therefore colleges that may be a good investment for some students may not be for others depending on your interests. A place that ensures your happiness and success may be not be the same for one of your friends.

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U.S. News and World Report 2012 Rankings

Jared Hobson — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 14:26:52 +0000

The 28th edition of the U.S. News and World Report rankings are out for 2012.These rankings include everything from “A+ schools for B students” to “Up and Coming schools.”
Check out where some of the schools on your college list rank but remember that there is a lot more to choosing a college than just basing the decision on rankings.
https://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges. For our own rankings that combine US News with the rankings from Forbes and the Academic Rankings of World Universities, check out our link under “Resources” above, or simply click here.

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Princeton Review Rankings Are Out

Jared Hobson — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 15:01:08 +0000

The Princeton Review recently published their annual college rankings. While we often caution clients against relying on rankings in order to determine their college list, we know that students and parents are still going to look at them! You can find list on most aspects of college life, from food to race/class interaction. In fact, you can also take a look at our own rankings here that take into account the US News, Forbes, and Academic Rankings of World Universities systems of comparison.
While the rankings do provide interesting information, students should consider using the lists to create questions for when they have the opportunity to visit the college campus. This will allow the student to obtain insights on the campus (such as food quality or more importantly, academics) directly from a source (such as a tour guide).
To review the full press release with ranking highlights, visit The Princeton Review website.
Katherine Price
Educational Consultant

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Princeton Review’s Best Value Colleges

Jared Hobson — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 16:01:37 +0000

Last week, The Princeton Review published their “Best Value Colleges” list. To determine which schools would make the cut, they used academic, cost of attendance and financial aid factors. However, as with any ranking, it is important to take the information presented and use it to enhance your college search. Although tempting, do not base too much of your opinion about a school on a ranking that it has received.
For a quick recap of the list, watch the segment produced by The Today Show.

Here is a breakdown of the top 5 public and private colleges:
Top 5 Best Value Public Colleges
1. University of Virginia
2. New College of Florida
3. University of Florida
4. SUNY at Binghamton
5. University of Georgia

Top 5 Best Value Private College
1. Swarthmore College
2. Duke University
3. Princeton University
4. California Institute of Technology
5. Harvard College

Katherine Price
Educational Consultant

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University of Georgia Hits #1 Party School

Jared Hobson — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 15:01:56 +0000

The Princeton Review released their annual list of party schools last Monday and the University of Georgia hit number one for the first time. According to an article in USA Today, university officials are not happy. They wanted to point out that they also made the top 50 of two other Princeton Review lists, “Best Values” and “Green Honor Roll”.
The article continues by pointing out that “Colleges dismiss the rankings as unscientific and complain that they glorify dangerous behavior.” It does seem that this particular ranking receives more press than the “Best Food on Campus” or “Happiest Students” rankings .
I caution students to consider this ranking as they would any other, with a healthy dose of skepticism. Just because a school made it to this particular ranking list, does not mean you are going to surrounded by rowdy, out-of-control parties if you attend. It is important to remember to focus on what is important in your college search process. Does the school offer your major? Are they providing the type of learning environment and curriculum that works best for you? Do you feel the school is a good “fit”?
The college search process is all about exploring your options. You should not be relying on college ranking lists to determine where you should apply. Conducting campus visits, attending college fairs and exploring websites are a much better way to determine if a school is a good “fit” for you.

Educational Consultant

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Best Value Colleges

Jared Hobson — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 22:49:17 +0000

Every year the Princeton Review’s releases its Best Value Colleges

From the Princeton Review:

Check out our list of the 209 best value colleges—based on academics, costs, financial aid, debt, graduation rates, and alumni career and salary data. Find college rankings in categories like Best Career Placement, Best Alumni Network, and more.

Tips for Building Your College List

Reflect on your priorities of what you’re looking for in a college: location, size, majors, cost, campus culture — know what you care about before you build your list.

Use admissions data wisely: Look up admit rates, published profiles of admitted students, financial aid trends and compare these to your own profile.

Visit or virtual-visit: For many schools, you’ll get a better feel from a campus tour or online session.

Balance wisely: Aim for 2–3 reach, 3–5 target, 2–4 likely. Adjust if you have special constraints (e.g., budget, out-of-state vs. in-state).

Customize each application: Write specific, genuine essays for each school. Highlight programs or aspects that resonate with you.

Keep finances in mind: Don’t just apply to schools with high sticker prices and limited aid. Some “less selective” schools offer great merit scholarships.

Apply early if possible: Early Decision (ED) or Early Action (EA) can give you a better chance at selective schools — and reduce pressure later.

If you’re wondering whether your current list is too big, too small, or just right — schedule a free consultation with our admissions team. Let’s make sure you’re applying strategically, not just broadly.

Since 2007, the expert team of college admissions consultants at Great College Advice has provided comprehensive guidance to thousands of students from across the United States and over 45 countries across the world. Great College Advice has offices in Colorado, New Jersey, Chicago, North Carolina and Massachusetts.

In addition to our one-on-one counseling, Great College Advice extends its support through one of the most active and resource-rich Facebook Groups for college-bound students and their families: College Admissions Experts. With over 125,000 members—students, parents, and experienced counselors—this vibrant forum offers peer support and expert advice like no other.

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More ‘Best Value’ College Rankings

Jared Hobson — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 15:45:37 +0000

Kiplinger recently published a list of their Top 100 Best Values in Private Colleges and Universities. While I always caution clients to take the value of rankings lightly, it is always interesting information. Also, last year we published blog posts on both the Princeton Review’s and Kiplinger’s “best value” rankings and it appears that the same criticisms would apply to this year’s list.

See the most recent Princeton Review ‘Best Values’ list.

About Great College Advice: Since 2007, the expert team at Great College Advice has provided comprehensive admissions guidance to thousands of students across the United States and more than 45 countries. Our six counselors bring over 100 combined years of college admissions experience. Great College Advice also runs College Admissions Experts, one of the most active Facebook groups for college-bound families, with over 100,000 members.

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