Metrics That Matter: Counting What's Really Important to College Students

Colleges sell themselves by the numbers, but these often mislead prospective students. Metrics That Matter examines popular metrics used by future and current college students and highlights their fundamental flaws when used as a basis for making important educational decisions. The authors recommend alternative information that would be more useful and meaningful for students to consider, emphasizing that students should focus on their intellectual and academic education goals, not just vocational or monetary ones.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 200 pages
Publication date: 16 May 2023
Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press

Colleges often sell themselves by the numbers, such as rankings, returns on investments, and top-ten lists, but these metrics can mislead prospective students. What numbers should students really pay attention to?

High school and college students are inundated with indicators and rankings designed to help them decide where to go to college and what to study once they arrive. In "Metrics That Matter," coauthors Zachary Bleemer, Mukul Kumar, Aashish Mehta, Chris Muellerleile, and Christopher Newfield take a critical look at these metrics and find that many of the most popular ones are confusing, misleading, and easily replaceable by more helpful alternatives.

"Metrics That Matter" explores popular metrics used by future and current college students, with chapters focusing on colleges' return on investment, university rankings, average student debt, average wages by college major, and more. Written for students, their families, and the counselors who advise them, each chapter explains a common metric's fundamental flaws when used as a basis for making important educational decisions. The authors then draw on decades of scholarship from many academic fields to pair each metric with a concrete recommendation for alternative information, both qualitative and quantitative, that would be more useful and meaningful for students to consider.

They emphasize that students should be thinking beyond solely using metrics when making college decisions—students should focus on their intellectual and academic education goals, not just vocational or monetary ones.

Students' reliance on certain metrics has skewed universities away from providing high-quality education and distorted the perception of higher education's purpose, overemphasizing private financial returns over the broader societal benefits.

In conclusion, colleges should be transparent about their metrics and provide students with comprehensive information to make informed decisions. Students should also consider their own goals and values when making college decisions, rather than solely relying on rankings and other external factors. By doing so, we can ensure that higher education continues to be a valuable and meaningful pursuit for all students.

Weight: 292g
Dimension: 152 x 229 x 16 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781421445731