The campus of Columbia University in the United States in early spring. Image source Visual China
Comprehensive compilation Zhao Tingting
Columbia University has been ranked in the top ten of U.S. News & World Report magazine's university rankings for many years. Not long ago, Michael Saddis, a professor in the university's mathematics department, exposed the school's "use of inaccurate, dubious or misleading statistics" when submitting the selection materials, which led the university to bear the stigma of "data fraud". The British "Guardian" said that Columbia University was exposed to data fraud, unveiling the dark curtain of university rankings, "both students and parents, have been trapped in this game for too long." ”
University rankings "can be manipulated"
The college rankings published by U.S. News & World Report magazine have long been regarded by many parents and students around the world as "school choice treasures", and most of the outstanding students dream of entering the top ten schools on the list.
Before the emergence of the rankings, the reputation and academic value of universities were intangible. People usually rely on a combination of factors such as school background, school running time, and alumni status to measure the academic strength of a university. Leaderboards break this situation. It uses intuitive statistics such as graduation rates, admission data (acceptance rate, SAT average score), academic ability (class size, number of full-time faculty), and reputation (peer review) to demonstrate a school's overall strength. Many believe that these quantitative data are more reliable.
University heads were once dismissive of rankings. After all, university quality cannot be judged solely by statistics and polls. Over time, however, most people are afraid to say "no" to rankings.
"We have to be in the top 100." Richard Freeland, a former president of Northeastern University, told Boston Magazine that top-ranked schools can earn higher prestige, better applicants, and more alumni giving.
An investigation by the Wall Street Journal confirmed this view. In the 2090s, when the University of Sasquehana was named the number one liberal arts college in the northern region, the number of students applying to the university increased by 7%; The College of Lyon, the number one liberal arts college in the southern region, also received more quality students, and the SAT score of the school's applicants improved by 73 points.
The benefits of rankings for universities are self-evident. In the face of huge interests, the authenticity of the ranking is increasingly difficult to guarantee. According to CNN, U.S. News & World Report's college rankings have been accompanied by questions about the authenticity of rankings since its debut in 1983, and reports and academic research are common.
"Rankings can be manipulated." Brian Kelly, editor of the U.S. News & World Report's college section, doesn't deny this. In 2012, George Washington University admitted that it had exaggerated the percentage of "top high school students" admitted. In 2021, the former dean of the Fox Business School of Temple University in the United States was exposed to a scandal of manipulating data to improve the MBA rankings. This year, 10 universities in the United States, including Whitman College, East Tennessee State University School of Medicine, and Western Illinois University, disappeared from the rankings due to "false positive data", and Columbia University fell in the rankings.
It can be said that every year there are schools that "regress" or "disappear" from the rankings for various reasons, and students who have entered these schools have difficulty getting out.
"The university's response was not sincere. They don't want to tell the public the truth... They seem to solve some problems, but they ignore or whitewash others. Saddis, a professor of mathematics at Columbia University, argues that the school has admitted to using "outdated or incorrect calculation methods" only to quell the controversy as soon as possible.
Leaderboards become "money-making tools"
College presidents denounce U.S. News & World Report's college rankings as pointless, educators say it misrepresents the focus of education, and high school guidance counselors say the rankings are unreliable, but why are parents and colleges and universities so enthusiastic about it?
"None of the parents I've met think college rankings don't matter." Terry Mardy Grove works for a consulting firm at the University of Charts. He told the New York Times that in the eyes of many parents, using good college rankings is the key to opening the door to success, the key to a better future for their children, and their "bragging talk".
Neil Daniel attends Thomas Jefferson High School of Technology in Virginia, USA, which is ranked #1 on the National Public High School List. He told The New York Times that even his neighbors thought he would definitely attend an Ivy League school in the future, which put him under pressure.
Darren Ross, president of a college advisory firm in the United States, revealed that parents often come to the door with a carefully selected list of many college names, insisting that their children are the "best candidates" for those schools. Parents are dissatisfied when told that other schools may be more suitable for their children.
"They pay more attention to the numbers when they chat with friends or show off on social media, and it seems that it (the leaderboards) make more sense than the actual situation in the school... Other than helping the school charge more, I don't know what it does. Ross said helplessly.
For schools, a good reputation can lead to high incomes. "Our education programs have to make money in a way. This is a secret that cannot be left public. Sadis told The Guardian.
In Sadis's eyes, Columbia has become a "ever-expanding and self-replicating bureaucracy." He found that the donation funds received by the school were not enough to cover the ever-increasing administrative costs, and could only make up for the gap by increasing tuition. He suspects that school management manipulates data and raises rankings to provide a basis for tuition increases.
According to Freeland, the former president of Northeastern University, between 1989 and 2014, tuition at Northeastern University rose from $9,500 to $42,534. Columbia University's tuition fees for 2022 are as high as $65,000, more than five times higher than in 1980. For many families, college tuition is a huge expense, and some students have to take on student loans for it.
"There are now about 4,500 administrators on the main campus [of Columbia], three times the number of faculty. Rising university overheads are a major reason for the rising cost of higher education, which is rising well above the current rate of inflation. Sadis told The Guardian that during his tenure as chair of Columbia's mathematics department, the school's management never shared relevant information with teachers, students or the public, which greatly damaged the credibility of the administration, and he realized "the importance of making problems public."
Fit is more important than ranking
"I've always believed that all college rankings are basically worthless. The data they rely on has little to do with the academic value of institutions, and the data may not be accurate in the first place. Sadis told The Guardian, "My goal was never to pull Columbia University out of the rankings. But if after the ranking drops, people don't take it as seriously as before, the results are not bad. ”
In the age of the internet, leaderboards are no longer the only way for parents and students to access university information. People can search the web with accurate keywords or send emails to interested schools to get important information.
CNN said that the official website of the university can help students and parents "clear the mine". Columbia University has fabricated information such as class sizes and faculty academic status, which you can see if you look at the curriculum published on its official website.
"To be honest, the schools around us are also excellent." Daniel told The New York Times, "The top ten schools tend to have more expensive tuition. In terms of value for money, local schools can bring more. ”
Daniel is currently interested in Carnegie Mellon University, which is ranked 22nd on U.S. News & World Report's college rankings. But he found that the University of Virginia and Virginia Tech might be a better fit for him, ranking 25th and 62nd.
Daniel's mother, Divia Singh, was very supportive of his decision. She believes that some things are more important than the name or ranking of the college a child attends.
"Happiness and fit are important. When we are happy, we learn better and live better. "The American historian David M. M. Perry suggests that students should consider the grade, type, size, region, curriculum, tuition cost, accommodation and other factors when choosing a school.
"Finding a place where you can thrive is a lot more important than chasing prestige on the leaderboards." He said.
Source: China Youth Daily client