Rankings not all that matter

Damn. The Dawgs edged out the Jackets on the rankings...well, some of them. According to the 2008 Princeton Review, U[sic]GA was ranked as the #5 Party School, #3 on the "Their Students (Almost) Never Study" list and the #12 spot on the "Lots of Hard Liquor List." How 'bout them Dawgs? Big woof.

Much to the chagrin of the Institute, Tech did not rank on any of those lists; it did, however, show up on a couple of others. In the 2008 edition of the U.S. News and World Report college rankings, Tech's ratings were the highest ever. That's right-ever.

Tech is now the No. 7 public university in the nation, No. 35 overall and No. 5 in the rankings for top engineering programs. All of Tech's engineering programs are ranked within the top 10, and four programs ranked within the top five. Tech even holds the top spot for best Industrial Engineering program in the nation.

Tech's new position is a few steps closer to the top of the list, a highly coveted spot that every major university in the nation aims for.

It is without doubt that Tech is growing and expanding as a university, offering a wider variety of programs and faculty of higher caliber, which are both major reasons for the national acclaim that Tech is receiving. Now, the question is about the effect of those rankings on the state of the Institute, whether that means more clout, funding, applicants or a myriad of other aspects.

Numbers, numbers, numbers. They have become the defining standard for anything and everything in our capitalist, number-driven society. Want to know who makes the best air-conditioning vent grates? There is probably a list somewhere for that, and people will follow it. That is probably a good thing, seeing how hellish the heat has been lately.

I mean, it's like being trapped in a vegetable steamer! Maybe Al was telling the truth, however inconvenient...but I digress.

The point is that people tend to listen to lists and venerate the top spot as if it were perfection incarnate. It is unfortunate that many of the other listings are passed over without a glance, no matter how much merit they truly deserve.

It is human nature. We strive to be that kid who runs the playground, that guy who scores a perfect SAT score or that girl who is so incredibly beautiful that she makes heads turn. In a sense, this pursuit of perfection is good for us, because it intrinsically motivates us to improve ourselves.

But it is so easy to get caught up in the quest for fame and prestige that it becomes an obsession with being at the top. I often find that excessive competition disillusions individuals from what is truly important-discovering the positive qualities that come from within, rather than merely comparing ourselves to our peers.

I'm not bashing the rankings or anything. In fact, I am more than thrilled that Tech is getting the recognition it deserves. I just hope that people realize that the numbers are not everything.

Just like a person cannot be quantified into a set of numbers (although there will be people at Tech that will argue against that point), neither can a university. A university is a dynamic multifaceted entity that cannot be fully described by a laundry list of rankings.

I cannot quantify the feeling of screaming at the top of my lungs at a football game, cheering on the Jackets to victory. Nor can I put a numeric figure on the high quality of friendships that I have developed with my peers.

I can perhaps enumerate the number of hours I have contributed to extracurricular activities, but nothing can describe the amazing feeling of giving something back to the university by sharing a part of me with others. It is the idiosyncrasies of Division I and differentials, studying and school spirit, prestige and partying...It is an uncanny mixture of simultaneous experiences that defines Tech, at least for me.

I think that we, as members of the student body, are lucky to be at a university with such a diverse range of people, places and things to do. To me, Tech is something special. You freshmen might not think so after bombing your first Calculus exam, but I hope over time you will begin to realize why Tech is so great, as I have.

And believe me, I have bombed more than my fair share of tests before I grew to appreciate the nuances that set Tech apart from any other university. I will always love Tech, regardless of what rank it has on any list.

Welcome to Tech, R.A.T.S. Trust me, it grows on you.