Students Can Benefit From Obama’s Ranking System

Every year, U.S News and World Report offers college rating services. In 2013, Obama planed to create a ranking system that can help students and parents choose a college worth the money they pay. This plan quickly opposed by many colleges and universities’ presidents. Recently, the federal government released a new website called College Scorecard instead of announcing a real college rating. The thing is, the data from a released website shows a huge earning gap among college graduate students. Also, Michael D. Shear mentions the problem that  “At too many schools, tuition is going up, graduation rates are going down, and students are leaving with enormous debt and little hope of high-paying jobs.” In another way, college presidents seem are trying to cover more potential problems which will show up in the released data. Though these authorities objected to Obama’s ranking system does not mean it is not a good thing for students. College Scorecard can give students information they need, but it still does not has as big influence as a real rating of college has. Students can benefit from Obama’s ranking system.

The Obama’s ranking system can help students find a college fit their situation. According to the article “Who’s Afraid of College Rankings”, Obama’s ranking system can rate the quality of America’s colleges and universities on students’ graduation rates, net price and financial aid. For students and their parents this ranking system definitely can give them a better choice of which college worth them to attend and worth them to take a risk. From the article “Gaps in Earnings Stand Out in Release of College Data”, author Kevin Carey claims that graduate students’ future earning are bleak. Thousands of graduate students face the problem that they cannot pay off their college loans after attending jobs for few years. It is true that education cannot value by money. But under the high tuition, the reality is people choose to go to college does not mean their futures have to be tracked by paying off the college loan. Kevin Carey did research found earning gaps, but students does not have too much time wasted on doing this kind of research. The ranking system is a way to show students what they need clearly and easily.The Obama’s ranking system can help students to find a school worth the tuition it charges and at least will not become extra burdens for parents and students.

College presidents and other authorities’ opposition makes the Obama’s ranking system more reliable. According to the article “Who’s Afraid of College Rankings”, people against Obama’s rating stated that this plan will push people away from service-oriented jobs which pay-less. In the article “With Website to Research Colleges, Obama Abandons Ranking system”, college presidents also states that this plan will “force schools to prioritize money-making majors like accounting over those like English, history or philosophy”. As for this point, author Kevin Carey mention that it is unfair that same high tuition block students from choosing majors which are not money-making. And he also mentions that on College Scorecard, students can find schools which are good at providing financial aids for special majors and other help. Students can gather what they need from College Scorecard. But not all the students can gather information from this website, for students all over the world a real rating is more useful.

No college ranking system can really help students to choose which college they should attend. This is the conclusion of the article “College Rankings Fail to Measure the Influence of the Institution”. These rating resources at least can give advice to students. Even students do not care the top-ranked school, after they graduate, many companies they apply have their definition of good college from those ranking system’s influence. Famous universities provide advantages to their students. At least the highly ranked schools’ graduate students will have more chance and more choice than those students graduate from a school no one heard of it. Maybe college ranking is not useful for every student, but it already influence most of people’s value. Who will be responsible for these innocent students who only want to get a better education. The Obama’s ranking system can help students to make a better choice.

In summary, college ranking was created to help students not wasting too much time on personal researching or an honor for the school, once it changes its original purpose, which even lead colleges’ tuition rising. Obama’s ranking system’s main idea is to help students to choosing a college can saddle them with high debt and poor earning potential. Why not at least give students a chance to choose what they want about their future education. The Obama’s ranking system can give students more choices about their life.

Works Cited

Carey, Kevin. “Gaps in Earnings Stand Out in Release of College Data.” The New York Times. Ed. David Leonhardt. The New York Times, 13 Sept. 2015. Web. 09 Nov. 2015.

Colarusso, Laura, and Jon Marcus. “Who’s Afraid of College Rankings?” The Washington Monthly. Ed. Alaina Lancaster. Washington Monthly, Sept. 2014. Web. 09 Nov. 2015.

Shear, Michael D. “Colleges Rattled as Obama Seeks Rating System.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 25 May 2014. Web. 09 Nov. 2015.

Shear, Michael D. “With Website to Research Colleges, Obama Abandons Ranking System.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 12 Sept. 2015. Web. 09 Nov. 2015.

Stewart, James B. “College Rankings Fail to Measure the Influence of the Institution.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 01 Oct. 2015. Web. 09 Nov. 2015.