College selection: getting reliable information about colleges - Revision history

Jsinick at 19:30, 24 February 2014

2014-02-24T19:30:52Z

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	* Information about a college is often unreliable.		* Information about a college is often unreliable.
	* It is easier to get reliable information about hard-to-fudge metrics than about subjective experiences.		* It is easier to get reliable information about hard-to-fudge metrics than about subjective experiences.
	* The best source of reliable information about subjective experiences and for getting the inside scoop on easy-to-fudge metrics, as of now, appears to be [[College Confidential]].		* The best source of reliable information about subjective experiences and for getting the inside scoop on easy-to-fudge metrics, as of now, appears to be [http://www.collegeconfidential.com/ College Confidential].

	==Reasons why information about colleges is unreliable==		==Reasons why information about colleges is unreliable==

Vipul: /* College visits */

2014-02-10T03:31:05Z

College visits

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	===College visits===		===College visits===

	~~{{further\|[[College visit]]}}~~

	These include:		These include:

Vipul: /* Independent forums for current and prospective students to interact with one another */

2014-02-10T03:15:49Z

Independent forums for current and prospective students to interact with one another

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	The best such source as of now appears to be [http://www.collegeconfidential.com College Confidential].		The best such source as of now appears to be [http://www.collegeconfidential.com College Confidential].

	Given its growing role as a general repository of information in the question-and-answer format, [http://www.quora.com Quora] is a resource that might become increasingly valuable.		Given its growing role as a general repository of information in the question-and-answer format, [http://www.quora.com Quora] is a resource that might become increasingly valuable, although colleges ''per se'' are not Quora's focus at all.

Vipul: /* Independent forums for current and prospective students to interact with one another */

2014-02-10T03:15:26Z

Independent forums for current and prospective students to interact with one another

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	The best such source as of now appears to be [http://www.collegeconfidential.com College Confidential].		The best such source as of now appears to be [http://www.collegeconfidential.com College Confidential].

			Given its growing role as a general repository of information in the question-and-answer format, [http://www.quora.com Quora] is a resource that might become increasingly valuable.

Vipul: /* Independent forums for current and prospective students to interact with one another */

2014-01-02T20:33:26Z

Independent forums for current and prospective students to interact with one another

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	===Independent forums for current and prospective students to interact with one another===		===Independent forums for current and prospective students to interact with one another===

	The best such source as of now appears to be [[College Confidential]].		The best such source as of now appears to be [http://www.collegeconfidential.com College Confidential].

Vipul at 03:52, 25 November 2013

2013-11-25T03:52:09Z

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	===Guidebooks and their online equivalents===		===Guidebooks and their online equivalents===

			Guidebooks are plagued by many of the unreliability problems highlighted above.

			The [http://www.amazon.com/The-Fiske-Guide-Colleges-2014/dp/1402260644 Fiske Guide to Colleges 2014] describes its methodology:

			''Administrators were ... asked to recruit a cross section of students to complete another electronic questionnaire with questions relating to what it is like to be a student at their particular college or university.''

			College administrators are motivated to portray their universities favorably, and so one would expect them to recruit students who are most likely to say good things about their universities. So one can't trust the students' responses to be representative of what it's like to be a student at the college.

	===Independent forums for current and prospective students to interact with one another===		===Independent forums for current and prospective students to interact with one another===

	The best such source as of now appears to be [[College Confidential]].		The best such source as of now appears to be [[College Confidential]].

Vipul: /* Reasons why information about colleges is unreliable */

2013-11-25T03:49:56Z

Reasons why information about colleges is unreliable

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	* '''Arbitrary weights''': Outside agencies that rank and rate colleges often use arbitrary "weights" when deciding how to combine different aspects of a college experience. Even if the individual measurements were correct, the weighted rating is not meaningful.		* '''Arbitrary weights''': Outside agencies that rank and rate colleges often use arbitrary "weights" when deciding how to combine different aspects of a college experience. Even if the individual measurements were correct, the weighted rating is not meaningful.

	{{quotation\|'''KEEP IN MIND''': In general, information is usually not designed to be as accurate as possible. Think critically about the ~~reliability~~ of ~~a given source~~.}}		{{quotation\|'''KEEP IN MIND''': In general, information is usually not designed to be as accurate as possible. Think critically about both the '''incentives''' of people to be reliable and the '''flexibility''' they have in fudging or massaging the data.}}

	==Typical sources of information about colleges==		==Typical sources of information about colleges==

Vipul: /* Reasons why information about colleges is unreliable */

2013-11-25T03:46:02Z

Reasons why information about colleges is unreliable

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	==Reasons why information about colleges is unreliable==		==Reasons why information about colleges is unreliable==

