nus improves its ranking
October 10th, 2008
The Times Higher Education-QS World University Rankings top 100 was released recently and Singapore’s National University of Singapore now enjoys joint ranking with UCLA at number 30. Such ranking systems have their detractors and objectors but if you have improved over last year and are in the upper half what is there to complain about? Take a look at the top 30:
1 HARVARD University United States
2 YALE University United States
3 University of CAMBRIDGE United Kingdom
4 University of OXFORD United Kingdom
5 CALIFORNIA Institute of Technology (Calt… United States
6 IMPERIAL College London United Kingdom
7 UCL (University College London) United Kingdom
8 University of CHICAGO United States
9 MASSACHUSETTS Institute of Technology (M… United States
10 COLUMBIA University United States
11 University of PENNSYLVANIA United States
12 PRINCETON University United States
13= DUKE University United States
13= JOHNS HOPKINS University United States
15 CORNELL University United States
16 AUSTRALIAN National University Australia
17 STANFORD University United States
18 University of MICHIGAN United States
19 University of TOKYO Japan
20 MCGILL University Canada
21 CARNEGIE MELLON University United States
22 KING’S College London United Kingdom
23 University of EDINBURGH United Kingdom
24 ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of T… Switzerland
25 KYOTO University Japan
26 University of HONG KONG Hong Kong
27 BROWN University United States
28 École Normale Supérieure, PARIS France
29 University of MANCHESTER United Kingdom
30= National University of SINGAPORE(NUS) Singapore
30= University of CALIFORNIA, Los Angeles (U… United States
The report continued: “More than a third of the top 100 are based in the US. The rise of Asian institutions is reflected in the inclusion of nine of them within the top 50, including three based in Hong Kong”.
It could have been: 30=National University of SINGAPORE(NUS) Malaysia but alas….
We ought to be thankful we are in the list, although some folks, including its students, may doubt if it deserves to be there.
Is the NUS’s quality of education as good as UCLA’s? Do you think it deserves its place?
Is this another good reason for you to stay instead of emigrating?
Entry Filed under: Society
Universiti Malaya…alas…
Is that an indication i should migrate?
Hi Steven,
You are doing a great thing for the Lord in Penang.
Emigration is no option for you for you have come to the “kingdom” for such a time as this.
i never made it to NUS. I probably still won’t despite two graduate degrees albeit not from one of the top 30. Doesn’t matter where I live or work, will I still love and serve God where ever I am despite my “lack of academic status”? Will others look down on me because I do not have the prestigious NUS degree? If they do, then they don’t love and accept me unconditionally. Is my “performance” lackluster because I don’t have the NUS tag? Ranking does not determine my worth and value in God’s eyes even though the society I live in may do so. Whether NUS or other university grad, it is what we do with what we have which I think is the more important thing to consider.
There is a PhD student now at Princeton who was rejected 4 times by NUS…
Well said, Maria. That’s not a very Methodist thing to say. But then, you are a Methodist in the mould of Wesley the radical.
Not the Methodist thing to say? Eh not so publically please!…the Bishops may be reading your blog, too, you know…or at least my District Superintendent! Hallelujah! I fear God more!
hey, how come you don’t get *college* rankings? you know,like Taylor’s, KDU, etc.?
Top universities and colleges are sometimes ranked by their faculty but what actually happens is that it is based on the research and writing done by these faculty who have time to research and write because their classes are taught by their teaching assistants. Seriously!!! It was reported in an American magazine whose title I have forgotten (so much for my education - memorization has never been my strength) that depending on what mode of ranking used, it is often skewed. It’s like what journeyman pointed out below in terms of measurement.
Some conservative Christian colleges have more binge drinking taking place secretly than they would like us to know about. Labels and tags mean little in a land where much is relative…take it from me…I went to a liberal unversity’s theological school and found more tongue-speaking Baptists and conservative Evangelicals than I thought possible! The rest of us were just keeping incognito!
My 2 cents worth of analyses………
The question of ranking and ratings is always questionable when the proccess is opaque.
At best, this iis just one measure - how about others like:
creation of knowledge
literature citation rate
patents creation
employability
alumumi of repute, power.
number of entreprenuers and new companies created
Noble prizer winners
endowment fund size and so on……
More important is whether one gets a quality education and value for tuition fees paid.
Remember the finance rating agencies in the current crisis………..they are from the same mold - DO YOUR OWN HOMEWORK besides not all faculties are great because of rating - interview the lecturers and tutors for ultimately, they are the prime effectors. The campus is just another building complex otherwise…….forget the reputation but remember the value it will deliever in the 3/5 years after ones formal study……fools and their cash are soon parted.
Are you great by association or by education?
I am great by my ability to LEARN and not association or education which have hurt more people than necessary!
I like your choices of assessing universities, as many of those are quantitative. I wonder if there are more surveys out there that use your sort of assessment: employability, literature citation rate, etc.
Singapore does not have an Liberal Arts Uni. I heard even the 4th one will be geared towards science research and finance sectors. Oh the pragmatism of technocrats.