Each year, the famed U.S. News and World Report college rankings come out to herald the “best” colleges and universities in the country. This list is then followed by rankings from additional publications and sources–including Forbes and The Wall Street Journal–claiming to have a more accurate approach to identifying which higher education institutions actually earn the title of best. Those schools that are crowned among the leaders on any of the lists, along with their students and alumni, celebrate the achievement with social media posts sharing the rankings that confirm their special status. Schools that have jumped in rankings often promote it in news releases showing their progress and growth.
Because of their prominence, these rankings are often a place high school students exploring college options look to for guidance on which schools to aim for. Too frequently, however, students and families accept the validity of these rankings without questioning how they are calculated or what the rankings signify. Beyond that, students are rarely encouraged to consider whether metrics used for particular rankings prioritize qualities and characteristics that are important to their specific preferences and ambitions. Students end up making major life decisions based on this third party, seemingly objective evaluation of college quality.
It is critical that students, as they explore and select a college, use these rankings as one input among many others to determine not which college is the “best,” but rather which college is the “best fit for them.” Counselors can help students and families understand what variables are used to determine the rankings and can help them translate those measures into meaningful qualities that they might consider. Use these tips to help students dig into what different college rankings represent and how to approach college exploration and selection with a more personalized approach that will yield a choice that aligns with the constellation of preferences, qualities, and aspirations for each student.
5 Tips for Guiding Students:
The Rankings Can Provide A Great Starting Point
These different ranking lists represent a tremendous amount of data and analysis about the college landscape, generally, and specific schools, in particular. These sites and resources can provide students with information that can guide them in a certain direction or identify a school that is not on their radar. They also offer great overviews and descriptions of different schools and opportunities to compare multiple colleges and universities across different metrics, which can be extremely useful for students and families. It is essential, however, that these rankings are not used in isolation or without thought and contemplation about the underlying variables and how they relate to the particular student’s needs, hopes, and preferences.
Each year, the famed U.S. News and World Report college rankings come out to herald the “best” colleges and universities in the country. This list is then followed by rankings from additional publications and sources–including Forbes and The Wall Street Journal–claiming to have a more accurate approach to identifying which higher education institutions actually earn the title of best. Those schools that are crowned among the leaders on any of the lists, along with their students and alumni, celebrate the achievement with social media posts sharing the rankings that confirm their special status. Schools that have jumped in rankings often promote it in news releases showing their progress and growth.
Because of their prominence, these rankings are often a place high school students exploring college options look to for guidance on which schools to aim for. Too frequently, however, students and families accept the validity of these rankings without questioning how they are calculated or what the rankings signify. Beyond that, students are rarely encouraged to consider whether metrics used for particular rankings prioritize qualities and characteristics that are important to their specific preferences and ambitions. Students end up making major life decisions based on this third party, seemingly objective evaluation of college quality.
It is critical that students, as they explore and select a college, use these rankings as one input among many others to determine not which college is the “best,” but rather which college is the “best fit for them.” Counselors can help students and families understand what variables are used to determine the rankings and can help them translate those measures into meaningful qualities that they might consider. Use these tips to help students dig into what different college rankings represent and how to approach college exploration and selection with a more personalized approach that will yield a choice that aligns with the constellation of preferences, qualities, and aspirations for each student.
5 Tips for Guiding Students:
The Rankings Can Provide A Great Starting Point
These different ranking lists represent a tremendous amount of data and analysis about the college landscape, generally, and specific schools, in particular. These sites and resources can provide students with information that can guide them in a certain direction or identify a school that is not on their radar. They also offer great overviews and descriptions of different schools and opportunities to compare multiple colleges and universities across different metrics, which can be extremely useful for students and families. It is essential, however, that these rankings are not used in isolation or without thought and contemplation about the underlying variables and how they relate to the particular student’s needs, hopes, and preferences.
Each year, the famed U.S. News and World Report college rankings come out to herald the “best” colleges and universities in the country. This list is then followed by rankings from additional publications and sources–including Forbes and The Wall Street Journal–claiming to have a more accurate approach to identifying which higher education institutions actually earn the title of best. Those schools that are crowned among the leaders on any of the lists, along with their students and alumni, celebrate the achievement with social media posts sharing the rankings that confirm their special status. Schools that have jumped in rankings often promote it in news releases showing their progress and growth.
Because of their prominence, these rankings are often a place high school students exploring college options look to for guidance on which schools to aim for. Too frequently, however, students and families accept the validity of these rankings without questioning how they are calculated or what the rankings signify. Beyond that, students are rarely encouraged to consider whether metrics used for particular rankings prioritize qualities and characteristics that are important to their specific preferences and ambitions. Students end up making major life decisions based on this third party, seemingly objective evaluation of college quality.
It is critical that students, as they explore and select a college, use these rankings as one input among many others to determine not which college is the “best,” but rather which college is the “best fit for them.” Counselors can help students and families understand what variables are used to determine the rankings and can help them translate those measures into meaningful qualities that they might consider. Use these tips to help students dig into what different college rankings represent and how to approach college exploration and selection with a more personalized approach that will yield a choice that aligns with the constellation of preferences, qualities, and aspirations for each student.
5 Tips for Guiding Students:
The Rankings Can Provide A Great Starting Point
These different ranking lists represent a tremendous amount of data and analysis about the college landscape, generally, and specific schools, in particular. These sites and resources can provide students with information that can guide them in a certain direction or identify a school that is not on their radar. They also offer great overviews and descriptions of different schools and opportunities to compare multiple colleges and universities across different metrics, which can be extremely useful for students and families. It is essential, however, that these rankings are not used in isolation or without thought and contemplation about the underlying variables and how they relate to the particular student’s needs, hopes, and preferences.
