Re: [MTC Global] College rankings - American perspectives

May be the Americans do not know how to appraise, assess and rank universities. May be they are biased.
 
May be we as a country and society feel so low and down with such low ratings.
 
May be we need to have our own 'independent' rating for feedback and correction.
 
I AM INVOLVED IN FORMAL TEACHING FROM 1969, ABOUT 44 YEARS, INCLUDING AT WELL RECOGNISED INSTITUTIONS LIKE IIMA. I HAVE STUDIED IN SYDENHAM COLLEGE WHICH WAS CONSIDERED AS THE BEST COMMERCE COLLEGE IN ASIA, WHILE I WAS THERE FROM 1961-65.
 
I HAVE HAD A REASONABLY GOOD ACADEMIC RECORD HAVING STOOD FIRST IN THE UNIVERSITY, FIRST IN INDIA IN COST ACCOUNTING, SECOND IN INDIA IN CA, THIRD IN THE WORLD IN COSTING GROUP OF UK, ETC. MY STUDENTS AND TRAINEES AND SUBORDINATES OCCUPY QUITE A FEW TOP AND SENIOR POSITIONS IN INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS.
 
The reason, I am mentioning the above is because some of you may question my credentials.   I have witnessed a DEFINITE DECLINE AND FALL IN STANDARDS OF OUR EDUCATION OVER TIME. I AM NOT SURPRISED IF WE ARE RATED POORLY THOUGH WE LIKE TO BELIEVE THAT WE ARE GREAT IF NOT THE GREATEST. TO ME WE SEEM TO LIVE IN A STATE OF HYPOCRISY AND MAKE-BELIEF.
 
INSTEAD OF BEING DEFENSIVE, I WOULD BE HAPPIER, IF I COULD SEE AN EDUCATION GROUP DISCUSSING HOW WE CAN BECOME BETTER AND THEN BEST,  AT LEAST,  IN SOME AREAS.

 

I PERSONALLY BELIEVE AND AM CONVINCED THAT WE CAN BECOME BETTER AND STRIVE FOR EXCELLENCE IF WE HAVE A DESIRE, DETERMINATION AND BELIEF IN THAT DIRECTION.
 
LET US WAKE UP AND MAKE INDIA GREAT!!
 
Best regards.
 
                                         Satya Prakash Agarwal

 



On Fri, May 3, 2013 at 2:09 PM, Dr Vinod Dumblekar <dumblekar@yahoo.com> wrote:

College rankings

By Jenna Johnson
If college rankings are to be believed, Warren Wilson College in North Carolina has the most liberal students, the College of Wooster in Ohio has the smartest professors, and Rice University has the happiest undergrads. And the very best college in the country isPrinceton. Or Harvard and Princeton in a tie.
It doesn't take a bachelor's degree to figure out that most college rankings are at best highly flawed and at worst completely bogus. Rankings formally started back in the early 1980s, when U.S. News & World Report came up with measurements to judge the nation's top universities so consumers could vet a school before enrolling. The list weighs many factors, including academic reputation, retention and graduation rates, faculty pay and credentials, incoming student test scores and alumni donations.
Over the years, this methodology has become complicated and controversial — and sometimes the results are inaccurate. In the past year, U.S. News has publicly shamed a number of schools for fudging their numbers or outright cheating. George Washington University lost its No. 51 ranking after school officials disclosed that they had accidentally miscalculated the academic credentials of incoming freshmen.
U.S. News likes to describe its rankings as a public service to consumers — but sales of magazines, books and Web advertising driven by clicks have been highly profitable for the company. And that success and exposure have prompted others to get into the game. Even the Obama administration recently unveiled a college scorecard Web site. It has data on nearly every college in the country and focuses on graduation rates and affordability, which some have criticized as an overly simple way to compare schools.
The worst rankings are those that attempt to evaluate such things as party scenes, dorm food and even professors' looks — based on online surveys, questionable statistics and unfair stereotypes. There is no way such lists help students properly pick a college.
While rankings are often the starting place for many college searches, most families tend to make their final decisions based on information provided directly by the school. Other factors, such as cost, distance from home and a campus's atmosphere during a whirlwind tour — and, frankly, gut instinct — can be far more influential than rankings. While a sliver of the population enrolls at the nation's most selective, top-ranked colleges and universities, many more attend institutions that you've probably never heard of, schools that are not always forthcoming about their abysmal graduation rates, sky-high student debt loads, teetering accreditation and serious financial problems.
How about we stop obsessing about rankings and start caring about that?
Jenna Johnson reports on higher education for The Washington Post.
 

Best wishes.
-------------------------------------------------------- 
The great aim of education is not knowledge but action. ~ Herbert Spencer

Dr Vinod Dumblekar 
MANTIS 
Management Simulation Games 
design | development | delivery 
Ph : +91.9818631280 

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