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Which university ranking is trustful?

Ursi1991

So I was checking out different university rankings and each lists the schools in another ordner. They don't even agree on #1.
Which ranking do you take to judge the level of education you will get at a certain university?
I like the averaged meta ranking instead of one particular ranking.
https://metauniversityranking.wordpress.com/worlds-top-50-universities-metascore/

Reply 1

Clearing and Applications Advisor

Original post by Ursi1991

Which ranking do you take to judge the level of education you will get at a certain university?
I like the averaged meta ranking instead of one particular ranking.
https://metauniversityranking.wordpress.com/worlds-top-50-universities-metascore/

The meta ranking you link to is based on combining 3 tables that are based almost entirely on research reputation/quality.

If you're interested in "ranking" "level of education" then you'll need to think about factors other than research reputation and citation indices

Reply 2

username858757

I don't think that any rankings are less trustworthy for others per se, but you need to take into account the criteria that they use and weigh that up against what you consider important. The typical rankings take into account: research output, entry standards, teaching quality, student satisfaction, and career prospects. For me, research quality is important, as I'm aiming to have a career in academic research.

The Guardian's rankings are well known for doing things differently than others as they split teaching quality and student satisfaction into multiple criteria and give them greater weight than other ranking systems. It's not my preferred system, as it has nothing about research, and I consider student satisfaction to be the least quantitative of the main measures, and also surely most students have no basis of comparison for their expectations?

I have no problem with The Guardian doing their rankings this way though, as it is good to have variety and student satisfaction is very important (it's just hard to measure objectively). It may be a good one for you too look at actually, as they have a value added criteria: Guardian Rankings

Its also important to look at the specific subject rankings, as different unis excel in different areas.

TL/DR: There is nothing wrong per se with any ranking system, you just need to find one that takes into account the criteria that are most important to you. Sorry about not being very concise.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 3

Ursi1991

Yes, I agree that if you are looking for teaching quality these rankings don't say too much. However, education is more than how good professors are at teaching at class. It is also about the other students - are they motivated and interested? Your environment influences you a lot and the best students tend to go to universities with high academic reputation. And I believe education is directly linked to research. A lot of students like to participate in undergrad research, working on real current problems. That is the kind of experience where you learn much more than in class.

Reply 4

myblueheaven339

Original post by Ursi1991

, education is more than how good professors are at teaching at class

In my opinion no lecturer is particularly good at teaching. Talking for an hour about something you know a lot about does not in any way mean that someone will learn what you are talking about. And if no one is really learning it, what's the point?

This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App

Reply 5

psychology1010

I find it hard to believe that the LSE not even in the top 50 universities. These tables are biased towards universities that offer a full spectrum of subjects compared to universities that specialise in a certain subject.

Reply 6

storeypj

Original post by psychology1010

but then again why are Imperial/Caltech/MIT ranked so highly?

Reply 7

psychology1010

Original post by storeypj

but then again why are Imperial/Caltech/MIT ranked so highly?

The 3 universities you have mentioned do offer a large array of subjects compared to the LSE. Whilst they may not offer 'philosophy' or 'medieval languages', they specialise in science in general, which encompasses everything from mathematics to chemical engineering. The vast majority of LSE courses focus on economics, even their geography course is focused on it!