Times Higher Education rankings 2012 Poland's top universities at end!

just like any ranking. Either accept them all or don't accept any.

TheOther,I was hoping that you might have an idea.I sure don't,I'm sure that Poland has really good schools as well,because you always see foreigners on PF talking about starting or going to school in Poland.

That's incorrect. There are rankings that are solely based on facts (like rank the students with A's, B's and F's from top to bottom), and there are rankings based on flawed data or wishful thinking. I believe that the university ranking is flawed because they compare universities which are only in it for the money with universities which are dependent on public funding. And as Delph said: they're only taking English language into account. No wonder the rankings are Anglo-centric.


Sorry, can't help here.

I like your diplomacy and politeness but we're talking about Higher Education rankings 2012 and 99% of the links on google (not only American), confirm the same, Polish schools are not top ranked in the world and now everyone has to decide for himself whether he accepts the rankings or not but one thing, no one can do and it is to accept rankings based on his liking. We are all adult people (I assume) here and we have to act accordingly, The truth is not always what we like to see or hear.


OK, then ask yourself, who's grading these students, The Other? The same students would be most likely graded differently by different teachers. It is all relative, my friend.

TheOther,because they charge a lot of money doesn't mean they are lacking in quality.When you look at the amount of people from all over the world who flock to these schools,there's a reason for that.If there wasn't then people would be flocking to non English teaching schools.So whether the ranking is flawed or not the proof is evident.

I was talking about the ranking in general and not so much where the Polish universities stand.


Take a math test for example - no way you can dispute a ranking there.


That's not what I said. It's actually the other way around: because they have so much money, they are able to provide a top notch education. And they are able to be picky and take only the most gifted (and rich) kids...

Maybe if in Poland more taxes were invested toward education, to pay for faculty hours, equipment, experiments, field trips etc, Polish high education schools were on the top of the list.

yes way, my friend. We're all humans after all and we all have our personal preferences and even in math tests, students are not always being graded equally and fair.

Tsk, tsk ... always an excuse ... ;)

and yet, so true ;-)

TheOther,And this is why they are ranked so high..

No. Only if they closed some faculties, sacked half of the lecturers, limited the number of students and give money to those who actually make some research, then there would be an effect.

Of course all above are not very popular ideas to say the least, so it won't gonna happen.

Wouldn't make a difference. The first step is to put in place an effective mechanism for controlling numbers and teachers. Money won't make a difference if the system is rotten to begin with - it would just result in a subsidy towards inefficient public education and not actually change anything.

The methodology definitely punishes schools that don't have high extracurricular classes or wide variety of study. Also punishes new schools and school added to the list at later dates since it was establishes (this study is ...6 did it say? ). The body are coastal schools and northern ones with m-o-n-e-y

The criteria counts Nobel Prize winners that were associated with the schools yet were often educated elsewhere originally (immigrants and asylum seekers) and became alumni later in their research (which again =funding= monied)

If you look for a "sister" schools to your some of your colleges you'll find they also ranked low. Virgina PolyTech is a respected school but has a specific curriculum.

As for the number of American schools..we are the size PLUS of all europe in just US alone..our schools stretch all the way down the ratings.

Heh, ironically most of the schools that ranked high, also have football & sports teams that are known. Wonder if that is part of their social programs criteria. LOL

((feels a loser..NOT a single one of schools I attended is on the list incl engineering school that would have given acceptance straight to Cape Canaveral job if I had finished degree.. ;_;))

I think these rankings are crap. And you know they are crap because one of their measures of success is the number of foreigners studying in a particular uni, what does that prove? And this obviously favors the Anglo-centric universities, because foreign students are more likely to go to English speaking universities.

Are there any schools (public or private) in Poland where can study a student who is smarter, more intelligent than other kids, has better grades? In some countries, those smart kids are recognized by teachers and moved to schools or classes with higher lever.

What do you mean by a school? A university?

I mean any school.

Is a kid with high grades and ambitions stay in a class with other B and C students or will be moved to a school where more kids smart like him are to challenge his knowledge on higher level than usual in schoold.

I'm talking about elementary or high school, because uni is up to the kid mostly anyway.

Pgtx didn't you go to school in Poland? Nothing new here, it's like it was years ago.

Well, if it looks like it used to be in the 90s then no wonder Polish schoold do not make the top of the list. :)

Exactly. What's more Polish Ministry of Education seems to proud of that fact... that is, I mean that they "produce" the averages.

Yeah, the averages. That is why I was wondering if Poland gives the chance to kids who are above average, on more advanced level of their classmates. If not, it is such a waste.

What about boarding schools in PL?

It depends when the division occurs and what form it takes.

All kids develop at different rates so dividing them by ability at too young an age condemns the majority to inferior standards. Truly gifted kids also need to develop social maturity and separating them at too early an age can be bad for their development.

If a teacher can’t teach an all ability class I would ask questions of the teacher

It’s a truly difficult and polarising area

It's an easy excuse to unload all the resposibility for teachers. In fact it's impossible to teach efficiently such class.


I hate that talk. In fact it's beneficial for everyone.
There is a big problem of demoralized defiant and fearless youth in gimnazja (ages: 13-16). If you segregade them at that age you will prevent many from getting demoralized. So the easy solution to increase educational standards in Poland would be introducing enrolment to gimnazja based on exam scores. Now it's a catchment area criterion.


Bursy szkolne?

If you mean private schools then there are szkoły prywatne and szkoły społeczne (społeczne as far as I know have some dotations from the gov). Both kinds are generally better than public schools if we talk about podstawówki and gimnazja, because there is no children from the bad social backgrounds. Private licea in many cases are for the drop outs, but there are exeptions too. Licea społeczne are generally good schools.

I disagree, I could turn it around and say that blaming the kids is too easy an excuse.
The responsibility is on the teacher to deliver the lesson effectively to al,l thats what they are paid for.

Condemning some to inferior standards is 100% immoral.

Especially if you consider that an affluent neighborhood almost always equals a good school district which delivers outstanding education. You just have to be born in the wrong neighborhood to be screwed these days.

I don't agree Barney. Many kids are too smart to be in the class with other avarage kids. And it is not because of a teacher, some kids are just gifted and it is lowering their level when they have to sit in a classroom where a teacher is explaining 5th time the same thing to students when the smart kid got it in 5 mins. Waste of their time and their future.

You always have the option to skip a grade.

I, on the other hand, blame parents :)


What if a kid is not intrested in learning? You won't cram knowledge to someone's mind againts that person's will.


Now the standards are inferior to all kids. If it was to be like I said at least the most brilliant children would have some good enviroment to learn.

I think that Polish education system is flat wrong, doesn't teach thinking out side the box and talented kids are not given a chance.