University rankings, why do so many US universities hold top ranks?

Question

According to the http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/2011-12/world-ranking
website the US dominates the to ranks with their universities. But i always hear how "bad" their education system is, why are they ranked so high then? Or alternatively, why is the US education system still regarded as some of the worst?

Answer 1

I think its because they've been around for a while. =) The most top-ranked universities are mainly from the US AND Europe. There are actually a lot of great universities in Europe, especially for PhDs. Also England has some of the top-ranked universities as well (Cambridge, Bath, Oxford.. to name a few). So I think partially its because these universities have been around for so long that they've accumulated wealth, esteem, and resources to provide the best educations. :)



Edit: oh and also, I believe the lower-ranked universities in US are most likely the newer ones? I'm not sure though, but in Canada, its all the newer ones that have a really low acceptance average.. and aren't considered "very good"..

Also, I agree with the previous posts. The "bad-education" system in the US, likely refers to their mix of elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, and then there are the private schools.. that you have to be decently well off enough to be able to attend..

Their education system is really all over the spectrum.

Answer 2

The US has SO MANY colleges which is why you hear about our "horrible" education system while also reading about some of our "world renowned" universities. Basically we have the full spectrum. Some of our colleges are complete jokes (case in point: all the online "schools" that just want your money) while others have some of the top professionals in their field.



Our education system as a whole is regarded as pretty bad because it is so large and the bottom half is so mind-bogglingly horrible. Now, I went through public school in california all the way to grad school where I am now and I think I got a pretty good education. If you've seen a breakdown, California is one of the worst states for education. However when you break it down further by school districts you can see that some areas are just flat out STUPID while others are doing just fine.



I never felt like I was smart because I had a lot of other smart classmates, but when we took the state-wide tests it was another story all together. I consistently ended up in the 99th percentile (top 1%) in the state on these tests because kids in the other parts of the state are apparently straight up retarded.



The same goes for the high school exit exam. It has some laughably horrible fail rate in the state, and some schools STRUGGLE to achieve a 50% pass rate. My district (3 high schools) had like 3 kids not pass out of 3000. It just goes to show you that even in one of the "worst" ranked states, some parts of it have a great education system. And I think that comparison extends to the nation as a whole. Some regions/areas do just fine and would probably be close to the top in the world, but others are just a bunch of inbreed hicks whos parents drink all day and beat their wives.

Answer 3

"Bad" education refers to elementary, middle, and high schools usually. Now, the US does have I guess you can say "bad" universities, but a lot are the best in the world. The US education system is not regarded as some of the worst. There are countries ahead of us, but that is because their education system is more demanding and strict. Our education system is too easy. With the national government involved in education, and not just the states, it lowers the quality of education because standards are lowered.

Answer 4

407