Beyond the Rankings: How to Accurately Assess the Quality of a College
In the spring of my senior year of high school, I faced what was the biggest decision of my young life. I’d been offered admission at several colleges and had narrowed down my choice to three: Middlebury College, Kenyon College, and Haverford College. I was making my choice the year before US News and World Report, in an effort to boost its sagging subscription numbers, created its first college rankings list and turned college admission into a trophy to be won.
I don’t remember feeling particularly anxious about choosing. I was not burdened by how highly ranked each was, nor did I feel especially swayed by relative prestige. All were strong academically, and I think that was all that seemed to matter to the adults in my life. I was free to make my own decision.
Ranking’s Ugly Cousin
Anyone who has paid attention to the changes that have occurred in the years since that first list was published will agree that, for a lot of high school students and their families, the ranking of a college matters. Really matters. We hear it in our practice all the time. “She’s worked too hard not to get into a top 10.” “That college is not in the top 20. It must not get strong students.” “He’s tippy-top. Ivy League material.”
But rankings has an ugly cousin, and that’s the admit rate. The fewer students a college admits, the more desirable it becomes. I’ve had a student tell me, “My parents won’t let me apply to any college with an admit rate over 30%. They let anybody in.” Actually, no, they deny 70% of their applicants.
While I know that our competitive nature leads us to want our children to land at a school about which we can feel good telling our friends, I’ll give most families the benefit of the doubt. Why?
The truth is, families do not know how to assess the quality of a college, and lacking the road map to do so, they are left relying on rankings and admit rates.
And colleges know this. It’s no secret that college admissions marketing is a big business.
An Incomplete Story
The problem is, neither the rank nor the admit rate of a college tells you anything about the quality of the education, the student experience, or the outcomes of its graduates. Both rely on inputs. Both can be gamed.
In fact, when USNWR published its 2022 rankings list last month, it retained standardized testing results as a component of its mysterious methodology. This was despite the fact that the Common Application issued a report at about the same time, which stated that only 43% of the high school class of 2021 submitted testing. That was down from 77% percent the year before. Previously, USNWR penalized colleges, like Bates College, for not meeting a threshold of applicants submitting testing. Bates has been test-optional since the early 1980’s and has reams of data which proves that test scores have little correlation to college academic performance. (Learn More)
Malcolm Gladwell, in a recent episode of his podcast, Revisionist History, does a pretty thorough job showing why rankings aren’t worth the cost of the magazine.
All of this is to say: USNWR should not be the arbiter of what constitutes a “good college”. So, what should be?
Here are the 5 spheres we recommend looking into in order to properly assess the quality of a college or university (and nail down your application list):
How To Assess a College Option
1. Fit
The first and most important answer to this question is fit. What is a good college for one student may be a terrible college for another. I’ll use the example of the governor of Massachusetts, Charlie Baker. Governor Baker attended Harvard University, where he played basketball. He has said it was the single biggest mistake of his life. He never felt at home there and longed for the school he didn’t choose, Hamilton College. He’d been blinded by prestige without thinking about what he wanted: small classes taught by dedicated professors and a close-knit campus community where he’d be known.
Beyond fit, I think there are important measures of the quality of a college.
2. Retention (Engagement)
I look at the first to second year retention rate, which I believe is a good indication of student happiness. The first year away from home can be challenging (and more so in the past couple of Covid years). Students who choose to remain where they matriculate have likely found a level of engagement that makes them feel connected.
Engagement can happen in academics, even in a single class with a professor who inspires a student and makes them feel valued as an academic. Or engagement can be in a sport, a club or in the arts. Engagement can be as simple as making life-long friends with a roommate or an orientation trip group member, or someone from a class. Adam Weinberg, the president of Denison University, says it well in a 2019 speech:
“They need to be at a college where they will be surrounded by peers from whom they will learn and peers who will bring out the best in them.”
3. Faculty Statistics
I also look at the composition of the faculty. How many full-time professors are there? How many with the highest terminal degree in their field? How well is an anticipated major staffed? What are the class sizes? Are professors accessible to students? Do undergraduates have professor led research opportunities? Having a mentor is one of the six key college experiences linked to successful lifelong outcomes.
I’d advise reading or listening to the writings or presentations of the college president. He or she will broadcast the strategic direction of the college and also reflect the culture of the campus. I’d also find the student newspaper. It is a very good way to learn about what students care about and can be a lot more revealing than the information session in the admissions office.
4. Outcomes
Outcomes. Outcomes. Outcomes. Look deeply at the career planning office. When do they engage with students? Can students apply for stipends which enable them to take on internships, fellowships or research opportunities with out worrying about expenses? How engaged is the alumni population? Post graduate statistics should be easy to find, and surprisingly are not, even at some very highly ranked colleges.
5. Financial Health
Finally, as the college universe continues to bifurcate into colleges in strong financial health and colleges with shrinking resources, I now pay attention to finances. Endowment is one measure, but even colleges with smaller endowments (but not too small) can be financially healthy.
Those with the interest can locate and read annual financial reports. If reading balance sheets and income statements is not your idea of fun, look for bond ratings. The Hechinger Report has a financial fitness tracker, which looks at a series of metrics. You can access it here.
The Most Important Factor in Your College Decision
At the end of the day, college is about growth. College should set the stage for an engaged and happy adult life by inspiring a student to dig in. That happens best when a student feels a sense of belonging and connection. No ranking can capture that.
By the way, I chose Kenyon, because it felt like home.
