Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now
Sign up
*Password must be at least 8 characters and contain one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, one number and one symbol.
Already have an account?
By submitting, you consent that you are at least 18 years of age and to receive information about MPR's or APMG entities' programs and offerings. The personally identifying information you provide will not be sold, shared, or used for purposes other than to communicate with you about MPR, APMG entities, and its sponsors. You may opt-out at any time clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any email communication. View our Privacy Policy.
Sign in to your profile
Forgot Password?
New to MPR News?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Reset Password

Enter the username on file and we'll send you a code to reset your password.

Still require assistance or not sure what your User Name is?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Email Verification

A verification code has been emailed to

Still awaiting the code?
On Campus Blog
Alex Friedrich

Which MN colleges get more love from counselors than college officials?

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

With the usual rankings-related caveats in mind, I was drawn to this little article in U.S. News & World Report on which schools are ranked higher by high-school counselors than their peers.

St. Mary's University of Minnesota topped the list of colleges with a greater repuation among counselors than of peer colleges. It had the greatest disparity (149 places) between the counselors' ranking (89) and that of college officials (238).

The University of St. Thomas came in third, with a disparity of 83 places. That difference, along with the second-ranked institution, is far lower than the St. Mary's disparity.

No Minnesota schools made the second ranking, which showed the opposite disparity -- which schools were ranked higher by college officials than by high-school counselors.

But Stony Brook University in New York, where University of Minnesota President Eric Kaler previously served as provost, is ranked 12th.

Here's what the magazine has to say about the pattern in the disparities:

The universities that are more highly ranked by high school counselors are generally either smaller research universities or schools that have heavy concentrations of programs in science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM). The universities that are more highly ranked by college officials than by high school counselors are all very large public universities—in some cases the top "flagship" public in their state.

For National Universities, the U.S. News ranking formula gives the high school counselor reputation a weight of 7.5 percent in the rankings, and the academic reputation peer score has a weight of 15 percent in the overall ranking model. Peer assessments are subjective, but they are also important because a diploma from a distinguished college helps graduates get good jobs or gain admission to top-notch graduate programs.

Could one come to the conclusion that those two Minnesota colleges are underrated because of a grad-school bias of college officials? Not sure what to make of it.

You can see the article and its rankings here.