"College rankings have been a heated topic for decades as universities around the country battle for the top spots on "best" lists compiled by outlets like U.S. News & World Report, Forbes, the Wall Street Journal and Niche. The annual lists attract more than just prospective students anxiously searching for insights into where to attend college; college administrators, alumni and current students are also eager to see where certain schools land each year."
""Mostly these rankings feed into what I think is a darker, not-so-healthy side of college admissions that all of us doing the work on the ground are really trying to constantly push back [on]," Breanne Boyle, a college adviser at her own company, BB College Prep, told SFGATE. "They come out and they make this big splash, and they have a lot of money behind them to be able to flash this all over everywhere.""
"For example, consider how over the last several years, two of California's most prominent public universities, UCLA and UC Berkeley, have rivaled each other to claim the No. 1 ranking, alternating places at the top of many different lists. Just in the last four months, UC Berkeley was named the top public university in the Forbes and Wall Street Journal rankings and two different U.S. News & World Report lists."
College rankings compiled by outlets such as U.S. News & World Report, Forbes, the Wall Street Journal and Niche influence perceptions of institutional quality and admissions choices. Annual lists attract prospective students, college administrators, alumni and current students, and fuel social media debates about relative standing. Differing methodologies and prioritized criteria lead to inconsistent placements across lists. Some experts recommend evaluating multiple rankings holistically, while others consider the lists unreliable. Critics warn that rankings can foster unhealthy competition and be driven by commercial interests. Recent shifts between UCLA and UC Berkeley illustrate how rankings can alternate among top positions.
Read at SFGATE
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