Although Ohio University has retained its spot this year as the 124th best place in the nation to obtain an education, university officials say there is more to OU than the numbers.
U.S. News and World Report ranked public and private universities nationwide based on several “widely accepted indicators of excellence,” according to its website, and OU joined three other public Ohio universities in the top 150.
OU’s ranking of 124 did not change from last year, according to a previous Post article.
Ohio State University ranked 55th in the country. Miami University snagged the 90th spot, and the University of Cincinnati’s score was 143rd.
OSU moved up from 56th last year. The university also was ranked as the 17th best public university in the country and the best in Ohio.
OU’s ranking on the best colleges list has fell in the past few years. The university was ranked 110 in 2007, 112 in 2008 and 116 in 2009, according to a previous Post article.
“Certainly, the host of intangibles that make up the college experience can't simply be measured by a series of data points,” the U.S. News and World Report website states. “But … The rankings allow you to compare at a glance the relative quality of institutions based on such widely accepted indicators of excellence as freshman retention and graduation rates and the strength of the faculty.”
These indicators are not the only ones OU uses to measure its worth, said Kent Smith, vice president for Student Affairs, and as such, OU students shouldn’t put too much stock in the rankings.
“I’m happy we’re in the top 150, but just like some of the other rankings, I don’t think it lends towards the total experience of Ohio University,” Smith said.
For instance, the rankings measure how college students performed in high school. However, OU looks at more than grades when admitting students, Smith said.
“Some of the things that work against you in the rankings are some of the things that are a historical legacy for the university,” Smith said. “One of the things, historically, OU prides itself in is giving people an opportunity who had not had an opportunity to go to college otherwise.”
rm279109@ohiou.edu
