Implications for neurosurgery of medical schools leaving the United States News and World Report

Ranked lists are a highly praised method of assessment in America. Whether it’s a list of the top national sports teams, the best restaurants in New York City, or as in this case, the strongest educational institutions, we look to rankings to scrutinize, evaluate, and compare. Unfortunately, not all rankings offer insightful and valuable information. Many use metrics that fall short of an accurate representation of the desired outcome. The U.S. News & World Report (USNWR), one of the most widely regarded rankings of educational institutions, has recently been under the spotlight as several major medical schools have removed themselves from candidate lists. The current USNWR Medical School’s rankings are regarded as having a narrow perspective in that the metrics perpetuate a less diverse medical community and fail to recognize worthy institutions that choose to champion a well-rounded student experience. The authors, along with the many others, fear this may deliver a skewed vision of what the USNWR tries to measure: the excellence of a medical education.