America's best colleges and universities

Sometime this year, US News & World Report will come out with its annual list of best colleges and universities in the nation. It's interesting to look at how the magazine rates these institutions of higher education, but really, it's all drivel.

Because asking,"What is the best college in the United States?" leaves off two very important words: "For who?"

I have three children. One could be a good lawyer, because it's hard for me to win an argument with her. One is an artist type. And one can't help but do math in his head 24/7. The best college for one would be a terrible mismatch for the other two.

I've been talking a lot with the older two about higher education. My daughter has her eyes on Ohio State, but I've been telling her about dorm life and walking around a large campus. One is thinking about Ohio U. in that great town of Athens. The academic progams might work for him, but the culture would be a huge shock to his system. Or they could head to Marshall for the first year or two of a five- or six-year program.

Or one of them could try the Ohio campus at Ironton, although that might not be the best place for them. It might be, though. Branch campuses cater to students with different needs than what they will have, but you never know. It might do them good to be in with older students in search of career changes.

Back to the USN&WR rankings: Drivel. What do alumni contributions have to do with taking an 18-year-old mind and training it in specialized knowledge and advanced skills in critical thinking? What does the average ACT or SAT score of applicants have to do with how well professors teach material?

Someone told me once that rankings tell me more about the person doing the ranking than what is being ranked. I think he or she was right about that. That's why I have a hard time getting worked up about stories ranking this or that.