The students most obsessed with college rankings in my experience? The students from China.
which is why the author states this as a major demographic of their research.
the idea of a “success frame” is an interesting one - do we allow external “standards” of society determine if we feel successful or not or do we look internally to see what can provide a sense of contentment? The reality is it is likely some combination of both - but i do see the obsession with college rankings bending in the direction of an unhealthy imbalance towards external validation for success.
Not sure if this is still true, but the Chinese educational system is/was tiered by standardized test scores and graduates from the most selective universities have significantly better employment options than do those who graduate from non-top tier universities.
As of 2008/2009, China has the C9 League of universities which is often referred to as the Ivy League of China.
The sentiment that “comparison is the thief of joy” can be found expressed really throughout recorded human history in various forms. It is one of those very basic insights that is basically just expressing a truism about human nature.
I do think it can be a bit unfair, though, not to account for how higher education and employment works differently in different countries. The US in particular is a big, chaotic country with a highly decentralized higher education system with a huge variety of different forms and focuses of institutions offering undergrad programs. And then we ALSO have many, many different highly developed job markets, including in many different metropolitan areas. And so there are many, many, MANY different educational paths to professional success that people in the US can follow.
I am aware it doesn’t necessarily work that way in other countries, or at least not nearly to the same degree. But yes, if you are a US person who is going to be educated and then build a professional career in the US, worrying a lot about generic rankings doesn’t make much sense.
Comparisons by external forces occur in many competitive situations, such as applying for many kinds of jobs. Where getting a job is highly competitive, the external “standards” can make a big difference in whether one feels successful (getting a job) or not (not getting any job that one applies for).
yes - i agree, and at the time of application and even acceptance of one of those highly sought-after jobs, there is that temporary feeling of being “successful”, but then what if the job is full of toil, stress, and unhappiness? the feeling can change very quickly and although you are externally “validated”, there is a big empty void that few would categorize as true success.