Why the Ranking of The University is Not Important

Selecting a university is a big step for any student and their family. Pursuing higher education takes dedication and time. Your families need to assure themselves that the universities you will attend as medical students will be outstanding.

You cannot turn back the clock on your future, after all.

This is why many people look to university rankings.

Unfortunately, the truth is that university rankings are biassed towards universities that have big budgets for marketing schemes, research, and Public Relations (PR). Given that most universities are publicly owned, they have a generous budget paid by their local governments.

Rankings tend to focus on one aspect of what universities do, neglecting all their many other functions. The data on which they are founded are lacking and untrustworthy; and more critically, they distort self-perceptions of universities and even governments.

To properly analyse and compare universities in different countries as rankings claim to do, the data they need to use has to correlate in some way or another. The problem is, other than in respect of extensive research, such data is hard to obtain if it even exists at all. It doesn’t help that something as simple as the definition of “student” may have a different meaning from one country to another.

Moreover, these rankings do not factor in the most important aspects that will shape you as a person, which include:

• What you’ll actually learn beyond the course material;
• the university’s diversity;
• different extracurricular activities offered (sports, competitions, etc.);
• whether you love the city you study in;
• what the culture of the country and the city you are going to live in is;
• the qualities of the teachers
• your enjoyment of the process.

These are some significant factors that no statistic can measure. At the end of the day, they are the things that shape your youth and experiences while studying medicine.

Additionally, several studies have concluded about the importance of personal ability, motivation, ambition, and passion. The degree might indeed provide a head-start in some cases, but the individual characteristics of the student are what’s crucial for success.

Why do rankings exist 

The UK and the US are famous for having top-notch universities. For most families, higher education for their children is essential. However, it is also costly. Which is why they imagine “it’d better be worth every penny.” This is why rankings exist. To prove and justify that one university is somehow better than others based on some specific, biassed factors. It’s no more than a marketing scheme.

People want to be part of the elite educational system, for which they pay a lot. Because of this, there is a myth that, for example, education in the Eastern part of Europe is inferior to British education.

In reality, many universities from Eastern Europe and the UK teach the same materials, especially when it comes to medicine.

They buy the same machines and tools from the same sources. And no matter where you go, we all study the same human bodies.

The inconsistency of rankings

Time Higher Education (THE), University Impact Ranking, QS World University Ranking, and the Center for World University Ranking (CWUR) are the most famous university ranking websites. However, their rankings vary. Sometimes, they vary so much that one university might be in entirely different echelons.

For example, the London School of Economics and Political Science ranks 27th globally according to THE, 49th according to QS, and 274th according to CWUR!

What’s the difference between 27th and 274th places? 247 places. Isn’t that a lot? And it’s the same university, with the same quality of teaching.

Why do the US and UK have the top-ranking universities (Government funding for research, PR, marketing)?

With the current criteria, the marketing budget plays an enormous role in the rankings. It’s all about how much the school can afford to spend on PR—getting featured in magazines, television, websites, and so on. 

It’s almost like a popularity contest, which the smaller universities in Europe cannot afford to take part in, but this doesn’t at all relate to the quality of education.

For example, some of the factors are:

• Funding offered to students (scholarships and bursaries)

You could expect that for there to be scholarships, the university has to have a huge budget. However, the budget doesn’t define the quality of education.

• Research citations and papers published

This is by far the most important criterion according to the agencies creating the rankings. However, a lot of specialists don’t agree with this. 

We don’t agree with this either because the student has gone to study abroad for this exact reason—to become an educated, professional medical doctor. There’s going to be plenty of time for research after graduation.

Obviously, conducting research is needed in research publications. Staff-to-student ratios, which are claimed to be measures of teaching commitment, actually also correlate to research capability. The logic is that the more research a university does, the more staff it employs and the better its staff-to-student ratio. Another major outlier here is that staff numbers not only include the academic staff but also gardeners, cleaners, and administrative staff.

Given conducting research is extremely expensive, the larger the staff a university employs and the better its staff-to-student ratio, the higher its budget will be. The British and US universities receive immense financial support, and that’s why they can afford to spend the money on it, and therefore, they rule the top of the tables. 

On the other hand, the fact that the university conducts research doesn’t mean that the students will participate in it.

• Academic reputation

The academic reputation is based on how well-known the university is, along with its age.

• The student-to-faculty staff ratio

This is a criterion where smaller European medical schools truly shine. This is the case since there are usually not more than 1,000 or 2,000 students, but the number of teachers is almost the same as with a huge university with all sorts of study programmes.

• Employer reputation

Employer reputations are again linked to PR practices. If the medical school doesn’t invest money and promote teachers, they won’t rank high. Smaller European medical schools prefer to invest in the quality of education.

