Why Should You Attend a Top - Ranked College? How About - Instant Access to a Prestigious Social and Professional Network.
Does it really matter to a junior or senior high school student where his/her degree comes from? According to many of them, it does not. College years are the best years of their life and meant to be savored and enjoyed. The degree is what matters–not which college one gets it from. So they are not willing to try and get a higher GPA so that they can gain entrance into an elite school.
Despite this sort of thinking, most graduates fail to get good jobs with enticing salaries. Why is this so? It is because most well-known companies prefer to have as their employees, graduates from the Universities of Northwestern or Pennsylvania or Harvard. Graduates from mediocre colleges or unknown schools only rank second on their lists. So, the college or school does matter. The more elite, the better! Newspaper articles that claim, for example, MBA graduates drawing salaries of up to $100,000 a year, do not mention these facts. Hence, it is advisable that youngsters wishing to have a bright future work extra hard to get admission into a well-reputed school or college.
There are different sources with different ranking systems. It is they that decide which college stands first, which second, and so on. The rankings do not remain the same every year–they keep changing for various reasons. Sometimes, the college does not have enough funding resources; sometimes, they are unable to offer all the academic programs that students desire; and sometimes, the teaching faculty cannot cope with the complications of each course. At times, an institution loses its top ranking simply because it was not compatible with a particular system of ranking. However, each source does offer an explanation for the way they have ranked colleges. The college goer should peruse each explanation thoroughly and bear in mind why and how changes could take place. Only after that, a particular school or college should be opted for the purpose of further studies.
There is a difference between a college or school that is ranked overall to be the topmost and a college/school that is considered the best in a particular discipline of study. We can take the example of Yale University and MIT to illustrate this. Yale may stand out as the topmost college overall, but MIT stands out as the best institute where engineering courses are considered. Then a student wishing to go in for that discipline should definitely opt for MIT instead of Yale. In the case where a student might change course midway, it is better to opt for the college which has topped the list in general rankings.
Where can you find a current list of top ranked colleges? Well, you probably already know that a national magazine devotes an entire issue to this subject, so that would be a good place to start. Beyond that, there are several other sources you can check, including books, websites, and annual school guides.
Getting into a top ranked college won’t be easy, but you’ll be able to reap the benefits for a lifetime. So put in the extra effort, keep an eye on the rankings, and go for the brass ring.
Leave a Comment