1
I
t's a warm spring morning at a large public university somewhere
along the eastern seaboard. A small group of prospective students, par-
ents, and assorted younger siblings is gathering in the parking lot of the
admissions building, looking forward to the first tour of the day. They've
already watched an orientation slide show about the university and
participated in a brief question-and-answer session with an admissions
counselor. It's long before lunch but the level of anxiety is sky high. Nearly
every question is a variation of, "Are my SAT scores high enough to get
in?" And in every case the counselor's reply is vaguely disappointing. "It
all depends," he replies.
Meet Robert and Susan, two bright and very cheerful undergraduates
who are our guides. Identically dressed in khakis and polo shirts, they are
the university's "ambassadors," Robert explains, and it is both their honor
and responsibility to represent the institution to prospective students. That
said, we board the bus and are ready to go.
The large campus sprawls for more than a mile in both width and
length. As we drive to our first stop, the guides stand in front, microphone
chapter 1
the ranking phenomenon
