How to use college rankings for your search

The U.S. News college rankings were updated last week, and as usual there’s a lot of talk about them. Schools brag about their rankings, especially when they move up in rankings. Students pore through the lists as part of their research for choosing where to apply, and parents fret that their students may not get in or that the schools will not be affordable. (Also, parents pore through the lists as part of their research for choosing where their student will apply, and students fret that they may not get in or that the schools may not be affordable.) And many counselors and commentators chide everyone that the rankings are not important. People like me remind us that it’s your rankings that really count, not some magazine’s.

Myself, I’m agnostic, neither pro- nor anti-rankings. I know a lot of people find them valuable, and a lot of people think they’re severely overvalued. I see rankings as another tool to help navigate a complex problem. They’re not the only tool or even the most important one. You can do just fine without ever consulting rankings, but they can help if you know how to use them. So let’s review.

What Rankings Are Good For

They can help you discover new schools. It’s easy to come across a college you’ve never heard of and think “it can’t be much good if I’ve never heard of it.” But when you come across a new-to-you college on a list that’s not necessarily objective but at least researched and informed, then you can feel more confident in not passing it up. Using this approach is especially good for looking at smaller liberal arts colleges and schools outside of your region. If you aren’t form the area or don’t have a lot of knowledge about colleges, then you may never heard of Harvey Mudd College or Macalester College. But once you see them on the rankings lists you can’t ignore them based on the idea that nobody’s ever heard of them.

They can confirm your choices your choices. Just as rankings can help you discover new colleges, they can also help confirm choices you’ve already made. If you’ve already got a school or two in mind, rankings can help reassure you that those schools are respected and recognized. And if others—like your family or school counselor—are skeptical about your choices, having rankings to back you up might be helpful. But remember: while it feels good to get confirmation of your choices from the rankings, there’s not as much value in choosing schools just because they’re ranked highly. Compare it to something with lower stakes, like a favorite movie. If you think a movie is really good, then knowing it’s on several lists of “the best movies” helps confirm your taste. But you wouldn’t decide on your favorite movie just by checking the lists. It’s got to be something you actually like. And there’s nothing wrong with liking a movie that isn’t on the best-of lists, just like there are many great reasons to choose a college that isn’t high on a rankings list.

They designate prestige. Many of us don’t want to admit we’re interested in prestige, or can quite articulate why we’re interested in it. There’s this idea that prestige only has to do with vanity and ego. And most of the students I work with, even the ones who apply to prestigious colleges, aren’t really very concerned with prestige itself. The main reasons why students tell me they’re looking to go to a prestigious or elite college? One is the idea that it will help them in their job search and career. They want to go to a famous school because they assume that other people will be more interested in them if they go to a famous school. Another reason is some iteration of “I’ve worked really hard to be a top student, and I want to go to a top school. It’s ok to ask to be rewarded for what I’ve done.” I never try to dissuade anyone from applying to high-prestige, low-acceptance colleges as long as they’re part of a balanced list. I think wanting to go to a prestigious college is fine; you’ll get no judgement from me, as long as you’re honest with yourself about how important it is to you and why. It’s hard to know if you’re looking at prestige because you’re confident or because you’re insecure. But I want you to try. And then, when you understand why you’re looking for what you’re looking for, college rankings are a great place to understand your options for prestigious colleges. It’s literally what those rankings are made for.

What Rankings Aren’t Good At

They can’t tell you what you want. Even if what you’re looking for prestige and a good reputation, that can’t be the only thing you’re looking for. Before you can start using minor search tools like rankings, you have to do the major work of understanding what you’re looking for, what you have to offer, what your preferences are, and what your budget is. College rankings should be one of the last things you look at, not one of the first.

They can’t predict your future. Going to a top-ranked school doesn’t guarantee success. Going to a lower-ranked school doesn’t guarantee mediocrity. I say it all the time: when you think of the unhappy adults you know, none of them are unhappy because they didn’t get in to a low-acceptance college.

They can’t capture complexity. You have a lot of preference in a college: major, geography, size, campus culture, political climate, price, and more. Rankings can’t tell you much about all those things at once.

They don’t ask questions. A ranked list doesn’t ask you what you are interested in, it just reflects what the list-makers are interested in. It doesn’t ask you follow-up questions or probe your understanding of its criteria. A ranked list doesn’t know you, doesn’t care about you, and won’t ever try to get to know you better. This puts it at a huge disadvantage to counselors, teachers, friends, and family.

How to Use Rankings Effectively

Use more than one. Don’t rely only on U.S. News. Check out other sources like Forbes, The Princeton Review, and Niche. Each uses different criteria, so comparing them gives you a fuller picture. When you look over multiple lists for the same category, you can look for what colleges all the lists have in common.

Be specific. General “best colleges” lists may not mean much. There are too many colleges, too many differences between them, and too many factors that are important to you. Instead, look at the more specific rankings: for majors, regions, and campus culture. Also, pay attention to how U.S. News separates universities from liberal arts colleges. That distinction may or may not matter to you, but you should know it exists. They do a pretty good job of explaining the differences between them.

Don’t obsess over order. The difference between #42 and #47 is basically nothing. Even the difference between #22 and #87 is probably nothing. A smart mindset is to assume that the top 100 schools are all tied for first place. And numbers 101-150 are tied for second. That frees you up to look beyond the number and focus on fit.

Start with what you know. If there’s a college you’re already interested in, look up what categories it ranks highly in. Then see what other schools rank well in the same categories. This can help you expand your list logically instead of randomly.

