Demystifying College Rankings: What Matters and What Doesn’t

We know that choosing the right path for your college journey can be tricky, and TJC wants to help you make the right decision.

We were recently named to the Aspen Top 150 for Community College Excellence, the signature recognition of high achievement among America’s community colleges. We’re proud of this award, but we also recognize that college rankings should only be a small factor in your decision.

Here’s why: Stanford University recently completed a study showing the indicators used to determine college rankings rely on deeply flawed measures.

The research shows there is no agreed upon set of metrics when it comes to ranking colleges against each other.

“Research tells us that the most successful students, both in college and beyond, are the ones who engage in the undergraduate experience regardless of how selective a school may be.”

-Denise Pope, Stanford Researcher

College ranking panelists look at indicators quite differently, which means that there is no precise way of determining whether an institution is one of the elites.

For example: many panelists look at the number of students admitted into a college each year. However, depending on the panelist, they might look at a high admittance rate as exemplary whereas, another panelist might find a high admittance rate as unsatisfactory.

We know that going straight off to a four-year university seems appealing now, but we can provide you the same experiences at a third of the cost.

At TJC we provide you with everything you need to succeed for your next steps in life.

We have everything from clubs and organizations for you to build your network, volunteer opportunities so you can engage in the community, and sporting events for you to show off your TJC pride.

National rankings are a rewarding pat on the back, but TJC cares about you because you are what makes us great.

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