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Close but no cigar for Columbia in college rankings
For the third year in a row, US News and World Report ranks Columbia as the fourth best university in America. Alas, poor Alma—seemingly always the bridesmaid and never the bride. Although considering there are still two other universities between us and first place, we don’t even get to be the maid of honor (that title goes to Princeton… or Yale, depending on just how seriously you take the wedding metaphor). Does this make us the Kristen Wiig to one of those other place’s Rose Byrne?
The first time good ol’ Light Blue fought its way to fourth place everyone was ecstatic, but after two years of this I have to say this trick is kind of old-hat. In fact, the only difference in this year’s top five (four?) schools is that we’ve tied with the University of Chicago, and even that’s been done before. What gives, USNWR? More »
Everything you’re good for
Columbia is chock-full of bright and talented people—people who, in a few years, have goals to (and in all likelihood will) change the world. That’s obvious. It’s a fact, and a pretty well-known one at that. However, if all of the brilliant people walking around this campus aren’t enough, we’re all only a subway ride away from the models of SoHo and some of the most powerful people in the world.
As difficult as it may be to go from being a big fish in a small pond to just one of the 7,000 cancer-curing, novel-publishing undergrads at an Ivy League university, you can’t get too down on yourself. You’re here because you’re supposed to be, and while some may awkwardly step on your toes by awkwardly trying to be you, here are a few things you do better than anyone else. More »
U.S. News & World Report’s best colleges: Columbia’s #4
Last year, Columbia surprised everyone by climbing to #4 in U.S. News & World Report’s list of the best colleges in America. This year…well, it’s really more of the same. USNWR ranks us at #4 for the second year in a row.
Also reminiscent of last year and every year before it: Harvard, Princeton, and Yale top the list. Whatever. It’s fine.
Fuzzy math from when Columbia was ranked #11
My fellow bloggers and columnists Neil FitzPatrick and James Dawson have each considered the question of college rankings in their columns this week.
And so did former Spectator opinion writer Marc Tracy on Sept. 8, 2003. “Fuzzy Math,” a diatribe against U.S. News and World Report rankings, was published in a year when “Columbia University slipped from spot 10 to spot 11.” It’s worth reading. More »
Oh look, two more dumb college rankings
While we’re making lists of colleges, we should point out that two new school rankings came out today, this time from Newsweek and the Wall Street Journal. Where did Columbia place? Where!? Oh God, where?!?! Shall I build the suspense more? Results after the jump! More »