Does University Ranking Really Matter?

Yo! At first, I thought rankings felt like just numbers on papers, right? But then, when CU (Columbia University) hit No. 1 for private universities in India, I was like, ' Wait, this is actually huge.'

Initially, rankings felt like some random number stuff, but then I saw an Instagram post claiming CU hits No. 1 for private universities in India, and ranked 120 in Asia. It made me realize that private universities are getting noticed now. CU has solid industry tie-ups and hands-on training that actually matter when you want to land a job. Trust me, it makes a difference.

I visited the CU campus a while ago, and I was shocked by how good the faculty and facilities were. It wasn't just about pushing students through the system; they were actually trying to teach us. When you say, 'I'm from a top-ranked university,' it's like boom—you get that little extra credibility. While IITs and MITs still own the top spots, the rise of CU shows that private universities can definitely bring some heat too.

Rankings: A Double-Edged Sword

Broadly speaking, not really. If you are a potential student and a family member of that student, you have to do your own research on which school works out the best for your own goals and means. There are many paths, and school rankings are full of questionable parameters. I'll be blunt: depending on exactly what you are studying for and want to get a career in, the rankings may matter a little bit, but only if your employer actually cares about it.

There are many employers out there who will only care or be aware of either what is prestigious in their region, which differs from published school rankings, or if they care about what's outside their region, they may only think highly of Ivy League schools or schools with an established reputation in sports. It's superficial and discriminatory, but that's how many people are like. I've observed and experienced this from California to Missouri.

The Importance of Networking

The opportunities for networking are what you make of it. The more activities a school has for alumni, the more people they have connected to many institutions and companies, making it more likely that you will run into someone who might help you out one day for any matter. But it's not a guarantee. Sometimes it may never help at all. It's on you.

Considerations for Specific Fields

For the sciences and engineering on the graduate level, the rankings are not what people should be looking for but what the research projects and facilities/equipment a school has that align with your interests. If you find a school that has the full spectrum of botany projects, such as the lower-ranked Miami University in Ohio, and this is what you want to learn and make a career out of, attending this school will matter more to your career and network than the higher-ranked Harvard or Stanford. People in this field understand.

Other fields, like law and business, also have unique criteria for gauging the quality of schools pertaining to their professions that differ from published rankings. Overall, it's what you make of it. However, just be aware that once you're out in the workforce for more than two years, your alma mater alone matters less. The work you can deliver and how much you can suck up to the bosses become more important. So, it's not the end of the world if you never attended a higher-ranked school.