Customer Reviews

Princeton Review: Gourman Report of Undergraduate Programs, 10th Edition: A Rating of Undergraduate Programs in American and International ... in American and International Universities)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

The criticisms put forth by previous reviewers have some merit.

1. The idea that you can rank schools with the precise numerical values this book suggests is flawed. That said, I still think this book has value. If you are interested in studying a particular field, this book ranks every major department, and gives you a good place to start. The numbers may be arguable, but they certainly give you an idea of which ball park concerning the strength of a given academic department.

2. Large state schools do fare better overall than small private schools. But this may be because large state schools have so many more available classes, professors and majors than small liberal arts colleges. This may arguably serve to make larger schools more well-rounded, but it certainly give the larger school more departments in which to excel, which may bias the results.

3. It's also true that foreign schools don't get very much attention.

4. As for Princeton being ranked #1 and the perceived bias of the book being published by the Princeton Review, the disclaimer on the back cover explains there is no affiliation between the latter and the former.

The reviews of Gourman's books that emphasize how "concise" his rankings are completely miss the fact that the rankings may well be totally arbitrary. Since he has doggedly refused to reveal his methodology, and since he claims to have extensive data from institutions that have no record of his having contacted them, there is no reason to think his rankings are anything more than values he chooses to assign according to whatever criteria he deems important. The US News rankings can fairly be criticized, but they are honest enough to explain the bases for their rankings, so that interested reviewers can make their own judgments and tinker with the findings--for instance, if you think US News places too much value on research or on private donations, you can "read critically" and get valuable information according to your own preferences. With Gourman, you can't do that. The other absurd thing about the Gourman Report on undergraduate schools is that high school seniors by and large don't have an unimpeachable idea of what they will major in when they choose a school...a majority don't, and even among the minority who do, a majority of them will change at least once after they enroll. So the whole premise of choosing a good school for a specific major (as opposed to a wide swath of majors, which would be fine) is a little wacky. We're not talking grad school here.

Gourman appears to be that typically American creation, the educational crank...or if you'd like a less judgmental word, let's say eccentric. I will leave it to others to determine what makes our country so fertile in these strange creations. But for heaven's sake, don't send your kid to college on the basis of this stuff.

Recommended to me by a Dean at MIT, this book was most helpful in locating good programs for the student who knows what major she wants. Too many guides focus on the student goal of "atmosphere", but this book looks at schools the way an employer would - how sound is the educational program. Weakness - primarily large institutions are reviewed. Smaller schools which may have a strong department are not covered.

Dr. Gourman has written a winner. With the 10th edition of his "Gourman Report," he has established a rating system for undergraduate programs that isn't biased as heavily as the rankings published annually by U.S. News and World Report. No longer do state schools live in the shadow of old, rich schools that are ranked highly based greatly on reputation. Here we are presented a more neutral, fair look at how colleges and their programs stack up against one another. A must read for any high school student!

It is impossible for me to view this report as credible and reliable without knowing anything about its methodology. For all we know, these rankings may represent nothing more than the author's personal opinions. Every other ranking publication, no matter what the subject, explains its criteria for selection and ranking. It frightens me that high school students are relying upon this misinformation when applying to colleges.

A valuable reference for anyone who may want to look beyond "reputations" when investigating the overall quality of various college and university programs. The report provides a concise, direct and easy to read format that makes it a valuable addition to any collection or library.

Aside from some minor discrepencies and omissions, the report is generally well organized and is therefore highly recommended.

I found this book good and consider it rather helpful for those undergraduates wishing to get aware of main undergraduate programmes and (what's most important) their rankings.

The premise of the Gourman Report is that you can assign values to undergraduate programs. To believe that you can distinguish the quality of a program by one or two one-hundredths of a point staggers the statistical imagination.

It is also somewhat incongruous to find that otherwise exceptional undergraduate colleges and programs, e.g. Dartmouth College or Amherst, find little or no place in either the undergraduate majors or overall. This suggests that there is a strong bias toward published research rather than the quality of teaching.

Mr. Gourman could provide a much more useful service if he would rethink the purpose of an undergraduate education and revise his ranking system accordingly.

As a retired counselor who helped community college students and adults seeking a career change to find the right degree program and the right institution, I found the Gourmand Report an invaluable resource. I'm still using it to assist friends and relatives who want some guidance.

The objective approach used by Gourmand certainly beats the methodology of U.S. News and World Report and other ratings which rely primarily on interviews with the university presidents and others to evaluate programs, etc. This approach is flawed from the beginning, and has no validity.

Rankings are rarely all that accurate, but this book is the least accurate college ranking there is. "Doctor" Gorman must have some connection to the Univ. of Michigan, b/c on several lists it is ranked unrealistically and thus suspiciously high. Be wary!