I don't know about you, but I just love lists. For me, it's not to the point of obsession, but I've reached a stage in life when lists are a great way for me to keep track of too many things to do, in too little time. As a result, I rarely have an empty list. Lists for me are very effective, because they are of my own making; my lists take into account my priorities, my abilities and my personal needs. Not all lists work this way.
Take college lists, for example. There are lists of The Best Value Colleges, The Best Colleges, and the Best Schools for Earning a High Salary after Graduation. These lists certainly have validity. Very intelligent people have painstakingly boiled down tremendous amounts of data to assemble some very simple lists. The only flaw I have found with lists of this type is that they lack the caveat: Your Results May Vary. There are students at the colleges listed that are having wonderful experiences, are at the top of their class, and will earn hefty salaries after graduation. The lists worked well for them. Not so for many other students.
There are many ways to slice and dice how "well" or "poorly" a college ranks, and few agree on how schools should be evaluated. Here is a brief analysis on how many well-known authorities make this evaluation. It reminds me of the output of a Spirograph I had as a kid. A student's list needs to be developed taking into account their needs, priorities, interests and abilities. Their list needs to be their list. I have found that the more often we start from this point, the more likely that the student will find the college that is the best value for them, has the best culture, the best curriculum, will result in a bachelors degree in four years, and sets the stage for stable employment afterwards.
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