What Next

Is This the End of College Rankings?

Law schools are leading the exodus from U.S. News & World Report’s “beauty contest.”

Advertisement

Episode Notes

With Yale and Harvard law schools withdrawing from U.S. News & World Report’s annual law school rankings, others have followed suit. With the rating system for all colleges taking criticism, being “gamed,” and beset by scandal, is this the beginning of the end of the influential college-ranking system?

Guest: Colin Diver, the Charles A. Heimbold Jr. professor of law and economics emeritus at the University of Pennsylvania, former dean of Penn Law School, and president of Reed College, 2002 through 2012.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Carmel Delshad, and Madeline Ducharme, with help from Anna Phillips, Tori Dominguez, and Jared Downing.

Advertisement

About the Show

The problem with the news right now? It’s everywhere. And each day, it can feel like we’re all just mindlessly scrolling. It’s why we created What Next. This short daily show is here to help you make sense of things. When the news feels overwhelming, we’re here to help you answer: What next? Look for new episodes every weekday morning.

All episodes

Host

  • Mary Harris is the host and managing editor of What Next, Slate's new daily news podcast. She has reported throughout the public radio system, for NPR, Marketplace, and WNYC.