Undaunted by her flawless logic, I retorted that GW suffers from an inferiority complex regarding rankings, and the fact that GW doesn't score as high as we want doesn't mean the rankings are wrong or evil.
So here we are roughly two months later.
And another Hatchet columnist thinks that college ranking systems are dumb and GW shouldn't let itself change because of them.
I don't know if I have the heart to really go into this again. But I'll reiterate: College rankings are objective and fair. No one at US News has it out for GW. Yes, it's sad that GW isn't a top 50 school. No, that doesn't mean the rankings are wrong or misguided. There are a ton of universities all over this country. Being the 53rd best is actually pretty good. Maybe there is something that the 52 above us are doing that, just maybe, makes them a bit better than GW.
None of this means you can't love GW. I love GW. This school is too expensive to attend unless you love it. But just because you don't like how the game is going doesn't mean you should pick up your ball and go home. My favorite thing about these editorials is that they say GW should just focus on improving itself instead of caring about rankings. But how do you think you improve your rankings? Improve yourself. Make it affordable to come here. Make sure that students don't leave with huge amounts of debt so that they're more inclined to give money back. Focus on academics instead of the multitude of other ridiculous endeavors you engage in.
Hoo boy, that felt good. See you guys in another two months, when some hotshot Hatchet columnist gets a great idea for a piece about GW and rankings...
10 comments:
Hopefully I'm not counted among the unoriginal columnists! I've tried to keep things topical without beating a dead horse. Repetitive column material hurts the rest of the opinion section by making people less likely to even bother turning to page 4.
Ingoglia, are you running for CD chair next year?
A bit early to decide on that, but even earlier to rule anything out.
I would totally join the CDs to vote for you, goggles.
Unlikely, but I appreciate the support! Either way, the Patriot will be the first to know.
in eboard lingo, that sounds like you want to find out who is running against you. Who are the other potential candidates?
I'm not going to get into any of that here. What I can tell you is I'm very much enjoying my hiatus from "eboard lingo" and any decisions won't be happening for a long long long time.
Goggles, why didn't you tell me you're joining the SA?
Looks like this needs a new post, haha!
I graduated from GWU in 2000 with a Biology degree. In 2005, I earned my Masters in Ecology and Evolution from Rutgers. A few days ago, I visited the GWU campus and talked to my old professors. The biology department there is still great. While most of the "top" universities in the USA divide the Life Sciences into different departments, GWU still teaches students to view organisms at every scale from the molecule to the ecosystem. The professors also focus practical research rather than public policy. A GWU biology education today is more valuable than one from Princeton.
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