The first step to choosing the 'right' college? Ignore the rankings, says Stanford researche

New research review finds scant evidence for the widespread belief that attending a "top tier" college leads to success in school and in life.

Indeed, when it comes to student learning, well-being, job satisfaction and future income — four key outcomes that students and their families value highly — studies suggest that students themselves determine their destinies, not their schools.

"Research tells us that the most successful students, both in college and beyond, are the ones who engage in the undergraduate experience regardless of how selective a school may be," says the paper’s co-author Denise Pope, a senior lecturer at the GSE and co-founder of Challenge Success, which seeks to redefine success in student learning and achievement. "This is almost always the case whether a student attends the top-ranked or 200th-ranked college." Read More