It's not just about the numbers.
A new tool called CollegeSpeak aims to encourage students to value personal criteria over rankings and reputation when picking a school - and some elite colleges are signing on to the idea.
The Web site - which is being developed by the Education Conservancy - uses a questionnaire to help students find colleges that best match their priorities.
Though the site has been presented as "anti-ranking," Executive Director of Education Conservancy Lloyd Thacker said it can more accurately be described as a "pro-educational movement."
The tool was presented in a preliminary form at this year's National Association for College Admission Counseling conference.
Thacker hopes the site - which will be free for students to use - will be up and running in six months to a year.
Funding for CollegeSpeak will come from donations and grants, rather than advertising, Thacker stated.
Harvard, Yale and Princeton have already donated money and contributed information about their schools to the Web site. Thacker said he would "love for Penn to get involved" as well.
Dean of Admissions Eric Furda wrote in an e-mail that he was not at the NACAC panel where CollegeSpeak was presented. He did not say whether Penn would participate in the site, but said if CollegeSpeak can gather the promised material, "it can become a useful source of information for students and families."
Yale Dean of Admissions Jeff Brenzel, who has been a vocal supporter of the site, wrote in an e-mail that he hopes "colleges can and will collaborate in the construction of a non-commercial alternative to rigid and artificial rankings schemes."
When students first log onto the Web site, they will answer a series of questions to help them explore what they know about themselves as students, about selecting colleges and about the admissions process.
The purpose of these questions is to "replicate the counseling experience that kids have in a guidance office," Thacker explained, pointing out that not all students even have access to college counseling.
CollegeSpeak will then compare users' responses to those of current college students and recent graduates.
"We want to show you that what you think is important now may or may not be important to you later," Thacker said.
Thacker stressed the importance of deciding what kind of "learning environment" students are looking for, which he said most guidebooks don't cover.
The site also has a College Fit Finder. Here, students search for colleges by matching their school criteria, educational goals and academic records with data and information provided by the universities.
When students receive a list of colleges to consider, they will have access to course syllabi, slideshows and videos about the schools, as well as faculty and student contact information.
According to Thacker, the test of the site will be "the extent to which colleges realize that they have more to gain by cooperating together on this public stage rather than compete through the rankings," he said.
Cindy Sullivan, senior consultant at AdmissionsConsultants, said that when students rely too heavily on rankings, they miss out on other, sometimes more appropriate, opportunities.
