2008 Woodie Awards
Why the rankings matter
Julia Reed
Issue date: 9/5/06 Section: Opinions
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For the second year in a row, Smith has managed to maintain a toehold in the top 20 of U.S. News and World Report magazine's top liberal arts college rankings by clocking in at 19. The number has created quite a bit of grumbling amongst the Smith community, and while it is tempting to just tell people to get over themselves, it is important that we consider why rankings matter.
Granted, the ranking system of U.S. News and World Report is hardly empirical. While certain factors that influence rankings are known by the public (alumni donations, peer review, retention rates, etc), the exact methodology used by U.S. News and World Report remains a mystery. Their system has been called into question by a host of institutions, including the National Opinion Research Center and the New York Times, for their subjective statistics. It is also true that some people take these things too seriously. Being 19 on a list of over one hundred schools hardly constitutes a death blow to the college, and the opinion of a magazine should not overly influence one's own opinion of their school. However, I personally find it hard to throw the rankings out altogether. In many ways, they do not matter, but in other ways, they do. Seeing how we measure up against other schools, at least from the U.S. News and World Report perspective, gives us a chance to do a little collective collegiate soul searching.
All year long, issues simmer under the skin of the student body. Dining changes, indifferent administration, red tape and rumors; they lie in wait until the right event causes them to boil over into full view. The college edition of U.S. News and World Report is such an event. It gives all of us students a chance to finally air our grievances, and maybe get some answers. For an example of what I mean, I encourage all of our readers to take a peek at the Smith Daily Jolt forum. That notorious den of drama was full of opinions regarding Smith's place in the pecking order, and if you sift through the usual posturing and rudeness, you can learn something about bona fide student discontent.
Granted, the ranking system of U.S. News and World Report is hardly empirical. While certain factors that influence rankings are known by the public (alumni donations, peer review, retention rates, etc), the exact methodology used by U.S. News and World Report remains a mystery. Their system has been called into question by a host of institutions, including the National Opinion Research Center and the New York Times, for their subjective statistics. It is also true that some people take these things too seriously. Being 19 on a list of over one hundred schools hardly constitutes a death blow to the college, and the opinion of a magazine should not overly influence one's own opinion of their school. However, I personally find it hard to throw the rankings out altogether. In many ways, they do not matter, but in other ways, they do. Seeing how we measure up against other schools, at least from the U.S. News and World Report perspective, gives us a chance to do a little collective collegiate soul searching.
All year long, issues simmer under the skin of the student body. Dining changes, indifferent administration, red tape and rumors; they lie in wait until the right event causes them to boil over into full view. The college edition of U.S. News and World Report is such an event. It gives all of us students a chance to finally air our grievances, and maybe get some answers. For an example of what I mean, I encourage all of our readers to take a peek at the Smith Daily Jolt forum. That notorious den of drama was full of opinions regarding Smith's place in the pecking order, and if you sift through the usual posturing and rudeness, you can learn something about bona fide student discontent.
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