University rankings are not reliable reference
University and college rankings are lists about institution in higher education; rankings created by many factors, such as, the quality of entire institutions, specific programs, and faculties. Since the first university ranking was published in 1983 by the US New and World Report (USNWER), nations university rankings been created in over 40 countries (Hazelkom, 2009). For the international rankings, they are more recently but have become more influence on several groups’ people， such as, prospective students, universities, and employers. In addition, prospective students, who are in university or college admission process, often use university rankings. There are various rankings in Canada. MacLean’s magazine’s annual ranking of Canadian universities is the most authoritative ranking in Canada. University ranking is not a new topic for higher education institutions. Many people in higher education are aware of university ranking. University rankings likely have a significant affect among higher institutions over last two decades. Whenever an administrative ranking release, and a lot of people would like to pay attention on it. People will over depend on the ranking information; even they might know the information is lack of reliability and validity. Therefore, my point of view is university rankings are not a reliable reference.
First of all, University ranking are lacking completely information. Different people have total different experiences about university or college. Prospective students are unlikely to have exclusively point view about higher institutions of choice; they to find a reliable source to reference. Two decades, prospective students might to ask college students to gain information about universities that was very inconvenience, but since the first university ranking was released, students seemly have an easy way to deal with. However, rankings makers have a strong bias towards long history and well-endowed high institution; often with business school and medical school in developed countries (Hazelkom, 2009). Maclean’s magazine provides a simplified, and easy to understand ranking to readers; however, Maclean’s only including less 50 institutions in its ranking which just a half of total number of official higher institutions in Canada. Rankings do not include completely information to readers.
Second, university-ranking position depends on varying character and quality, it cannot tell much information to readers. A medical institution that is the excellent at brain surgery but has a mediocre heart surgery program. To combine ranking would involve different educational cultures and teaching practices, it much complex higher institutions are ranked to a single number. Ontario, the largest province in Canada, there was approximately 0.12 million prospective students in 2008 based on a research (Rushowy, 2009). Those prospective students who want to apply higher institutions; they might need to check rankings that help them to choice a university and ideal majors. University rankings only supply some statistics about universities’ position to readers, but it tells absolutely nothing of the university's subtleties and specialty. A number cannot descriptive what campus life is like to ranking readers; in addition, the statistics can’t tell additional course actions are offered. University rankings provide competition among universities, but recently this competition has created a vicious circle for universities. Firstly, Canada has more than 200 higher institutions, but people only interested in the top 20 or 50 universities. For many universities who are not being ranked might become invisible to students. Universities who has well position in the rankings get increasing number of students application while the low-ranking universities may be suffer by matriculate number.
Secondly, rankings today affect a large number of stakeholders’ choice and