How Much Do Rankings Matter?

[slpgal123]

Now to start this out, I want to put out there that I definitely don't think rankings mean everything, and know that the school being a good fit for you is the most important. But should they be completely ignored?

 

I just looked up the rankings of the 10 schools I'm considering on US News (8 of which I haven't heard back from, but they're on the list anyway haha):

• UConn (32)
• Hunter (84)
• Brooklyn (106)
• Adelphi (131)
• Montclair (154)
• Seton Hall (154)
• Kean (204)
• LIU Brooklyn (204)
• William Paterson (229)
• Richard Stockton (unranked)

 

And I can't help but think.... how much should I consider them? For example, I've already gotten into UConn, and clearly it's the by far best ranked school on my list. I know the rankings are primarily based on research the school does and what not, but would going to a school like UConn that's clearly much higher up be looked more highly upon by job prospects? Like lets say I'm choosing between UConn and William Paterson (where WP is much cheaper since I'm in state), would it be a bad decision to go with the cheaper school that's literally the last ranked school on US News' list vs. one that's #32?

 

Any input is appreciated

[SLPzs91]

In all honesty, I think ranking matters somewhat, but not enough to count when it comes to getting a job. The only difference between schools/programs really comes down to electives. You'll still have to take te same core courses no matter where you go. I think what matters more is where you do your clinical placements. Having a stronger name tied to that area of your résumé could possibly help. But as long as you get your CCC-SLP/CCC-A, it means you graduated from an ASHA certified institution, which employers look for more. That having been said, I really think picking where you're comfortable is the most important thing here. You want to be happy with the program and the area you're living in for the next two years. Past this, I'm a firm believer that everything else will fall into place. I hope this has helped, and best of luck :-)!

[queenleblanc]

I don't put a lot of stock in rankings, but what I have looked at is the success of the program's graduates.  Passing rates on the Praxis, employment rates, as well as students who have gone on to pursue PhD's because that is something I eventually want to do.  I also looked at the course schedule / curriculum of each program, what topics and how much of each topic I'd be taking.  I found some programs concentrated a bit more on school-ages than I probably want, because I want to eventually work in SNF, rehab center or hospital as opposed to a school, and also teach at the collegiate level once I get more experience in the field.  I think that rankings may play some sort of role as far as PhD prestige, but in a master's program, I just don't think it matters as much.  If you like the school, the philosophy, have a prof or three that could serve as an advisor for a potential thesis, and you have a gut feeling about a program (a "vibe," maybe) - the ranking becomes secondary or even tertiary as far as what priority it plays, because ASHA is SO super-detailed on how it accredits programs.  If it's ASHA certified, it should be a very rigorous program regardless of rank by US news.  Now, if ASHA came out with rankings, maybe I'd put more stock into them as a major consideration.  

[Nebraska19]

I think things like Praxis pass rates, employment rates and the amount of students who graduate on time matters the most, not the individual rankings. Other things like tuition, where the campus is located and the employment/clinical opportunities that are available matter too. Each person has a set of things that are important to them when it comes to grad school that may not be important to others. Some people may just want to attend the cheapest school they can get into because they don't want the loans, others may want to attend a big city with lots of clinical and employment opportunities, others may want to stay close to family, etc. You should think about what is personally important to you and pick a program based on that. As long as a program is fully ASHA certified you should be fine, the rankings really should not be a deciding factor unless you love two programs equally and just can't decide, but that's just me.

[Tuck]

To add to what everyone else has said, which I agree with, I want to chime in that I think rankings may matter somewhat more if you are planning for a career in academia. I plan to go straight to a PhD after getting my Cs, so rankings/reputation are somewhat important to me. What's more important to me is that my prospective school have faculty who could advise my thesis, labs relevant to my research interests, and profs and who will have connections to faculty I might want to do my PhD with.

 

Also, on the employment front for non-phd-track people, local/regional reputation of a school can matter. If you know you want to end up practicing in a particular area of the country, schools and clinic placements that will be recognizable to employers in that area would be good to have on your resume.

 

But I agree that "fit" and a lot of other factors can trump rankings. Praxis pass rates and employment rates are at the top of the list.

[midnight]

Rankings are partially based on the quality of schools' faculty, facilities, and resources. While rankings probably shouldn't be your main concern, a highly ranked program will likely be strong.

 

However, SLP rankings are tricky as a school can have a lower ranking but be extremely competitive due to applicant numbers and limited spots, and schools with lower rankings will still provide you with what you need to begin a career, which is what really matters. It's not unheard of for someone to choose a lower ranked school over a top program once tuition, fit, or any other number of important factors come into play.

 

I say visit the programs you're accepted to since they're all accessible in your tristate area. I think your impressions of the programs after in-person visits will give you far more information than a ranking number.

Edited March 17, 2013 by midnight streetlight

[slpgal123]

Thanks everyone, this is some good input. I definitely plan on visiting the schools I'm admitted to, and that will definitely be a big part of my decision process. I guess I can just see me liking multiple programs, and wondering if as an additional factor I should consider how it's ranked. I just wonder how much people hiring are aware of the school's ranking rather than just aware of general reputations of schools (or not caring at all as long as it's accredited). Like I've heard great things about Hunter (that it's extremely competitive to get into and an excellent program), and yet it's more than double in the rankings than UConn.

 

We'll see how many choices I even end up having, but I can see deciding being very difficult. And I'm just undecided on how much rankings should be considered in the decision process.

[clydeyo12]

I'm in a somewhat similar position, as I was accepted by NYU and will probably have to decide between NYU and a more affordable, local, less "name-recognizable" option. Since I used to work at a special ed school (where I was first introduced to speech as a profession) I visited to speak with some of the SLPs there and get their opinions. I talked to three SLPs, one of which is the head of the speech department there and hires all the SLPs for the school, and they all had the same thing to say: the school you get your master's from will not likely have much of an impact on where you do or do not get hired (their words, not mine). They said the job interview and professional/externship/practicum experiences you have are more important. The SLP who does the hiring said she is very rarely, if ever swayed one way or the other by the school that a candidate graduated from (although she did say she gets candidates mostly from local grad programs).

 

As tuckerma said above, I'm sure it matters a lot more if you are interested in a career in academia/research etc. I am interested in working in a school setting and/or possibly private practice and everything I've heard leads me to believe that I should have no problem doing this if I have my C's, regardless of how and where I get them, as long I can get experience that is relevant to my areas of interest.

Edited March 17, 2013 by clydeyo12

[queenleblanc]

I think a comparison to sports rankings is interesting- I noticed in the US news report on the link for methodology, that they basically send out surveys to heads of SLP programs, etc, and they respond to the survey to create the rankings. This is a lot like a coaches poll in college sports. The fact that someone thought well enough of another program to support it in the USnews rankings is enough to bring all of the other factors I described earlier into play (fit, research, faculty, location, etc.). Sure, it might look good on paper to have a high name out there for a PhD, but for the MS, not such a big deal. I noticed a lot of people on the SLP discussion forums applied to schools with rankings all over the place, and location seemed to be important for more than a few of us!

Tangentially related... I wonder what an AP poll would look like, for SLP program rankings. If people outside of the academic faculty of SLP actually ranked based on their own interactions and experiences with SLP graduates from the programs...

Edit: here is the link to read about the methodology behind the rankings.

http://www.usnews.com/education/best-graduate-schools/articles/2013/03/11/methodology-best-health-schools-rankings

Edited March 18, 2013 by kcald716