We all saw the latest U.S. News & World Report college rankings. And whether we were hoping Washington University would magically rise to the top American school to make up for that less-than-perfect GPA or just have a personal vendetta against the University of Chicago, we all seem to have our own individual complaints and frustrations with Wash. U.’s decline from the 11th-ranked college to the 12th-ranked college. Personally, I’m disappointed that we weren’t ranked lower. Yeah, go ahead and read that again. I did just say the impossible: I wish Wash. U.’s ranking would fall. And by fall, I mean I wish the ranking would plummet, like to 20, or even to an unthinkable 30.

No, it’s not that I hate Wash. U. or that Cornell is secretly paying me to analyze Wash. U. and figure out how they can move ahead of us. I’m not trying to bring the school down from the inside (although I do occasionally “borrow” extra spoons from Bear’s Den). I’m not even one of those people who wishes for a low ranking to make obvious the flaws of the system because I oppose the rankings on the principle that they factor in things like the percentage of classes with 20 or fewer students and alumni giving. We’re just too focused on the rankings, and that focus brings the danger of lulling us into a false sense of security about our futures.

When I first heard Wash. U. students talk about the college rankings, I had a scary image of students camping outside Barnes & Noble or Target waiting for the college edition of U.S. News & World Report the way students at other schools would go tenting before the big basketball game. I’m relieved to report that I have not yet heard actual stories of students sleeping outside in pursuit of the first magazine. Unfortunately, the rankings do seem to be the center of a lot of our school pride and academic security for the future.

I understand that a higher ranking does offer a little extra help with our graduate school, medical school, or law school applications. Trust me, I’m thankful for that advantage. I realize that a higher ranking might contribute to better name recognition for the school. And yes, I too get tired of telling people “I go to Wash. U. Yeah. It’s this school in St. Louis.” The effect of the school’s high ranking that I see most often, though, is the belief that the high school work that got us into Wash. U. is going to carry us through all the way to medical school – that since we were accepted to Wash. U., we no longer have to be concerned about the future as long as we graduate.

This simply isn’t the case. Average grades and test scores from the 12th ranked undergraduate school would not, for example, gain one admission into the 12th ranked law school. The average undergraduate GPA of a student admitted into the 20th ranked Wash. U. law school is a 3.6 (a GPA that makes one eligible for honors at Wash. U.) and an LSAT score of 166. Hailing from a competitive undergraduate institution has been described as an application “plus,” but it’s not an application life raft. Essentially, the fact that our beloved institution has been ranked a better college than schools like Northwestern or Emory doesn’t mean that we don’t still have to have better grades and essays to compete with people from these schools for graduate school admissions.

What students from strong but lesser-known schools have that we don’t is the awareness that they still need to prove themselves to do well in the future. We may have gotten into a great school and the school may give us a good education, but the U.S. News evaluation of Wash. U. is nothing more than a pre-season football ranking. It’s essentially meaningless if we, the student body, don’t continue to earn it. Let’s focus on our own educations and contributions to society and, like our futures, the rankings will fall into place.

Jill is a sophomore in Arts & Sciences and a Forum Editor. She can be reached via e-mail at [email protected]

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