Apparently, wine scores aren’t the only rating system that stinks

Know those magazine college rankings? They may be screwed up, too

Does this sound familiar?

[Scores] are “inaccurate, dubious or highly misleading. … ” and may not be “valuable or even accurate.”

No, it’s not the WC writing about wine scores again. It’s a highly respected Columbia University math professor ripping those magazine college rankings – by pointing out how silly his school’s No. 2 rating is.

Full disclosure: When I started freelancing, I wrote several ranking stories (for Forbes’ website and for the American Way in-flight magazine). So I’m guilty of participating in a system that seemed flawed even then. How could anyone compare Northwestern, a small private school, with Illinois, a large state school? And why would anyone want to? It’s the  same misguided approach that claims a $10 wine can never be as enjoyable as a $50 wine — which is patently untrue.

The good thing about my writing? It gave me a chance to see how the system works to reinforce its biases — something that is not only the case with the college rankings, but with wine scores.

Because, as Columbia’s Michael Thaddeus wrote, it’s all about the data that goes into the rankings. And if the data is flawed, then so are the rankings (as well as the scores).

At first glance, the data used in the college rankings would seem to be more objective than that used for scores – class size, highly qualified instructors, teaching budgets, and the like vs. one critic’s opinion. But, as Thaddeus pointed out, the universities surveyed may well have tweaked the data they submitted to get a higher rating.

So much for objectivity.

In addition, as one expert interviewed for the story said: “I think the majority of institutions would be happy if the rankings went away. But as long as the rankings are taken seriously by applicants, they’re going to be taken seriously by educators.”

Substitute producers for institutions and consumers for applicants, and we’re talking about wine scores, aren’t we?

More about wine scores:
• Wine scores not only refuse to die, but seem to be increasing like the spawn of the devil
• Wine scores rant: Top-notch cava gets 86 points, about the same as a crummy supermarket wine
• Chateau Bonnet Blanc and why scores are useless