• Award winners

Ranking based on award winners is good, but bear in mind that a university with 10,000 students will have a higher chance of having award-winning students than one with 1,000 students.

I hope I’ve answered all of your questions about the rankings of universities and why they’re irrelevant and not a direct representation of teaching quality.

The reputation surveys carried out by ranking and survey organisations are also clearly related to research. Foreign academics generally become aware of a university found in another country through the research activity and publications of its staff. Broadly speaking, 90 percent of rankings are based on the measures of research performance.

What do the rankings miss?

Rankings focus mainly on academic success, GPA scores, papers published, employment rate, average salary after graduation, opinions of alumni, staff, field experts, and so on.

 Almost half of the QS ranking data is formed by opinion surveys. Essentially, what people think or have a particular opinion on a certain university. A reputation survey is not always a reliable or impartial way to measure anything, let alone judge quality. Regardless of its unreliable nature, this is the type of data used in the absence of credible information. To boost responses even further, they’d also use the votes/opinions of poll-takers who may be deceased for 5 years. Any other data is just as unreliable, since the universities themselves generate the numbers and are subject to minimal quality control by the rankers.

However, because these surveys ask for other people’s subjective opinions, it is only natural that some would favour a “prestigious” university only because of the fame that comes with it.

This means that other universities and programmes that do not have famous names usually don’t even appear on the ranking lists, even if their methods might be better, among many other things.

Additionally, rankings don’t focus on the city you will be living in, how passionate your teachers will be (which is extremely important), the richness of the local cuisine, the people you will meet, and all such valuable factors.

Quite often, you will meet extremely talented and passionate lecturers in small universities.

If you like studying medicine—it is your passion—you will definitely connect with the lecturers! You share this great passion, and they will share a lot of their experience.

It is also essential to know where exactly you are going to live. How many other international students will be at your university?

How hard will it be to learn the native language of the country you will study in?

What is the country’s culture?

How beautiful are the cities?

There are just so many more things that the university rankings miss. And they may misguide you! Studying medicine or dentistry abroad is truly magnificent.

The benefits of studying medicine in Europe that the rankings don’t cover

There is a reason why Europe is called the cradle of Western civilisation.

Any country or city in Europe has a rich culture with its own beauty.

Europe has been home to some of the oldest medical universities in the world, like the University of Bologna in Italy, founded in 1088, or the Jagiellonian University Medical College in Poland, founded in 1361. Their programmes have withstood the test of time, and no little detail has been overlooked.

There are also many opportunities available for every student! If you have a Shingen visa, you can freely travel across various countries. The tuition fees are all very affordable, especially in the Eastern part of Europe.

Isn’t this how you would like to spend your youth as a student? I want to study in great medical schools while having the opportunity to experience many other languages, cultures, and more.

If I haven’t convinced you yet that Europe is the best place to study medicine, read our article “21 Thrilling Reasons to Study Medicine in Europe in 2024”.

The placebo effect of the top-ranking universities.

Studying medicine, you will often hear the term “Placebo effect.”

The placebo effect is an interesting phenomenon when something is fake; for example, a dummy pill can cause the effects of a real pill. There are many clinical records of fake treatments that have had real therapeutic results. 

I believe that because people perceive the treatments as real, they convince themselves that they will get better. Their subconscious minds start acting to improve their states because they still believe that they have the assistance of the treatment pills. In reality, your body will help itself.

That’s how I understand it, and scientists are still researching this effect.

I believe the same effect is applied when you go to a “top-ranking” university.

Without a doubt, if you graduate from a top-ranking medical university, you will be able to say proudly, “I finished in one of the best universities in the world”. 

Having this supporting your resume, you will be more likely to find a job once you graduate from some respected company.

But does it really have anything to do with the fact that you’ve graduated from a top university? In my personal experience, it’s all about your self-esteem and how you position yourself.

The way you view yourself might be influenced by the perceived prestige of your school.

This effect gradually disappears for older people, meaning the university you will go to will have less and less effect the further you get into your career.

Summary

University rankings will not disappear anytime soon. This is why we must understand their limitations and biases.

Many things aren’t included in the medical school rankings that could ultimately determine your experiences while studying medicine abroad in Europe.

If you want to participate in a graduate programme in medicine or dentistry, you will study for 4 years or less. But the majority of the students will spend 6-5 years. This is a big-time investment, so you must ensure that you will spend these years well.

Here’s a list of excellent medical universities in Europe where you will have the best time of your lives!

Additionally, you can always book a consultation with us, and we will help you make a good decision regarding your future. It’s free.