College Rankings and How They Create False Hope

It’s fall in America. Besides resisting the urge to buy Halloween candy in September, we are again faced with college application season, and the strategically timed release of the latest U.S. News and World Report’s Best College Rankings.

It is nice to see that this list is actually dozens of lists now. There are rankings provided for “Most Innovative Schools”, “A-Plus Schools for B Students,” and for almost every unique field of study. Over the years, we have all come to acknowledge that...