At the pinnacle

Every year, the publication of U.S. News and World Report's top college rankings never goes unnoticed. Most of us are very aware that Princeton has been ranked in the top spot for three of the past four years, and for the second straight year we stand alone. Still, most college administrators — including those at Princeton — claim that such rankings are subjective and misleading and should be taken with a grain of salt. It seems the only ones to claim that the rankings are significant are the editors at U.S. News. They, of course, just want us to go buy their magazine.

And many of us do. We all want to know who is number one. The college admissions process is one of those intriguing subjects that catch the attention of many, and it can dominate the minds of high school students and parents. An article in the September issue of the Atlantic Monthly entitled "Confessions of a Prep School College Counselor" describes the chaos of college admissions. According to its author, Caitlin Flanagan, carefree students whom she had taught in class became "complete neurotics" upon entering her counseling office, and parents who had always been pleasant suddenly became testy and contentious. Some of us were laid back about the process of applying to college, while others of us experienced the frenzy of it all. Some of us felt sure we could get in — we wrote essays about the world-changing invention we made back in seventh grade or about our voyage to Uganda where we saved a village from starvation. Others of us were not so sure we'd make it. We devoted hours to completing essays that had to fit into half-page spaces, and we spent days contemplating what we'd write in the "Hodge-Podge" section. Just what was the best time of day? And of all the words in the dictionary, which one really was our favorite?

But really, students would undergo the agony of applying to Princeton even if it were ranked 50th. When it all comes down to it, Princeton is fortunate enough to be able to disregard the rankings but still know that it is a top-notch school. We don't really need to hear that Princeton is ranked first. It is a prestigious school, as it has always been. California Institute of Technology was rated number one two years ago, but it is not one of those schools that always comes to mind when we pick out the finest institutions in the country. According to Flanagan, some schools are prestigious just for a short time — it becomes a fad to attend them. We know that Princeton will always be a popular choice.

Whatever the experts say, and however modest we try to act around students at other colleges, we are proud to be first. Maybe we can't pinpoint what put us in the top spot — we can't just credit ourselves and our intelligence, our erudite professors or wealthy alumni. But whatever determines the rankings, we'll take this ranking any day. Besides, we would rather be number one than have someone else be number one. Doesn't it feel good to be able to say, with confidence and certainty, that Harvard sucks? — Lee Williams '02 Editorial Page Editor