Should We Consider College Rankings
By Ivy Brewer - Faculty
We in Darlington's College Guidance Office believe that college rankings hold no value whatsoever, and, in fact, are detrimental to the college process. "Best College" rankings are typically based almost exclusively on an institution's resources and reputation and, unfortunately, say very little about the student experience.
Data collected through the National Survey for Student Engagement (NSSE) focuses on something far more important to student learning - how students actually use institutional resources for learning and how they feel about the quality of their educational experience. This is a much different and, we think, a more accurate way to gauge what to expect from a college than through rankings.
In fact, the NSSE project has determined that a school's academic reputation, as judged by others, says very little about the extent that active learning, student-faculty interaction and a supportive environment characterize a campus. For more information, visit the NSSE Web site.
