High School Seniors Should Not Give a Damn About College Rankings

College Acceptance Letters May Roll In, But Don’t Join The Rat Race

When friends and I hang out, we reminisce about college memories: hip-hop dance team performances, late night Korean BBQ eats, and of course, the greasy mozzarella sticks from Uni-Mini on Charles Street. We went to Johns Hopkins University, now 10th ranked in the nation (U.S. News & World Report).

One of the reasons I chose JHU was this lingering feeling that I had something to prove. My family always told me, in order to make it as a black female I had to attend a phenomenal school. As a Virginia resident, University of Virginia and William and Mary were great and ridiculously cheaper, but didn’t have the Hopkins reputation.

I couldn’t move up from middle class or succeed in a world contrived for me to fail without going to the school with the best name. Taking that advice was one of my biggest regrets.

Many alumni, including myself, suffered from anxiety and depression due to the toxic pressure and competitiveness entrenched in our school’s environment. Additionally, most of us are in thousands of dollars of debt, crippling our freedom to take risks and explore different career options.

Malcolm Gladwell discusses college decisions in his work, David and Goliath where he concludes that going to a lesser known college isn’t solely about being a big fish in a small pond but rather, the feeling of confidence and assurance students gain from doing so. Gladwell advises that the opportunity to make mistakes and feel comfortable discussing school material with others outside of the classroom is more important than any school ranking. I couldn’t agree more.

Unfortunately, those factors are ignored by many students from middle class families. We want to make our parents proud. But we don’t need to get into +$100,000 of debt to achieve that. Our second and third jobs and so on, are not based on our undergraduate degree (especially with the growing requirement for a graduate degree). Moreover, there are still substantial alumni networks, faculty, and opportunities in in-state and lesser known schools.

Not being a statistic in the 1.28 trillion dollar student debt epidemic will give you the freedom to follow your own path to something you love. You may or may not start with a high paying job as some of the ivy league kids will. But unlike more than half of the students graduating from ivy league and high ranked schools, you will have confidence in your abilities. You can only attain that from being somewhere where you feel comfortable, present, and challenged, but not pressured. That will lead to success more than any framed piece of paper.

So from a JHU undergrad my advice to the student getting college acceptance letters in the mail, eager to a make a decision: ignore the race to get into the best school, whether from college confidential, family, or friends. Pick a school where you can feel comfortable to explore new subjects and learn from your mistakes. That’s success. And that has nothing to do with attending the fucking Harvard, Stanford, and Yale ‘holy trinity’.