The president of Princeton University, which routinely leads the lists of best colleges and universities, advises applicants to be wary of choosing a school based on ranking lists.

"My university has now topped the U.S. News & World Report rankings for 11 years running. Given Princeton's success, you might think I would be a fan of the list," wrote Christopher Eisgruber in The Washington Post on October 21.

"Not so. I am convinced that the rankings game is a bit of mishegoss — a slightly daft obsession that does harm when colleges, parents or students take it too seriously," Eisgruber wrote, using a Yiddish word that means "senseless behavior or activity."

Rankings are highly popular and usually published around this time of year, application season for U.S. colleges and universities. An online search for "college rankings" reveals more than 66 million hits. While many companies and organizations publish such lists, the U.S. News & World Report rankings are seen as the most wide reaching.

Colleges at the top of such lists often are the hardest to get into. Low acceptance rates — less than 10% for the "best" schools — indicate those colleges receive far more applications than they have places for students.

Many applicants invest emotionally in a dream that is not likely to come true, in addition to spending up to hundreds of dollars on application fees. The colleges and universities with the highest application fees are also the most coveted and highest-ranking schools: Princeton, Harvard, Columbia, Yale, Stanford and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

According to the blog CollegeVine, a student applies to an average of eight to 12 schools per academic year. Fees per school can reach $100 per application, but students can request fee waivers.

Brevity over comprehensiveness

Eisgruber and others accuse U.S. News & World Report, which publishes numerous best lists on several topics each year, of capitalizing on brevity and convenience rather than comprehensive information.

U.S. News offers a lengthy explanation of its computation on its website, stating that it uses "multiple measures to capture the various dimensions of academic quality at each college. They fall into nine broad areas: graduation and retention, graduation rate performance, graduate indebtedness, social mobility, faculty resources, expert opinion, financial resources, student excellence, and alumni giving."

"The indicators include both input measures, which reflect the quality of students, faculty and other resources used in education, and outcome measures, which capture the results of the education an individual receives at the institution," it states.

U.S. News attracts "tremendous attention and a huge customer base. Their popularity has inspired many imitators," Eisgruber wrote.

These include the popular Princeton Review. The name of the publication might lead some to believe Princeton University endorses the review's choices. Not so. While the company was formed by a Princeton graduate who later founded the educational company Noodle Partners and 2U, the university has no connection with the publication.

"Don't get me wrong. I am proud of Princeton's teaching, research and commitment to service. I like seeing our quality recognized," Eisgruber said. "Applicants and their families, however, rely on the rankings and feel pressure to get into highly regarded institutions. As a result, many schools make intense efforts to move up in the rankings," he wrote.

In 2012, Claremont McKenna College in California admitted it had sent U.S. News boosted results that did not reflect the school's metrics accurately.

Eisgruber suggested applicants consult the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard, although the "data-centric interface can make it more attractive to policy wonks than to students."

He also wrote that he hoped "some national publication will have the courage to produce an annual, user-friendly Consumer Reports-style analysis of higher education institutions, even if it is not as beguiling as a football-style set of rankings."

He added: "Rankings, however, are a misleading way to assess colleges and universities. There are lots of great places to get an education. America's colleges and universities work collaboratively to educate the wide variety of people seeking degrees. Different schools may suit different students."

In The Student Life, the student newspaper for the Claremont Colleges, a consortium of five liberal art colleges and two graduate schools in Claremont, California, student Rochelle Lu writes about readjusting to her Shanghai home after spending a semester in the United States.

Read the full story here.

Cedarville University in the U.S. state of Ohio says it’s got more than 140 international students representing 44 countries.

Here, the school interviews Jonathan Sutton, director of international student services. He talks about his job and the opportunities for international students on campus.

Read the full article here.

Morehouse College, a private, historically Black liberal arts college in the U.S. state of Georgia, offers a guide for international students interested in attending the school.

Among the tips to apply and thrive at Morehouse:

• Take advantage of the school’s orientation program
• Turn to the school’s Center for Academic Success for tutoring, support and more
• Immerse yourself in campus life via clubs and societies

Read the full article here.

The administration of President Donald Trump said on Monday it will review Columbia University's federal contracts and grants over allegations of antisemitism, which it says the educational institution has shown inaction in tackling.

Rights advocates note rising antisemitism, Islamophobia and anti-Arab bias since U.S. ally Israel's devastating military assault on Gaza began after Palestinian Hamas militants' deadly October 2023 attack.

The Justice Department said a month ago it formed a task force to fight antisemitism. The U.S. Departments of Health and Education and the General Services Administration jointly made the review announcement on Monday.

"The Federal Government's Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism is considering Stop Work Orders for $51.4 million in contracts between Columbia University and the Federal Government," the joint statement said.

The agencies said no contracting actions had been taken yet.

"The task force will also conduct a comprehensive review of the more than $5 billion in federal grant commitments to Columbia University."

The agencies did not respond to requests for comment on whether there were similar reviews over allegations of Islamophobia and anti-Arab bias.

Columbia had no immediate comment. It previously said it made efforts to tackle antisemitism.

College protests

Trump has signed an executive order to combat antisemitism and pledged to deport non-citizen college students and others who took part in pro-Palestinian protests.

Columbia was at the center of college protests in which demonstrators demanded an end to U.S. support for Israel due to the humanitarian crisis caused by Israel's assault on Gaza. There were allegations of antisemitism and Islamophobia in protests and counter-protests.

During last summer's demonstrations around the country, classes were canceled, some university administrators resigned and student protesters were suspended and arrested.

While the intensity of protests has decreased in recent months, there were some demonstrations last week in New York after the expulsion of two students at Columbia University-affiliated Barnard College and after New York Governor Kathy Hochul ordered the removal of a Palestinian studies job listing at Hunter College.

A third student at Barnard College has since been expelled, this one related to the occupation of the Hamilton Hall building at Columbia last year.