The College Rankings Revolt

cellardweller
Tue, 26 Jun 2007 13:14:36 +0000

I generally found campus visits, particularly those organized for admitted students in April to be a major source of misinformation. Everything is rehearsed. The sole objective of these love fests is to encourage admitted students to enroll and shore up the yield. Even a pig can be dressed up to look good with enough lipstick. Current students are told to only emphasize the positives; tour guides are hired cheerleaders; the only dorms you can visit look like palaces; the token science lab is filled with new equipment; cool bands are brought in at night to show the prospies that the school knows how to party and parents are wined and dined so they get to spend as little as time as possible asking tough questions. When the fog finally clears in the fall and the reality starts sinking in, it no longer matters: they’ve got you. Colleges are in a rough competition for the best students and will do nearly anything to get them. Hiding the ball is just part of the game.