Dartmouth still on top

The recently-released U.S. News & World Report 2013 college rankings once again crowns Dartmouth top in the country for "Strong Commitment to Teaching" (and tied for tenth place overall). This designation, which Dartmouth has now won four years running, recognizes the faculty's emphasis on teaching undergrads without sacrificing the scholarship and research that in many cases is what drew students to Dartmouth in the first place.

I'm proud and pleased, if not surprised, to hear that Dartmouth took top honors in this field again. At Dartmouth, when you hear someone talk about "TA'ing" a class, they are in most cases simply glorified grading assistants for the professor and homework resources for the students. Student TAs would hold office hours once or twice a week, but absolutely all of the classroom instruction was done by professors. Which is not to say that TAs aren't a useful resource; they are. But their utility is maximized by the fact that they supplement, not supplant, the faculty themselves.

In general, I'm skeptical of the criteria U.S. News & World Report uses to compile these lists (a brief glance at their website showed that they have replaced these details, which they used to publish, with vague platitudes. No doubt they're afraid people will make fun of their system). Nevertheless, it's gratifying to see Dartmouth receive some well-deserve recognition. Keep up the good work!