Some colleges are talking about boycotting the USNews college ranking survey, because it is "a collegiate beauty contest that is not a valid basis for judging the quality of education."
Also, I gotta quote this, because I can't make up material like this:
"rankings have reduced students to consumers, education to product, and gaining admission into college a high-priced game that has to be played"
Is it just me, or is this maybe a push for a form of social promotion, at an institutional level? It's the USNews report that turns students into a market demographic (not the way the colleges themselves are run) but it's somehow distasteful to have to hear what your peers think of your academic reputation? Seems to me, if a student cannot flunk out, it's probably best to attend a school that's at least perceived as worthwhile...
Thursday, June 21, 2007
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Yeah, I definitely think the universities are calling the kettle black here.
What I found astounding about the US News ranking back when I was at a school that constantly advertised their ranking was that much of what US News does really just amounts to wandering around campus asking students 'So, what do you think of this place?' Of course, much of the internal review at universities amounts to asking students 'So what do you think of this place?' as well.
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