College – a term synonymous with fire alarms at 3 am, frat parties, and the privilege of education.
Though going down a different path and not attending university is just as valid, for people who want and are able to, choosing the ‘right’ university is often the first struggle prospective students are confronted with. 

With the internet offering an abundance of information, and family and teachers chiming in, it is easy to be overwhelmed. Especially for those who are attending school during COVID-19, this can be more unpredictable than usual. For instance, with universities resorting to virtual tours instead of open days, it can be harder to get a feel for the school. This arguably creates the problem of making it more tempting to primarily rely on university rankings. 

But why even is that problematic, and why are university rankings overrated? And how do you choose the right university for you?

The problem with university rankings

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Truth is, university rankings do matter – to some extent. However, they matter because we as a society place value upon them, not necessarily because they are representative.
In fact, with our society still glorifying highly ranked institutions, we by effect reinforce this hierarchy – yet those rankings in themselves are problematic. 

When classifying a university, several factors are considered. They include – but are not limited to – academic reputation, graduation rates, internationality, or research output.
However, these seemingly “objective” categories are questionable and/or subjective. For instance, while teaching quality of faculty is included, other aspects like practical experience or industry connections are omitted. 

Similarly, even though a university’s research output is important to consider, more than 90% of rankings are based on research performance. Not only does this arguably devalue the importance of art programs such as theater, dance, or music. Moreover, however, this dilutes and disregards the relevance of other factors. Aspects that can’t be measured are also excluded, such as the support offered, community feel, or campus diversity. 

Why rankings are unreliable

A bigger issue, nonetheless, is how the categories classifying universities are measured in the first place.
As mentioned previously, Times Higher Education devotes 90% to measuring research, while QS World Rankings assigns 70%. Respectively, they each allot 33% and 50% to reputation – which is measured using subjective surveys. 

Measuring reputation in itself is questionable. Yet assessing reputation through surveying a random selection of people rather than current students simply results in a repetitive cycle. This cycle assures that the present highly ranked institutions repeatedly top the university food chain. 

With the quality of teaching accounting for only 30% in the THE ranking system, it is arguably fairly evident that a university’s position on the league tables does not necessarily reflect its quality and whether you will be happy there.

How to choose the right university for you

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While it might be easiest to simply choose the university highest up on the league tables, this will not mean or guarantee your happiness.
So when trying to find a university that might be a good fit for you, think about some of these aspects:

Location

Not just the distance from home should be considered, but also the area and city the university is located in.
While the university itself might appeal to you, it is also important to inform yourself about its surroundings. For instance, is the university located in more of a small student town or a metropolitan city? How easy is it to get around – what is the public transport network like? How expensive is it to live there?
If you are able to, touring your potential future college is highly recommended, but visiting its city and exploring it both by day and night is arguably just as important. 

Course Content

As each university is different, be aware that teaching styles might and will differ. Even though some courses might have the same name at two different institutions, their modules might cover different content.
Try not only reading the general description of your degree but have a look at what you will study each year. For example, how many modules are you able to choose from? What kind of assessments are expected? Will there be small group tutorials or mainly lectures?
What can also be helpful is researching the lecturers, professors and tutors and their qualifications, to see what they are specializing in or the kind of research they produce. 

Societies / Extracurriculars

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Though universities are different all over the world, fraternities/sororities and societies form an important part of American or British schools.
Usually, there will be around a hundred different societies offered, ranging from acapella groups to ice hockey clubs – ensuring that there are as many interests represented as possible.
Societies and extracurricular activities are great for meeting new people and making friends, discovering new activities and/or hobbies that you enjoy, and balancing social and work life.
Browsing your potentially future university will give you an idea of things you can do in your free time, but it will also simply make you more excited to start your studies.

Support and Student Satisfaction

Some top universities have a rather low student satisfaction, yet this is often missed, as individual ranking categories are overlooked.
Support and student satisfaction go hand in hand, as the latter is unlikely to be high if the former is poor.
Attending open days (even virtually) or finding groups on Facebook and asking to speak to current students will help you get a feel for whether or not students feel they are getting the support, help, and feedback they need.
Most universities will also list the kind of affinity and support groups available on campuses, such as mental health centers, LGBTQIA+ groups, or free counseling services. 

Conclusion

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Even though a particular school might be one of the top universities in the country, located in a great city and in essence look good on paper, when visiting the campus you might find that you cannot see yourself studying there. And that is okay. 

What is arguably most important when choosing a university is simply your gut feeling, particularly when touring the school. However, not everyone will experience that particular gut feeling – and know that that is perfectly natural as well.

In the end, it is irrelevant what your next-door neighbor thinks when you tell them the name of your university. What counts is that you feel comfortable, welcome, and above all happy with your choice. 

Written by Samira Rauner, blogger at Safe Harbor International Ministries. For more articles, visit our blog page at https://safeharborim.com/articles/.