While the rankings of universities might be important for university reputation, they may not be a major factor for many students.
Maclean’s magazine recently released their annual university rankings for 2013, in which Canadian universities are graded and ranked based on how they score in several criteria.
There are three overarching categories under which universities are ranked by students and classes, faculty, resources, student support, library, and reputation.
McGill University ranked first place for the medical doctoral category, which is defined as “a broad range of PhD programs and research, as well as medical schools,” according to the magazine. McGill is followed by the University of British Columbia and the University of Toronto.
The comprehensive category is composed of schools that “have a significant amount of research activity and a wide range of programs at the undergraduate and graduate level, including professional degrees.” The three top schools from 2012 maintained the same spots, with Simon Fraser University first, the University of Victoria in second, and the University of Waterloo in third. Carleton was tied for sixth with Memorial University.
The primarily undergraduate class, which “are [universities] largely focused on undergraduate education, with relatively fewer graduate programs and graduate students,” ranked the University of Lethbridge in third, University of Northern British Columbia in second, and Mount Allison University in first.
Daniela Spagnuolo, a first-year international development studies student at the University of Toronto said she didn’t take rankings “much” into account when she was choosing a university.
“I looked more at individual programs and how people I knew at the schools liked the schools when I made my final choice,” Spagnuolo said.
“I think the rankings probably benefit the schools in how they advertise themselves and compete with other schools more than they benefit the students who go there.”
Jessica Mullin, a second-year law and sociology student at Carleton University, said she thinks the rankings are a false representation of Canadian universities.
“Many [people] do not take into consideration the criteria on which universities are ranked, which, I think, are selective and may advantage or disadvantage certain universities depending on whether or not they fall within the binds of the information Maclean’s seeks,” Mullin said.
She said she didn’t take the rankings into account when deciding on where to study, which is a choice she doesn’t regret.
“Mount Allison University, for example, has consistently gotten number one for the ‘primarily undergraduate’ category over the past years.,” Mullin said.
“Coming from New Brunswick and knowing many former schoolmates who attend [Mount Allison], I know it would not offer me the things Carleton does and I would not have enjoyed it there,” Mullin said.
