U.S News & World Report has finally released its new list and it currently ranks Cornell at number 11. This means that the Big Red not only surpasses Columbia, but also Dartmouth and Brown. While this may be an occasion of tremendous joy for Cornellians across all colleges, it does bring to question: Why are we so obsessed with rankings? Why do these rankings matter so much, and what do they even mean in the grand scheme of things?
To go back in history, the Ivy League began in 1954 as a sports conference. Nowadays, the words “Ivy League” echo prestige, elitism, money and success. Over the years, this group of East Coast colleges grew in size, endowment, age and, of course, prestige. Cornell University was the last to join, and is also the youngest. Established in 1864, Cornell was approximately 95 years younger than the second youngest Ivy, Dartmouth College. Nearly being a century apart from the second youngest proved a hurdle for the Big Red.
As the “runt” of the Ivy pack, Cornell has often been cited as a “fake Ivy.” Why? Because it is 1) the youngest, 2) had an unconventional founding and 3) is partially land-grant. These differences, alongside its size and higher acceptance rate have made it the school that gets kicked down quite often. A popular phrase for Cornell is that it’s “the easiest Ivy to get into, and the hardest to get out of.” This refers to Cornell’s higher acceptance rate and in-class rigor. Compared to Harvard, where grade inflation runs rampant, Cornell has the reputation as the school that “deflates” grades…