As students headed back to campus a week ago, US News and World Report published its rankings of America's best colleges. Bowdoin climbed from tenth to seventh place.
The overall score is made up of, in order of importance, a peer assessment score, graduation and retention rates, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, alumni giving, and graduation rate performance. Although Bowdoin moved up in the overall rankings, its score remained at 89. The most notable change in the rankings was the College's faculty resources rank. Last year Bowdoin ranked 66 for faculty resources, while this year the school placed 43.
"It has been explained to me that the marginal differences between these institutions in the faculty resources rank are infinitesimal....the differences between the schools in this category are out in the decimal points," said Vice President for Communications and Public Affairs Scott Hood. "We do at Bowdoin what is best for Bowdoin. Any improvement is welcome, but we don't make decisions based on what this magazine is going to say about it."
Many other NESCAC schools finished in the top ten. Williams stayed at number one and Amherst at number two. Both Bates and Colby fell in the rankings this year finishing at 22 and 19 respectively.
Bowdoin is also listed as having the sixth lowest acceptance rate among Liberal Arts Colleges. Although the U.S. News and World Report recognizes the difference between national universities and liberal arts colleges by ranking the schools in separate lists, Bowdoin's acceptance rate is lower than many national universities like Cornell, Northwestern, and Duke.
Bowdoin is also included in the highest graduation rate list among liberal arts colleges and the "Great Schools, Great Prices" list.
Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid Jim Miller said, "I don't think it's inappropriate for third parties to evaluate colleges and universities and try to give prospective students and parents some sense of their respective strengths and weaknesses. Choosing a college is a confusing and expensive proposition, and ratings and guidebooks can be helpful in pointing people in the right direction. I think most prospective students and parents look at ratings and guidebooks, so they are important to them, and therefore, they're important to us."
Miller added, "I think the rankings can distinguish cohorts of schools...I don't think rankings can truly distinguish number one from number four, or number ten from number 14. Ultimately,
top schools all provide a wonderful education and what's 'best' for a student is absolutely a function of personal fit with the institution, not whether it's ranked seven or 15."
Reflecting on her college decision process last year, Yi Zheng '08 said, "The ranking wasn't important to me at all. I didn't even know the college ranking when I applied early. I visited the school three times and it was the atmosphere, people, and professors that made me feel really comfortable."
The Princeton Review also released its college rankings in "The Best 357 Colleges - 2005 Edition" a few weeks ago. These rankings assess other aspects of college life such as food and dorms and are solely based on student ratings opinion.
The Review included Bowdoin in a number of lists including best food, where the college was ranked second, and "Dorms are like Palaces" where the college finished tenth. Bowdoin also ranked number 14 on the "Best Quality of Life" list and 19 on the "School Runs Like Butter" list. Overall, the school improved from last year in campus life, academics, financial facts, and selectivity.
Comments from students were included about the school's student body, academics, and campus life. One student said, "Everyone seems to be the kid in high school who played three varsity sports, ran the yearbook, newspaper, or student government, and worked hard to get good grades."
Another student said Bowdoin's academic scene was "a beautiful place where students work hard at the things they love, not because they are competing with someone, but because they want to do well."
The Review also recognized Bowdoin's advising system, its large acitivites budget, the accessibility of the faculty and staff on campus, and its commitment to expanding diversity on campus.