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Everyone wants to be #1.We want to be the best in fashion with the hippest, trendiest look. Athletes want the gold. Dog owners want their pups to place best in show. TV shows want to hold the top spot in ratings. We watch TRL to see what the most requested video is for the day. Some students even go around asking every other classmate his or her grade in hopes he or she scored the highest on the test.

But when does a contest become more important than simple statistics? When it comes to choosing the right College, many students look at numbers for reasons more important than how many people voted for a new music video. But are these rankings truly more sophisticated than simple popularity contests?

Each year, millions of high school seniors and parents rely on rankings such as those published by U.S. News and World Report. The trusted magazine features the Best Colleges in ranking order with categories like most affordable tuition, best private schools, and top institutions for education. There's much more to each school than the data that's generated, of course. Despite the fact that many consider rankings super important in their decision-making process, there are still those who oppose such ratings.

In Paul Marthers' opinion -- he's the dean of admission at Reed College (Portland, OR) -- rankings are merely measures of institutional wealth, reputation, influence, and pedigree. "They do not attempt nor claim to measure the extent to which knowledge is valued and cultivated on each campus," he says.

Simply stated, they miss the mark. His contention: "They don't describe the academic environment or student culture at different Colleges and Universities," he adds.

Reed is one of a growing number of colleges that takes this view a step further -- they refuse to participate in U.S. News and World Report rankings. "Reed doesn't rank its students. Why should we participate in a survey that ranks colleges?" explains Marthers. Despite their lack of celebration in popular press, they still see success in their students and alumni.

This is how I see it...
It's no secret that many big-name schools inflate grades. However, it should not be assumed that a student who did well in high school is doing just as well in college. By not properly evaluating undergraduate work, students may fall into a pattern of not working to their full potential, and essentially, not learning.

Shouldn't the whole point of going to college be to expand your knowledge and learn how to think critically? If it's that simple to get a good grade at a number-one school, why bother reading and learning? It'll be assumed you're a genius based on your résumé, but if you're on a job interview and you remark how much you love your interviewer's Picasso and it's a Van Gogh, your A in modern art looks like a fraud. And, it won't be OK just because you went to Stanford.

Another thing to consider before placing your trust in rankings is your future Career. Most of the schools that make the list are liberal arts institutions, leaving many of the arts and hospitality specialty schools in the background. That's why the Art Institute of California (San Diego) recently pulled together some statistics that rank it highly on the list for success. According to Dan Dement, the school's director of public relations, approximately 93 percent of its graduates find work within their intended career field within six months of Graduation. Dement challenges traditionally top-ranked schools such as Harvard to produce similar results.

As college-bound teens know, SAT scores are very important, but in terms of ranking, they not only become bragging rights, they add pressure to students applying. "Does ranking in the top 25th to 75th percentile in SAT scores mean diddly in the multi-billion dollar industries of entertainment, computer graphics, design, and culinary/hospitality services?" asks Dement. "Then why should we be impressed over the Ivy League's hold on such ranking criteria?"

A harsh statement, but Dement's on a roll. His passion is judging a school's worth based upon the career successes of its students. "How big are the markets for philosophy or liberal studies? Yet this somehow seems important in annual rankings," he says.

Of course, we can extend this philosophy to other areas. For example, those who major in education often find jobs with ease because of the high demand for teachers, especially in large cities. In other fields, such as nursing, there is a shortage. So, in reality, it may not matter if you attend a well-known nursing school or a smaller school -- the end result is the same: You're still eligible to practice as long as you pass your board exams and attain certification.

On the other hand, however, there are those grads who majored in fields such as philosophy, English, and history, and then are faced with the difficult task of finding a job. Part of their challenge could be attributed to the nature of their degrees as opposed to the quality of their education. Would a school with a better reputation, however, boost their résumé? That's the good $30,000-a-year salary question (a good salary, no?).

Scholastic Silver Lining
So where do we now stand with these rankings? I'm not saying you shouldn't be aware of them, just don't consider them the absolute authority on your higher education future. In light of recent controversies surrounding the practice of rankings, a multitude of other news sources and publications have echoed that sentiment, and have begun offering alternate reviews of schools. Peterson's'  

college rankings

  Exposed advises students and parents about other aspects of colleges besides academics. Author Paul Boyer suggests compiled resources (like his book), which offer up school characteristics that speak to the needs of different students without assigning numbers.

Deanna Zemke, a spokesperson from Peterson's, offers this example. "If a top school does not offer a journalism program that a highly qualified student is interested in, then that is not a number-one school for the student to consider," she says. "Other aspects can follow the same route for everything from sports programs to the college environment, socially, and academically speaking."

I agree...
It's not a matter of which school is number one in the U.S., but which school is number one for you. What may be considered a top-notch school for a sociology major may not necessarily be of the best value for someone interested in mathematics.

A School by Any Other Name -- or Number...
A lesser-known school doesn't mean a lesser education. While attending St. Francis College (Brooklyn, NY), I often had professors who also taught at New York University (NYU, New York, NY) and Columbia University (New York, NY). And although my tuition was way less than my friends (many of whom repeatedly asked me, "Where is St. Francis, again?"), we used the same textbooks as well as took many of the same exams. A teacher of mine once handed out her syllabus on NYU stationary. Maybe rankings are important, but I'm on the fence if I'd rather be number one at a low-ranked school, or 500 in my class at a high-ranked school. Or, maybe not... My contention? When choosing a school that's right for you, you do need to keep number one in mind -- yourself!

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