Rankings can be a useful part of your college search, but only if you keep them in perspective. Think of them as a starting point rather than the final answer. They can point you to schools worth checking out, but they can’t make the choice for you.

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   What to think of college rankings

   “The light is much better here”

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"The light is much better here"

There’s an old joke that goes back at least to the 1920s. One night a police officer sees a drunk man on his hands and knees in the light of a street lamp. “What are you doing?” the officer asks. “I lost my keys, and I’m looking for them,” replies the drunk man. The cop asks “Is this where you lost them?” “No,” the man replies, “but the light is much better here.” It’s a silly joke, but “looking for your keys under the street light” is also shorthand for doing something that’s simple instead of effective. It’s also a good metaphor for the biases we carry around with us.

It’s also, I want to say, a good metaphor for college rankings. The updated US News rankings came out yesterday, and they are—as they are every year, for better and worse—on the minds and in the comments of lots of people today.

Do most students really believe that the rankings will tell them which college is right for them?

Do most parents really believe the only path for professional success for their children is through a top-ranked school?

Do most universities really want to spend advertising dollars touting their ranking, even though they understand how incomplete and dubious that rank is?

No, but the light is just so much better there.

Instead of just laughing at the drunk man (remember: in my analogy you are the drunk man), let’s consider his situation for a moment. We might actually find some empathy and understanding.

One, he has a real problem. He has lost something valuable. He’s not just looking for any old thing, but his keys. It’s hard to get inside his home without them. If you are a student looking for a college that is a good academic, social, and financial fit for you, you are also looking for something valuable. Even if you think it’s silly for the man to be looking under the street lamp for his keys, it’s not necessarily reasonable to tell him to just go home without them. Maybe there’s someone else who can let him in that one time, but just giving up on your keys is not a viable solution if it can be avoided. Same for a good-fit college. You’re looking for something valuable, and that’s why you’re checking the rankings. You may not know yet where else to look, but giving up is not a good idea.

Two, he has external difficulties. It’s late and dark. He hasn’t got access to sunlight to make the search easier. In many ways, looking for the right college is also looking in the dark. There are thousands of two- and four-year colleges and universities in the United States. Most people only apply once, if at all, so you don’t get to learn from your earlier attempts. Even if you have parents or older family members who did go to college, the experience is much different now than it was a few decades ago. It’s overwhelming, and anyone willing to provide a shortcut, like rankings, is going to seem like a friend, no matter how useless in the long run that shortcut may be.

Three, he has internal difficulties. In the joke, the man is drunk. He hasn’t got all his internal resources to help him make a good and effective search. You’ve also got internal difficulties. In any year, having the time, resources, and mental energy to do a thorough college search—especially if you’re doing it without help—is a lot to ask. Few people have all they need for the best college search and application. The past two years have been a lot worse. If you’re overwhelmed and have too many other stresses to deal with, then hanging around where things look a bit easier isn’t surprising. It actually makes sense.

I feel for the drunk man, and I’m not going to judge him for looking under the street lamp. In fact, consider the inverse. Imagine a man loses his keys and spends days searching for them. He finally finds them…under the street lamp. He didn’t look there first because it seemed too easy. I also feel for college-seeking high school students, and I’m not going to judge them for checking the rankings. I look at them too, all the time. Don’t avoid them just because they seem too simplistic. But I will try my best to stick to the analogy I’m working with and give some further advice.

Start with the street light, but don’t stop there. I think rankings—whether US News, Niche, Forbes, or others—is a fine place to start looking for colleges. They seem to be a simple and easy place to get started on a daunting task. So have a look at those rankings. But don’t let yourself believe that they are objective, true, or best for you. They’re only an easing-in point. Then you move on to better research.

The keys aren’t under the street light, but other clues may be. If you go to a ranking site, don’t just look at the list and the rankings. Click on individual schools, and you’ll see a lot more information. The easy-to-find information is the great part of the rankings, not the order. If you’re going to start clicking on schools, don’t start with the top 10. Skip down to #100 and begin there. It’s not like you’ll never hear about Princeton again if you don’t click on that link right now.

If you know that the street light isn’t actually helpful but you’re just looking there for ease and comfort, admit that to yourself so you’ll know when to move on. Somewhere in his head, drunk as he may be, the man knows his keys aren’t there under the light. But it’s late, and he’s drunk, and it’s just reassuring to stay under the lamp post. Colleges know that the rankings have nothing to do with their true value—as do parents and students. But it’s overwhelming for students and it’s difficult for universities to distinguish themselves, and rankings are an easy and reassuring place to spend some time. If that’s what you’re doing, that’s fine. It makes total sense. But admit that to yourself and understand that you can’t keep thinking of the top-ranked schools as the “best” schools for you. One of those schools may end up being the best school for you. But if it does, I assure you, it has nothing to do with US News’s numbers and methods.

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post, here are three easy things you can do:

1. Share it on your social media feeds so your friends and colleagues can see it too.

2. Read these related posts:

   What to think of college rankings

   About the Transactional Approach to admissions

3. Ask a question—or share other resources—in the comments section.

Apply with Sanity doesn’t have ads or annoying pop-ups. It doesn’t share user data, sell user data, or even track personal data. It doesn’t do anything to “monetize” you. You’re nothing but a reader to me, and that means everything to me.

Photo by Zoe Herring.

Apply with Sanity is a registered trademark of Apply with Sanity, LLC. All rights reserved.