How Trustworthy Are University Rankings
Year in and year out, we witness the best-ranked universities in the world staying at the top 10 positions with hardly ever a new competitor to change the standards. This is simply because they get the attention of governments, authorities and investors who have been providing them with the utmost amount of research funding and the best teachers as well as the most talented students.
There are a number of universities and bodies out there which apply different ranking approaches and therefore generate different results. In most cases, they rank universities as a whole and use a league table – which makes it difficult for new entrants to be at the top. To name a few, the university rankings done internationally are usually by
• Shanghai Jiao Tong University
• Times Higher Education World University Ranking
• The Leiden Ranking
• The CHE Ranking
• Financial Times Ranking
The organizations listed above have been catering to the needs of the traditional purpose of education – academic achievements. Yes, it is an important criterion for a student to choose his or her university based on ranking. However, it may not be the only decisive factor for some who want a holistic experience furthering their studies in the best universities in the world. This individual experience of some is especially important when they have to leave their homeland to places that are not familiar to them or they have to practice habits that are very different from theirs.
Fortunately, Times Higher Education had realized the importance of a more vibrant campus life and started out a survey for student experience five years ago. From their findings, Loughborough University at UK topped the poll in five consecutive years with an excellent all-round experience for its students. The university excels in areas such as sports facilities, extracurricular activities, campus environment, facilities, social life, students’ union and library.
Needless to say, Singapore emphasizes much more on the academic results than other holistic aspects for students to be accepted into the local universities. And more often than not, employers are more interested in the academic standing of their prospective workers than to know their future employees’ talents and other non-academic abilities. This is a real hard fact that many Singaporeans have to experience over the years despite the nation’s attempt to get its people more active in sports and the arts.
At the end of the day, the choice is up to any individual to choose the university that will meet their personal goals for their future portfolios.
What Has Education Lost?
Do you remember when you were little? We eagerly anticipated being “big enough” to attend school. Sometimes it was because there were few other children around, but mostly because we wanted to learn, to be like those who were older and knew the mysteries of reading, writing and math. In the days before preschools being for everyone, we entered kindergarten for half days. We played house or store or with blocks, slathered paint on paper to create out masterpieces, mashed clay into ropes and blobs that became something to us, listened to music and danced if there was space, had a “rest” (but I think that was for the teacher instead of us), and the teacher read to us. Eventually, we began to learn to read toward the end of the year.
Schools still offer the magnet to the young of being able to be with others their own ages, to play in safe areas, and to learn. They still play with others, but most of their days are sitting at desks. They begin to learn to read and write at the beginning of kindergarten which they often attend for full days. But what has been lost?
I no longer see the “magic” of what schools could offer: using their creativity and imagination in play or art. To some extent, there is joy of learning, but the pressures of test scores makes it more work than joy because many students are not developmentally ready for what is presented to them. We used to desire to achieve, but now the expectations are so high that many give up before the end of third grade.
This push for educational “excellence” is supposedly to develop opportunities for individuals’ futures in the workforce. The actual result is that many are averse to and resist any form of school. Their poor grades and/or drop-out status make them ineligible for advanced training or higher education. In the logic of legislators who control education, everyone should go to college. The result is “watered-down” college preparation classes (which are actually useless in preparing students for college) and an absence of vocational exploration opportunities. Everyone used to take shop and/or home economics courses in high school where we prepared for independent living (taking care of feeding and clothing the family and learning how to safely use tools to repair things around the house). Those classes are rapidly disappearing, only to resurface in different forms at the vocational or technical college level. That is where many attend because they are forced to because they can get government assistance as long as they are in school.
The problem with the current goals for education is that it has lots a humanness that allowed everyone to be successful in areas of their interests, talents and skills. What is there for the artistically or musically inclined individuals? What is there for those who think multi-dimensionally and can create or envision structures, packaging, or machines?
