| This fall, as numerous college rankings hit the | | | | percent freshman retention rate and a 65 percent |
| bookstores, I was curious to find an answer to the | | | | six-year graduation rate. I dislike the idea of using a |
| question: "What is an 'excellent school'?" after a parent, | | | | six-year graduation rate, but there are legitimate |
| prospective student or college recruiter sifted through | | | | reasons: leaves of absence, military or missionary |
| all of this material. There has been debate among | | | | service, cooperative educational opportunities (combine |
| admissions officers and college presidents over the | | | | school and work) and interest in multiple degree |
| value of ranking one school over another based on | | | | programs being examples. In my kitchen table exercise, |
| statistics, and those debates are valid-to a point. The | | | | I found that 265 four-year schools met my standard. |
| rankings mean little to the best of the best; Harvard, | | | | Among the nation's 262 Large Research |
| for example, will not lose applicants for being the #2 | | | | Universities-these are the large public and private |
| school. They mean little to quality schools that charge | | | | universities--104 schools met or exceeded the 85-65 |
| little or no tuition, such as the military service | | | | standard, including all of the top 72 in the rankings. |
| academies, flagship state universities and specialty | | | | Among 266 National Liberal Arts Colleges, 105 met or |
| institutions like Cooper Union and Webb Institute. These | | | | exceeded both numbers. There were also 37 regional |
| schools will always fill their classes with excellent | | | | universities and 8 baccalaureate colleges that met or |
| students, regardless of their ranking. Rankings could | | | | bested both marks, as well as 11 specialty (fine arts, |
| however, mean something to families that have to | | | | performing arts, engineering and business) schools. By |
| make a choice between similar regional or national | | | | my standard, the list of "excellent" schools is larger |
| schools that appear below the best of the best, for | | | | than some parents might think. It does include the most |
| instance a top regional university versus an excellent | | | | selective public and private institutions, but also 84 |
| national university that's listed in the top 100. They might | | | | schools that admitted more than 65% of their applicant |
| also help applicants make a choice between the | | | | pool for this year's entering class. But there is another |
| flagship state university in their home state and similar | | | | side to this analysis: the verbal and math SATs. The |
| schools in other states that charge low out-of-state | | | | higher the school ranked in U.S. News, the higher the |
| tuition and room and board rates. Being a Rutgers | | | | range of the scores. A combined 1,050 to 1,100 on the |
| graduate from New Jersey, I'm especially sensitive to | | | | verbal and math SATs put most applicants near the |
| this; the University of Delaware and West Virginia | | | | bottom quarter of the pool in most of my excellent |
| University have been popular destinations for Garden | | | | schools. Excellent grades might offset the test scores |
| State residents for decades. Rankings appear to | | | | at all except the best of the best, but it's best to |
| mean a lot to the presidents of some schools; high | | | | prepare for the tests. What could I conclude from this? |
| rankings can convince trustees to increase their | | | | The best of the best schools deserve the accolades |
| investments in facilities and scholarships to build-up the | | | | they receive, but there are other schools equally |
| school's reputation. A boost from 75th to 50th means | | | | deserving of the same attention. Ask me to name |
| more to an up-and-coming national university than it | | | | names. Some might surprise you. Are these the only |
| does for a school that has a long-cemented | | | | numbers a family should consider? They're a start. If |
| international reputation. These ambitions are not | | | | financial concerns are paramount, then ask about the |
| necessarily bad; a nation can never have enough | | | | average tuition increases and student loan |
| quality schools. I did my own "kitchen table exercise" | | | | indebtedness for the recent graduating classes. Also |
| with the most recent U.S. News college guide after | | | | ask about the school's bond rating; it reflects the |
| sifting through the published rankings. I set my own | | | | school's ability to earn income and cover its costs, |
| standard of excellence, based on the reported | | | | while keeping tuition increases as low as possible. Both |
| graduation and student retention rates. My thought | | | | of these measures are important, because |
| was that the best schools are the ones that do the | | | | scholarships and grants do not always increase as |
| best to attract, retain and graduate their entering | | | | tuition increases; you might have to make up the |
| classes. Graduation and retention rates are not | | | | difference. There are plenty of choices among |
| perfect, but they're the results by which admissions | | | | excellent schools, but only you and your financial |
| and student services are best measured. An excellent | | | | advisors can determine your ability to pay for college. It |
| school has rigorous academics, but does all it can to | | | | might surprise you to find out which school is your best |
| help their students succeed; it serves no one to make | | | | value. |
| college an intense "boot camp" experience to whittle a | | | | Stuart Nachbar has been involved with education |
| class down to an elite few. High retention and | | | | politics, policy and technology as a student, urban |
| graduation rates are more likely to help attract alumni | | | | planner, government affairs manager, software |
| support and interest from graduate schools and | | | | executive, and now as author of The Sex Ed |
| employers than poor ones. I set my bar high: an 85 | | | | Chronicles. |