Jul 12, 2008

U.S. News & World Report to use new criteria

By Jason Katz / Daily News columnist

Q: Is it true that U.S. News & World Report will be using two new criteria to determine their rankings in the upcoming 2009 edition of their America's Best Colleges issue?

A: Yes, there will be two new features in the upcoming 2009 edition of U.S. News & World Report's America's Best Colleges issue. The first new feature seems to preserve the flaws of the traditional ranking system, while the second new feature, in theory, may provide a new kind of information.

The first new feature is that "U.S. News asked top academics in spring 2008 to name schools that they think are 'Up and Coming Institutions,'" according to a recent U.S. News & World Report article. "College presidents, provosts and admission deans were asked to nominate up to 10 colleges that are making improvements in academics, faculty, students, campus life, diversity, and facilities."

The article states that this new feature is "in response to the criticisms that say the academic peer assessment survey filled out by college administrators is too slow to pick up improvements at colleges."

However, U.S. News & World Report seems to be missing the point here.

A consistent criticism of the peer assessment survey is not that it is too slow to pick up improvements at colleges, but rather that it is asking members of one institution

to rate other institutions with which it is in direct

competition.

Asking college presidents, provosts, and admission deans to nominate colleges that are making improvements appears to come with the same baggage as the peer assessment survey. Most notably, members of one institution may not be able to make objective comments about another institution with which they compete for applicants.

Additionally, even if members of college X could be fair and impartial in naming "Up and Coming Institutions," some college administrators have told me that they don't know enough about each of the thousands of four-year colleges and universities in the U.S to do so.

The second new feature in the 2009 edition of America's Best Colleges is that U.S. News & World Report "asked a nationwide cross section of public school high school counselors for their views on undergraduate programs at American colleges and universities."

This new feature shows real promise as an aid to students and parents searching for colleges because it is much less prone to bias than the first new feature. High school counselors have no vested interest in any college or university and it is their job to know as much as possible about colleges and universities. I believe this addition to the rankings may prove useful to applicants and their parents.



Jason Katz is an independent

college counselor and is founder of JKatz College Counseling in

Redwood City. E-mail Katz at

jkatz@jkatzcollegecounseling.com.