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CNN Live At Daybreak
Change at Top of College Rankings
Aired August 22, 2003 - 05:58 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Can't talk "Animal House" without talking college, right? There is a change at the top of the college rankings. We're not talking about "Animal House," but the entire college experience.
CNN's Julie Vallese has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JULIE VALLESE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This fall, thousands of high school students will begin their search for higher education. Their reasons for top choices will vary.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Location will be an issue.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My friends from high school were actually going to the same college.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Rankings mattered a lot for me.
VALLESE: More specifically, the rankings by "U.S. News & World Report."
BRIAN KELLY, EXECUTIVE EDITOR, "U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT": It helps sort through the real confusing universe of choices.
VALLESE: In this year's universe of the 1,400 schools, two stars shine brightest.
KELLY: This year, for the first time in several years, Princeton has found itself tied for number one. Harvard has made a run and now they're exactly identical in terms of the "U.S. News" rankings.
VALLESE: And in the smaller school category...
KELLY: Amherst College in Massachusetts had been number one for a number of years and this year Williams, which is their arch rival, is now clearly number one.
VALLESE: "U.S. News" uses more than 20 indicators in its equations, such as SAT scores, student class rankings and alumni contributions.
(on camera): For the first time, "U.S. News" is not using the yield or the percentage of students who accept a college's offer for admission as one of its indicators.
(voice-over): But critics of ranking say it's not just indicators that should be dropped, but the whole ranking system.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It creates the illusion that there are winners and losers and that there are only a handful of colleges and universities that are acceptable.
VALLESE: In the end, both sides say in life it isn't so much where a school ranks, but how a student uses the education he or she receives.
In Washington, I'm Julie Vallese.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired August 22, 2003 - 05:58 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Can't talk "Animal House" without talking college, right? There is a change at the top of the college rankings. We're not talking about "Animal House," but the entire college experience.
CNN's Julie Vallese has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JULIE VALLESE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This fall, thousands of high school students will begin their search for higher education. Their reasons for top choices will vary.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Location will be an issue.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My friends from high school were actually going to the same college.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Rankings mattered a lot for me.
VALLESE: More specifically, the rankings by "U.S. News & World Report."
BRIAN KELLY, EXECUTIVE EDITOR, "U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT": It helps sort through the real confusing universe of choices.
VALLESE: In this year's universe of the 1,400 schools, two stars shine brightest.
KELLY: This year, for the first time in several years, Princeton has found itself tied for number one. Harvard has made a run and now they're exactly identical in terms of the "U.S. News" rankings.
VALLESE: And in the smaller school category...
KELLY: Amherst College in Massachusetts had been number one for a number of years and this year Williams, which is their arch rival, is now clearly number one.
VALLESE: "U.S. News" uses more than 20 indicators in its equations, such as SAT scores, student class rankings and alumni contributions.
(on camera): For the first time, "U.S. News" is not using the yield or the percentage of students who accept a college's offer for admission as one of its indicators.
(voice-over): But critics of ranking say it's not just indicators that should be dropped, but the whole ranking system.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It creates the illusion that there are winners and losers and that there are only a handful of colleges and universities that are acceptable.
VALLESE: In the end, both sides say in life it isn't so much where a school ranks, but how a student uses the education he or she receives.
In Washington, I'm Julie Vallese.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
