Chicago Tribune

Commentary: College rankings don’t matter. Whether a school is a good fit does

Exterior of the Columbia University library in New York City.

The news that Columbia University filed fraudulent data to rise in the U.S. News & World Report college rankings has again raised the question of what these rankings mean. Does anyone imagine that as Columbia “plunged” from No. 2 to No. 18 (as its ranking was reassessed by U.S. News on its own estimated data) that the Columbia students sitting in their classrooms in Upper Manhattan felt the quality of their education slipping away?

Columbia is exactly the same university at No. 18 as it was at No. 2.

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from Chicago Tribune

Chicago Tribune3 min read
Cubs' Christopher Morel Appears To Avoid Injury In Collision During 17-0 Blowout Loss To Red Sox
BOSTON — Chicago Cubs third baseman Christopher Morel’s all-out effort to snag a popup down the left-field line at Fenway Park nearly ended in disaster. Morel’s pursuit of a shallow fly ball off the bat of Red Sox center fielder Jarren Duran in the b
Chicago Tribune3 min read
Review: ‘Uncle Vanya’ On Broadway Leaves A Talented Cast Stranded
NEW YORK — Filled with sad-sack characters living lives of soul-sucking boredom, Anton Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya” ain’t ever a walk in the park to produce or, for that matter, to watch. Still, the new Lincoln Center production from the typically reliabl
Chicago Tribune10 min read
After 25 Years Of Selling Tamales In Chicago, An Undocumented Immigrant Mother Returns To Mexico Without Her Family
Claudia Perez’s children could count on one hand the number of times they had seen their father cry. The day their mother left was one of them. Perez had worked her whole life for a dream that did not come true: Save enough money to take her family b

Related Books & Audiobooks