On Aug. 20, U.S. News & World Report released its college rankings. This well-known system of standards divides colleges into four tiers, and only those on the top tier are awarded a score and a rank.
The No. 1 ranked school in the United States is the country’s oldest institution of higher learning, Harvard University. Four schools from Texas made it to the top tier: Rice University, the University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M University and Baylor University.
These schools receive their rankings the same way students receive their final grades – a percentage basis.
The largest part of the scoring, which accounts for 25 percent, is based on peer assessment. This is an attempt to account for the abstract qualities of the university.
Presidents, provosts and deans of admission are consulted and provide their assessments in the form of a rating scale, which runs from one (marginal) to five (distinguished).
The second score, which holds a weight of 20 percent, is based on retention. This pertains to the number of freshmen who return for their sophomore years and eventually graduate.
Faculty resources account for 20 percent, and student selectivity is 15 percent of the score. Ten percent of the score is based on financial resources, while graduation performance and the amount of money alumni donate account for 5 percent each.
UH sits in the bottom, or fourth, tier. However, it has taken small steps toward advancing into the first tier. The university is putting a large emphasis on college ranking.
High-ranking colleges are a lot like having a nice car with no gas. Although it looks nice, it cannot take the driver anywhere.
A flagship ranking offers students a competitive edge in obtaining a job after graduation, but does not help students keep their first job.
Alumni of high-ranking universities are offered no relief if they are failures in their line of work. They will not maintain employment just because they went to the best school in the nation. Incompetence transcends any numbers or rankings attached to a school.
A student’s academic performance, regardless of the institution, does carry importance.
The true way to show campus pride is to succeed in the programs offered by that school, not brag about its academic ranking.
Personal academic achievement sets students apart, making them truly competitive. The college ranking system brands all students who attend the same university as identical.
College rankings are simply a public relations tool, one that is not as attractive as a winning football team.
This is true whether the rankings are an accurate display of the college hierarchy in the U.S. or tell prospective students how good their football teams are.
Because of this, universities should be less concerned with their standing and more concerned with the standings of their former students. The success of former students is the only true way to determine how colleges compare to one another.
Travis Hensley is a philosophy and media production senior and may be reached at [email protected]
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