"What High School Students Really Think of the Rankings" - US News

[tako]

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U.S. News and our chief critic, Lloyd Thacker of the Education Conservancy, apparently now agree on at least one thing that is very important: The U.S. News college rankings aren’t what high school students are focusing on or worried about when they are going through the college application process.

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According to the Education Conservancy study, these were some of the key findings from the high school student focus groups:</p>

<li><p>Students dislike disingenuous college recruiting. Generic marketing materials, college fairs, and information sessions are unappealing and too much like sales pitches. They dislike being encouraged to apply to a college even whey they have no chance of admission.</p></li>
<li><p>Students feel pressured to do things for the sole purpose of gaining admission, such as participating in extracurricular activities, taking multiple Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate courses, and engaging in various forms of SAT preparation.</p></li>
<li><p>Students receive conflicting message from colleges. Colleges say they want well-rounded students, which is discouraging for many students with passions or unique qualities. Colleges also seem to expect students to know their majors and life goals.</p></li>
<li><p>Students would like to take more courses that interest them but feel that it is a gamble to pursue their true interests.</p></li>
<li><p>Students believe that colleges cannot, and do not, judge applicants in a fair and objective way.</p></li>
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<p><a href=“http://www.usnews.com/blogs/college-rankings-blog/2007/10/2/what-high-school-students-really-think-of-the-rankings.html[/url]”>http://www.usnews.com/blogs/college-rankings-blog/2007/10/2/what-high-school-students-really-think-of-the-rankings.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Interesting…I’m glad to see that many students aren’t focused on the rankings. But I do think that simply because they exist, they ARE a source of pressure for many students, and not just “one tool in the college selection process.”</p>

<p>And number 4 and number 2 just sadden me.</p>

[tokenadult]

<p>Maybe because I graduated from high school before the U.S. News rankings had ever been thought of, I doubt very much that rankings make life harder for high school students or do much to drive their behavior.</p>

[ucsd_ucla_dad]

<p>Maybe the students aren’t focused on the rankings but what about the parents? Face it, a lot of HS students really don’t know that much about the differences in colleges so I think a lot of times it comes down to the parents decifering the rankings.</p>

[MarathonMan88]

<p>Rankings are generally pretty far down the list in importance in shaping college students’ application and enrollment choices, but they turn out to be quite important to some of the most highly sought groups–academic high achievers, affluent students, and minority students. There have been other studies, but here’s one I could find quickly that gives the gist:</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2007-04-09-college-rankings_N.htm[/url]”>http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2007-04-09-college-rankings_N.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

[weenie]

<p>Keep in mind that the majority of HS schools head to their state U or community college. It is a minority elite for whom “rankings” have any significance one way or the other.</p>