The Foreign Service Journal, December 2010

100 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 0 S CHOOLS S UPPLEMENT dents. Along the same lines, College Prowler ( www.collegeprowler.com ) features personal evaluations from university students in addition to advice on the college admissions pro- cess. Unique among the pack, Forbes (www.forbes.com/lists/2010/94/best- colleges-10_Americas-Best-Colleges _Rank.html) weighs student debt and post-graduation salaries heavily, producing a list of what it considers “best bang for your buck” schools. A Very Different Approach One set of college rankings that dif- fers from all of the others is compiled by Washington Monthly (www.wash- ingtonmonthly.com/college_guide/toc _2010.php). The magazine rates schools based on “their contribution to the public good in three broad cate- gories: social mobility (recruiting and graduating low-income students), re- search (producing cutting-edge schol- ars and conferring doctorates) and ser- vice (encouraging students to give something back to their country).” The result emphasizes the social good provided by America’s universities. Interestingly, University of California campuses have consistently taken the top three spots. With all the different lists and assessments of American schools, how should you use the rankings? Tom Nicholas, assistant director of admis- sions for the University of Richmond, gives this advice on the university’s “Admissions Blog”: Different college rankings and guidebooks can serve as a great intro- duction to a range of colleges and uni- versities. They can give you the opportunity to encounter schools you might not otherwise consider, as well as quickly learn the basics about a lot of excellent schools (student body size, public/private, urban/rural, etc.) And this is where, in my opinion, rankings and guides are best used, if you’re going to use them — at the beginning, when you’re starting your college search. [However] they probably should not be consulted extensively in making decisions about where to apply and enroll; rather, you should rely on your own criteria, experiences and feelings to make those choices. Other rankings emphasize the student’s perspective.