College Rankings, Top Ten Lists

and other forms of rationalized hierarchization should remind us of discredited sciences like nineteenth century craniometry, but also of present day industrialized intelligence and standard based testing. These forms of thinking drive competition, mystify the question of everyday experience, but alas, there is one terrible truth that must be faced: because we have internalized rankings to such a deep degree, there is a vast difference in the ways in which students at more highly ranked institutions of higher learning view themselves and their studies.

One finds, anecdotally, a greater sense of seriousness.The rankings produce experience. Process rather than results based learning seems to be reserved for the privileged and enlightened classes who can afford to send their children to visionary four year liberal arts colleges while the rest of students mill about in diploma factories, in perpetual detention until they are unleashed into the work force.