Summary: <br> College rankings have been in the news again. Columbia University fell from #2 to #18 after lying about student data. Rankings are flawed and rarely reflect families’ college priorities, but they captivate audiences and continue to drive admission decisions at colleges and universities. <br> <br> <br> <br> What’s more important is the effect rankings have on students. Megan and Gretchen discuss how rankings hurt students. They consider a variety of factors:<br> <br> <br> <br> * Rankings mislead families by presenting as fact a calculation of “quality”. This creates impression that there is a “best” (and worst).* Rankings lead colleges to act in ways that protect their rank at the expense of students.* Rankings have encouraged some colleges to act in unethical ways. * Ranking often influence students’ and parents’ college lists. The result is often poorly though out choices that are on the list “because they are good schools.”* Rankings promote “lottery” thinking. * Rankings perpetuate elitism at the cost of education.* Rankings fail to adequately account for the key factors and actual value of the education each school provides. <br>
