Photo: Courtesy Harvard University.The Times Higher Education has released its World Reputation Rankings and, no surprises here, that university just outside of Boston nabbed the number one spot. Look, if you were hoping that all your Harvard-graduate pals would have a little less to humble brag about, no dice. The list says Harvard University is the academic institution with the highest, entirely subjective, cache.
Just to give you a little background, the Times states that its ranking system is "based on nothing more than subjective judgment." But, it adds, "It is the considered expert judgment of senior, published academics." So, the decisive list brings down the academic community's real opinion toward a fellow researcher, writer, or academic's pedigree — no games.
Behind Harvard, comes the esteemed M.I.T., Stanford, Cambridge, Oxford, U.C. Berkeley, Princeton, and Yale. Again, few shocks there. What is interesting, though, is that the University of Tokyo, a school little talked about in the States, comes in above Columbia at number 11. The Northeast seems to have slightly less of a monopoly on highly regarded schools than you might think, tying with California with four schools in the top 10. (And, three of Cali's schools are state funded!)
Now, the fun (or not-so-fun) part is scanning the full list to see what ranking your alma mater pulls. Wherever it is, just remember this — you met wonderful people, had a really good time, and learned how to open a beer bottle with a lighter. Not all Harvard grads can lay claim to that. (Times Higher Education)