The Foreign Service Journal, December 2014

56 DECEMBER 2014 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT J ust as your high school student begins his senior year, guess what pops up on the newsstand? at’s right; it’s the U.S. News &World Report annual special issue of America’s top colleges. Started 30 years ago, this list of ranked colleges has become a huge phenomenon among high school seniors, their parents, alumni, and the colleges and universities themselves. Although newer lists now exist, published by Washington Monthly and others, the U.S. News rankings are still the most popular. But how helpful are they? Let’s take them apart to see how they work. en we’ll look at some alternative lists of U.S. colleges that may be more useful in nd- ing the right school. Francesca Kelly is a freelance writer, editor and college application tutor. She served as AFSA News editor from 2009 to 2012 and is a frequent contributor to the Journal . She is married to Ambassador Ian Kelly, an FSO since 1985. published, it has become enormously successful, and U.S. News has expanded rankings to include high schools, graduate schools and other institutions, as well as a new “Best Global Universities” list. eir Education Web page receives 30 million visits per month. U.S. News o ers a list of about 1,800 colleges and universities, which constitute roughly half of the total number of higher learning institutions in the United States. ese are divided into four categories: • National liberal arts colleges • National universities • Regional colleges (North, South, Midwest and West) • Regional universities (North, South, Midwest and West) What’s In the U.S. News Ranking? e following factors go into deter- mining a college’s score, and hence, its ranking. Each factor’s weight is given as a U.S. News & World Report ’s Golden Egg U.S. News began ranking colleges back in 1983, based on a simple questionnaire sent to college presidents asking which colleges they considered “the best.” In 1987, the publication became a stand- alone, annual issue of the magazine, and colleges began to take notice and demand more objective methodology. U.S. News then expanded its opinion survey to include deans and administrators, and added criteria such as SAT scores of appli- cants and the colleges’ retention rates. Over the years, the magazine’s editors have met regularly with college o cials, guidance counselors and others in an e ort to respond to criticism, revise their methodology and expand their market. Since the “Best Colleges” list was rst American College Rankings HOW THEY WORK AND WHAT THEY MEAN This in-depth look at U.S. college rankings o ers a fresh perspective on the high school student’s college search and a wealth of resources to help find the “right” school. BY FRANCESCA KE L LY