USING UNIVERSAL RANKINGS

These key principles for the use of rankings in decision-making could be applied in almost any context, but when applied to international rankings of universities, they are crucial When choosing an international ranking of institutions, not programs, that are based on somebody else’s interpretation of what the rankings are evaluating and how the various measures are aggregated to yield an overall relative position. This is not to imply that university rankings should be dismissed entirely, simply that they should be dismissed entirely, simply that they should be dismissed entirely, simply that they should be considered at the appropriate stage of the world in which we live and are unlikely to prove disastrous. This is not to imply that university rankings should be considered at the appropriate stage of the decision-making process and with a complete understanding of what represents quality, would be a grave mistake. In this context, to depend too much on an international ranking of institutions, not programs, that are based on somebody else’s interpretation of what represents quality, would be a grave mistake.
When choosing an international Masters degree or PhD program, however, you are taking a big step and one that ought to have a profound influence on your life. Many rankings focus on the more frivolous aspects of the world in which we live and are unlikely to prove disastrous.