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Each year, the famed U.S. News and World Report college rankings come out to herald the “best” colleges and universities in the country. This list is then followed by rankings from additional publications and sources–including Forbes and The Wall Street Journal–claiming to have a more accurate approach to identifying which higher education institutions actually earn the title of best. Those schools that are crowned among the leaders on any of the lists, along with their students and alumni, celebrate the achievement with social media posts sharing the rankings that confirm their special status. Schools that have jumped in rankings often promote it in news releases showing their progress and growth.
Because of their prominence, these rankings are often a place high school students exploring college options look to for guidance on which schools to aim for. Too frequently, however, students and families accept the validity of these rankings without questioning how they are calculated or what the rankings signify. Beyond that, students are rarely encouraged to consider whether metrics used for particular rankings prioritize qualities and characteristics that are important to their specific preferences and ambitions. Students end up making major life decisions based on this third party, seemingly objective evaluation of college quality.
It is critical that students, as they explore and select a college, use these rankings as one input among many others to determine not which college is the “best,” but rather which college is the “best fit for them.” Counselors can help students and families understand what variables are used to determine the rankings and can help them translate those measures into meaningful qualities that they might consider. Use these tips to help students dig into what different college rankings represent and how to approach college exploration and selection with a more personalized approach that will yield a choice that aligns with the constellation of preferences, qualities, and aspirations for each student.
5 Tips for Guiding Students:
The Rankings Can Provide A Great Starting Point
These different ranking lists represent a tremendous amount of data and analysis about the college landscape, generally, and specific schools, in particular. These sites and resources can provide students with information that can guide them in a certain direction or identify a school that is not on their radar. They also offer great overviews and descriptions of different schools and opportunities to compare multiple colleges and universities across different metrics, which can be extremely useful for students and families. It is essential, however, that these rankings are not used in isolation or without thought and contemplation about the underlying variables and how they relate to the particular student’s needs, hopes, and preferences.
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Each year, the famed U.S. News and World Report college rankings come out to herald the “best” colleges and universities in the country. This list is then followed by rankings from additional publications and sources–including Forbes and The Wall Street Journal–claiming to have a more accurate approach to identifying which higher education institutions actually earn the title of best. Those schools that are crowned among the leaders on any of the lists, along with their students and alumni, celebrate the achievement with social media posts sharing the rankings that confirm their special status. Schools that have jumped in rankings often promote it in news releases showing their progress and growth.
Because of their prominence, these rankings are often a place high school students exploring college options look to for guidance on which schools to aim for. Too frequently, however, students and families accept the validity of these rankings without questioning how they are calculated or what the rankings signify. Beyond that, students are rarely encouraged to consider whether metrics used for particular rankings prioritize qualities and characteristics that are important to their specific preferences and ambitions. Students end up making major life decisions based on this third party, seemingly objective evaluation of college quality.
It is critical that students, as they explore and select a college, use these rankings as one input among many others to determine not which college is the “best,” but rather which college is the “best fit for them.” Counselors can help students and families understand what variables are used to determine the rankings and can help them translate those measures into meaningful qualities that they might consider. Use these tips to help students dig into what different college rankings represent and how to approach college exploration and selection with a more personalized approach that will yield a choice that aligns with the constellation of preferences, qualities, and aspirations for each student.
5 Tips for Guiding Students:
The Rankings Can Provide A Great Starting Point
These different ranking lists represent a tremendous amount of data and analysis about the college landscape, generally, and specific schools, in particular. These sites and resources can provide students with information that can guide them in a certain direction or identify a school that is not on their radar. They also offer great overviews and descriptions of different schools and opportunities to compare multiple colleges and universities across different metrics, which can be extremely useful for students and families. It is essential, however, that these rankings are not used in isolation or without thought and contemplation about the underlying variables and how they relate to the particular student’s needs, hopes, and preferences.
Each year, the famed U.S. News and World Report college rankings come out to herald the “best” colleges and universities in the country. This list is then followed by rankings from additional publications and sources–including Forbes and The Wall Street Journal–claiming to have a more accurate approach to identifying which higher education institutions actually earn the title of best. Those schools that are crowned among the leaders on any of the lists, along with their students and alumni, celebrate the achievement with social media posts sharing the rankings that confirm their special status. Schools that have jumped in rankings often promote it in news releases showing their progress and growth.
Because of their prominence, these rankings are often a place high school students exploring college options look to for guidance on which schools to aim for. Too frequently, however, students and families accept the validity of these rankings without questioning how they are calculated or what the rankings signify. Beyond that, students are rarely encouraged to consider whether metrics used for particular rankings prioritize qualities and characteristics that are important to their specific preferences and ambitions. Students end up making major life decisions based on this third party, seemingly objective evaluation of college quality.
It is critical that students, as they explore and select a college, use these rankings as one input among many others to determine not which college is the “best,” but rather which college is the “best fit for them.” Counselors can help students and families understand what variables are used to determine the rankings and can help them translate those measures into meaningful qualities that they might consider. Use these tips to help students dig into what different college rankings represent and how to approach college exploration and selection with a more personalized approach that will yield a choice that aligns with the constellation of preferences, qualities, and aspirations for each student.
5 Tips for Guiding Students:
The Rankings Can Provide A Great Starting Point
These different ranking lists represent a tremendous amount of data and analysis about the college landscape, generally, and specific schools, in particular. These sites and resources can provide students with information that can guide them in a certain direction or identify a school that is not on their radar. They also offer great overviews and descriptions of different schools and opportunities to compare multiple colleges and universities across different metrics, which can be extremely useful for students and families. It is essential, however, that these rankings are not used in isolation or without thought and contemplation about the underlying variables and how they relate to the particular student’s needs, hopes, and preferences.