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?
Well, let’s take a look at US News’ ranking methodology—but only for a moment because math gives me a headache: at 22.5 percent, the factor with the most weight in this ranking is something called “undergraduate academic reputation” which I can only assume means how cool everyone else thinks you are.
This is truly baffling, if only for the fact that we are obviously the coolest university on this list. Let’s face it: we’re in New York City, which bears the official nicknames “The Capital of the World” and “The Center of the Universe.” And if that’s not convincing (pft! as if!), we can count Serena van der Woodsen and Blair Waldorf among our student body. If Columbia’s good enough for those two, it’s good enough for everyone.
But enough of my whining, what say you about Columbia’s not-so-new spot on the USNWR ranking? Are you pulling out your hair or jumping for joy? Or would you rather talk about that three-way-tie for 17th place? Leave your thoughts in the comments below. And be nice. Save the drama for Michelle Obama.
“[T]here are still two other universities between us and first place”. Huh??? Wouldn’t that be THREE other universities? Displacing just two of them would still leave us in second place, right? Maybe an inability to count is what’s holding us back. :-)
But the problem is not on Darron’s end, lol. Between 1 and 4, there is 2 and then there is 3. So there are two schools BETWEEN us and first place.
then there would only be 1 school between us and 1st place since there are two schools tied for first.
The metaphor is that Columbia is always the bridesmaid and never the bride. In this metaphor it is the groom (Harvard in this case) in first place (which is terribly sexist really but I’ll let it pass for now), and the author is hoping for Columbia to be the bride (e.g. 2nd to Harvard’s 1st, or groom), but two schools (Princeton and Yale) are in the way.
That said, to answer the closing question… Certain schools that might possibly have rejected me that I may have hypothetically wanted to attend are a good number of places below us on the list, so I’m feelin’ pretty good.
Don’t be silly. Everyone knows Princeton’s not *really* in first.
There’s so little difference among the top 10 to get excited about where any rank.
BTB: Caltech makes better Mars rovers than all of them combined!!!
Princeton is not a “major research university,” like Harvard, Yale, and, Columbia. They should be ranked with the small liberal arts colleges.
Wait. Is that Michelle Obama dancing with iCarly?
Seeing is believing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7TSVZZ5WIs
Being ranked fourth is not bad. Realistically speaking, third is the ceiling for Columbia, as it also appears to be for Yale, which has been ranked third for decades.
Look, US News is not dumb. They’ve taken what was originally a fanciful exercise for fun or pointless debate and turned it into their biggest moneymaker. Their annual ranking happens to be, for better or worse, one of the most influential factors in American higher education. That is a sad state of affairs, but it’s true and any educator who tells you otherwise is lying, while he or she secretly hopes that his or her school moves up next year.
And this entire franchise — profitable, influential and which has outlived the magazine itself — depends upon ranking Harvard and Princeton at the top. US News knows that. Any list without Princeton and Harvard as #1 and #2, in either order or tied, loses all credibility. And there goes their franchise.
There were a couple early editions in which Stanford and Cal Tech were ranked number one. But once the annual rankings evolved from offbeat way to sell more magazines into economic and educational behemoth, it’s been all HP, all the time — for over twenty years.
Imagine if next year Columbia were ranked first. Well, we’d be thrilled for sure but, if it happened again and again, that might not be so great. Over time, a list without either Harvard or Princeton on top is not relevant. American college students, alumni and administrators only obsess over US News because Princeton and Harvard are, year in and year out, where they must be for the whole exercise to matter.