	* College admissions and outreach officers have incentives to portray themselves favorably to prospective students to maximize the number of student applications.		* '''College incentives''': College admissions and outreach officers have incentives to portray themselves favorably to prospective students to maximize the number of student applications.
	* Much of the data that colleges release cannot be independently verified by third parties, and colleges can therefore tweak the numbers in suitable ways. Outside agencies that rank and rate colleges often rely on this data and this corrupts their ratings. Some of these outside agencies rely on colleges to provide them information, and therefore need to maintain good relationships with the colleges.		* '''Lack of transparency makes it easy for colleges to fudge numbers''': Much of the data that colleges release cannot be independently verified by third parties, and colleges can therefore tweak the numbers in suitable ways. Outside agencies that rank and rate colleges often rely on this data and this corrupts their ratings. Some of these outside agencies rely on colleges to provide them information, and therefore need to maintain good relationships with the colleges.
	* Current and former students and others who give feedback about the college experience may be biased. Biases include selection bias (not everybody gives feedback, and those who do are atypical), endowment effect bias (current and former students are loyal to their alma maters because they want to feel they made the right decision), and sour grapes (people who were rejected from a college may want to believe the college was not good anyways).		* '''Bias among other information sources''': Current and former students and others who give feedback about the college experience may be biased. Biases include selection bias (not everybody gives feedback, and those who do are atypical), endowment effect bias (current and former students are loyal to their alma maters because they want to feel they made the right decision), and sour grapes (people who were rejected from a college may want to believe the college was not good anyways).
	* Outside agencies that rank and rate colleges often use arbitrary "weights" when deciding how to combine different aspects of a college experience. Even if the individual measurements were correct, the weighted rating is not meaningful.		* '''Arbitrary weights''': Outside agencies that rank and rate colleges often use arbitrary "weights" when deciding how to combine different aspects of a college experience. Even if the individual measurements were correct, the weighted rating is not meaningful.

	{{quotation\|'''KEEP IN MIND''': In general, information is usually not designed to be as accurate as possible. Think critically about the reliability of a given source.}}		{{quotation\|'''KEEP IN MIND''': In general, information is usually not designed to be as accurate as possible. Think critically about the reliability of a given source.}}

	~~Some reasons why information about what a given college is like is often misleading are:~~

	~~===Distortionary marketing===~~

	~~A college's promotional materials and admissions officers are generally distortionary: they exaggerate the college's positive qualities while omitting discussion of its negative qualities.~~

	~~===Unreliable college guidebooks===~~

	~~The [http://www.amazon.com/The-Fiske-Guide-Colleges-2014/dp/1402260644 Fiske Guide to Colleges 2014] describes its methodology:~~

	''Administrators were ... asked to recruit a cross section of students to complete another electronic questionnaire with questions relating to what it is like to be a student at their particular college or university.''

	College administrators are motivated to portray their universities favorably, and so one would expect them to recruit students who are most likely to say good things about their universities. So one can't trust the students' responses to be representative of what it's like to be a student at the college.

	~~===Current students and alumni being biased in favor of their schools===~~

	After somebody makes a choice, he or she generally wants to believe that he or she made the right choice. So people who have chosen to attend a college will often exaggerate its virtues and minimize its negative qualities.

	~~===Sour grapes===~~

	People who are rejected from a given college, or who don't apply because they know they can't get in, will sometimes have a "sour grapes" reaction, and be motivated to believe that the college isn't so good.
	==Typical sources of information about colleges==		==Typical sources of information about colleges==

Vipul at 03:43, 25 November 2013

2013-11-25T03:43:07Z

@@ Line 5: / Line 5: @@
 * The best source of reliable information about subjective experiences and for getting the inside scoop on easy-to-fudge metrics, as of now, appears to be [[College Confidential]].
-==Typical sources of information about colleges==
+==Reasons why information about colleges is unreliable==
-===Independent forums for current and prospective students to interact with one another===
+* College admissions and outreach officers have incentives to portray themselves favorably to prospective students to maximize the number of student applications.
+* Much of the data that colleges release cannot be independently verified by third parties, and colleges can therefore tweak the numbers in suitable ways. Outside agencies that rank and rate colleges often rely on this data and this corrupts their ratings. Some of these outside agencies rely on colleges to provide them information, and therefore need to maintain good relationships with the colleges.
-The best such source as of now appears to be [[College Confidential]].
+* Current and former students and others who give feedback about the college experience may be biased. Biases include selection bias (not everybody gives feedback, and those who do are atypical), endowment effect bias (current and former students are loyal to their alma maters because they want to feel they made the right decision), and sour grapes (people who were rejected from a college may want to believe the college was not good anyways).
+* Outside agencies that rank and rate colleges often use arbitrary "weights" when deciding how to combine different aspects of a college experience. Even if the individual measurements were correct, the weighted rating is not meaningful.
 {{quotation|'''KEEP IN MIND''': In general, information is usually not designed to be as accurate as possible. Think critically about the reliability of a given source.}}
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 People who are rejected from a given college, or who don't apply because they know they can't get in, will sometimes have a "sour grapes" reaction, and be motivated to believe that the college isn't so good.

Vipul: /* =College visits */

2013-11-25T03:16:23Z

=College visits

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	==Typical sources of information about colleges==		==Typical sources of information about colleges==

	===College visits==		===College visits===

			{{further\|[[College visit]]}}

	These include:		These include: