How are parents and college bound kids of today supposed to know what colleges are the best based off of the US news college rankings? The system is completely flawed and has been since its inception. The system has caused this nation to operate and present its colleges and universities as "glamour-shops", or institutions solely relying on their ranking. Everything that a school does or intends to do is realistically for the rankings, and in my opinion future students. What colleges and universities often times do is forget the students that are already at these schools. What about them? And have they truly benefited from the institution they chose to attend?
I mean this is no surprise, I knew that when schools were raising tuition, cutting funding, and supplying loans to students that any more trickery was not too far around the corner. I graduated from an institution in the top 50 listed in US news, but to me it means nothing. In my reality, I felt as if we stayed the same pretty much every year. But as the years went on, I noticed the tactics used to appeal to perspective students, and the ranking was one of them. My alma mater recently stopped using the SAT as a means for admission. Consequently, upon what does US news now have to rank America's best colleges and universities? Are they going to make up numbers, something that I have heard while in my research of the subject? This just shows how out of order the system really is and it will continue to inject bias into American academia.
For my college bound folks out there, let me advise you to just check out the schools for yourself. Do not rely on bogus information which serves no purpose for you. Go to a school because you want to and because it has the programs, and institutions that you hold close to heart. This is the next four years of your life, don't waste it.

Learn more about this author, Charles Sumpter.
Click here to send author comments or questions.

---

Add your voice

Know something about The significance of school ranking for colleges and universities?
We want to hear your view. Write now!