Education teaches to the “average” – do you know anyone who is consistently “average” in anything? Education is not a product on an assembly line, so the quality control measures cannot be the same for everyone. The raw materials (student entering school) at any given point are not uniform and “perfect”, because we all develop at different rates and at different times.
Schools still offer the magnet to the young of being able to be with others their own ages, to play in safe areas, and to learn. They still play with others, but most of their days are sitting at desks. They begin to learn to read and write at the beginning of kindergarten which they often attend for full days. But what has been lost?
I no longer see the “magic” of what schools could offer: using their creativity and imagination in play or art. To some extent, there is joy of learning, but the pressures of test scores makes it more work than joy because many students are not developmentally ready for what is presented to them. We used to desire to achieve, but now the expectations are so high that many give up before the end of third grade.
This push for educational “excellence” is supposedly to develop opportunities for individuals’ futures in the workforce. The actual result is that many are averse to and resist any form of school. Their poor grades and/or drop-out status make them ineligible for advanced training or higher education. In the logic of legislators who control education, everyone should go to college. The result is “watered-down” college preparation classes (which are actually useless in preparing students for college) and an absence of vocational exploration opportunities. Everyone used to take shop and/or home economics courses in high school where we prepared for independent living (taking care of feeding and clothing the family and learning how to safely use tools to repair things around the house). Those classes are rapidly disappearing, only to resurface in different forms at the vocational or technical college level. That is where many attend because they are forced to because they can get government assistance as long as they are in school.
The problem with the current goals for education is that it has lots a humanness that allowed everyone to be successful in areas of their interests, talents and skills. What is there for the artistically or musically inclined individuals? What is there for those who think multi-dimensionally and can create or envision structures, packaging, or machines?
Education teaches to the “average” – do you know anyone who is consistently “average” in anything? Education is not a product on an assembly line, so the quality control measures cannot be the same for everyone. The raw materials (student entering school) at any given point are not uniform and “perfect”, because we all develop at different rates and at different times.
A Review of the Education As Well As Career in India
A good education can only result in a better career. Education forms the basis of a good and successful career. There are hundreds of jobs for the right candidate. India is providing education to both the country students and students from abroad. Globalization is responsible for providing greater choices in jobs and careers in India.
Educational development in India for better career ahead
Some of the best educational organizations and institutions of the world are present in India such as Indian institutes of management, Indian institutes of Technology and Indian institutes of Art and Science. The International schools in India such as the American school, Mahindra Academy and Dhirubhai Ambani Academy of Education are providing their education to NRI students also. These institutes offer foreign degrees and courses. Due to these facilities, Indian students have so many alternatives to choose from and make their career in. Isn’t that great? Both public and private sectors are offering bigger salary packages to the candidates.
Job and Career prospects in India
The job and career prospects are extremely marvelous in this developing nation. There are plenty of prospects in the industries such as shipping, Bio-informatics, Gemology, Journalism, IT and animation. These fields are incrementing spell bindingly. Moreover, the specialization in multimedia, graphics, and animation are providing you with a high salary package career options. On the other side, engineering courses and degrees in subjects like architecture, textile, marine, environmental, computer, industrial, aeronautical, mechanical, civil, and electronics have prognoses of getting very high pay outs and high level posts in several industries and companies in both government sectors and private sectors.
If you deserve to be at the peak of your career in fields like transport, telecommunication, pharmacy companies, media industries, IT, healthcare, construction, and automobile then no one can stop you from getting there. You must have the required education, certification, practicality and experience. If you have all these abilities in you, you are ahead of everyone. You should have and interest in the field you are choosing to opt as your career. Government jobs are highly preferred by several people around the globe because of its job permanence and high financial security. More and more people are going about setting up their career in private sectors these days because they pay their employees with a big salary package which is much more profitable and attractive than the government jobs.
If you feel excited about hearing about the jobs in the field of hotel management, nursing, IT, finance, marketing, executive and sales, you too can attain a big position in the specific company. You will be paid very high if you are successful in getting one of these jobs in the multinational companies. You will get high incentives and perks. What are you waiting for?