“Have you heard this episode? It made my blood boil”. I clicked on this text from a dear friend that contained a recent episode of Malcolm Gladwell’s podcast, Revisionist History, entitled “Lord of the Rankings”. In it, Gladwell describes the history and methodology behind the US News & World Report College rankings system.
If you’ve followed my blogs or my newsletter, you know my feelings about those rankings (not great, which is why I will not provide a link in this newsletter) and whether I think they help families and students find the “best” college or the “right fit”. (They DON’T). Thus, it helps when my feelings are validated by experts in the field who pull the curtain back on the process.
The same day I listened to the podcast, I also attended a college fair put on by the Colleges That Change Lives (CTCL) organization. It is a non-profit founded and inspired by Loren Pope’s book of the same name. CTCL is made up of 44 colleges that are all dedicated to the advancement and support of a student-centered college search process. The fair begins with a presentation by Executive Director Ann Marano and her 35-minute talk is one of the main reasons I attend year after year. These are mostly small, liberal arts colleges that you won’t necessarily see on a USNWR ranking sheet or on the gear most students wear on college signing day at their high school. But that’s all the more reason to know the names of these colleges and learn what they’re about.
They, like thousands of other colleges across the country, may not be ranked in the USNWR Top 20 but that doesn’t mean that the quality of their education, the success of their graduates and the college experience is any less amazing. In fact, it may be MORE so based on these and many other factors. It’s all about knowing what you’re looking for and why that’s important.
I’ve talked before about how there are three different phases to the application process. Students, as you’re exploring colleges and building your initial list, make it a point to dethrone the “Lord of the Rankings”. Go beyond the USNWR list and boldly and broadly go where others aren’t to see what else is out there. That’s how you continue to learn more about what type of environment and experience you’re looking for in a college. That’s how you continue to learn more about YOU! And, that’s how you’ll find the college that will change YOUR life!