| Cliché: | Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. |
| POCS Reality: | There are dozens of college ranking lists but your own one is the most important for you. |
This college ranking list is not out of this world but it comes close- it’s out of the country. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development compares higher education degree completion by 25-34 year-olds around the world and found the U.S. has slipped to #16 out of 37 developed nations:
http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/32/42/48666179.xls
To read for it yourself, select your country and the source of comparison, then choose “Comparative” at the bottom.
Why has slippage occurred?
“The stagnant U.S.performance on this key international benchmark reflects at least two trends: the rapid expansion of college attendance in Asia and Europe, and the continuing emphasis on four-year degrees in the United States while other nations focus far more on one- and two-year professional credentials.”
College Prep Expert Suzanne Shaffer puts the domestic ranking craze into perspective with a U.S.-China infographic comparison created by OnlineUniversityRankings.com:
http://networkedblogs.com/n9FRm
While U.S.student degree attainment may have dropped, U.S.universities continue to rank high as some of the world’s best schools (find the list under Comments):
http://s323096433.onlinehome.us/2011/08/22/pocsmom%e2%80%99s-insight-7-college-rankings-lists/
POCSmom’s DIY Insight: Ranking? Enough already. The most important ranking list is your own college list.
*POCS: Parent Of a College Student
