Fork-holders, unite!

Every year, Maclean’s ranks universities. And every year, online student forums go wild.
Since the 2014 rankings came out, as usual some students are looking to them for validation to make themselves feel better about where they go to school, while others are dismissing them for the same reasons.And to them, I say, good luck because everyone has a different reason to think their school deserves first place. York, by the way, is ranked ninth this year in the top comprehensive universities.

But to those who actually begin to question the quality of their education and use Maclean’s rankings as their only tool to decide where to go to grad school: stop.

Stop and think about this for a minute. Because the people who keep making this ranking system relevant and believe it is 100 per cent accurate aren’t seeing the bigger picture: Maclean’s measures the success of your university based on their criteria and what they think is important in a good university. Maclean’s methodology for determining what spot each university gets in the comprehensive category looks at a variety of indicators, like how many awards students and professors have won, how much money is available to the faculty for research, and how current and vast the university’s library collection is.
They also weigh these indicators based on what they think is more important. For example, a university’s reputation and faculty are each worth 20 per cent of the final score, whereas resources and student support are worth only 12 and 13 per cent. Depending on who you are, you may agree with how Maclean’s determines these rankings, and if you do, good for you. You’ve found a publication that reflects your views on what makes a good university.

However, if you’re like me, you will have a different set of standards.

Personally, I think an outstanding university is one where the percentage of students who are employed in their field after graduation is very high, as are their salaries. I also believe a great university is one that provides students with alternatives to paying for books, courses, and transportation. Those are my criteria, but that doesn’t mean they have to be yours.