With the UW receiving significant attention for taking the top medical school spot the U.S. News and World Report's annual ranking of America's colleges, it's hard not to be proud of that notable rating.

Some colleges are not as satisfied, however, and with good reason. A dozen college presidents from across the country have signed a letter boycotting a component of the ranking system, according to an Associated Press article. The issue at hand is the part of the survey that requires colleges to rate each other, which makes up 25 percent of a college's ranking, according to the article. Some expressed concern about how accurately schools can rate each other. "We know each other through reputation, but that's different than having the kind of intimate knowledge you should have when you are making a ranking," said Robert Weisbuch, president of Drew University in Madison, N.J., in the Christian Science Monitor.

There is no doubt that top rankings are great for publicity, morale and competitive applicants. But if smaller schools are being rated nonchalantly because they don't stand up to mammoth institutions like the UW, the rating process and its results need heavier scrutiny.

This boycott comes at a time when several colleges are also getting heat for getting student loan lenders on to preferred lender lists based partially on the kickbacks they give to financial aid offices, such as free dinners and gifts.

Competitive rankings, kickbacks and boycotts? America's colleges are starting to look more corporate than educational. Are students still at the heart of America's colleges? Are schools working toward creating better experiences for their students, or making top rankings?

School administrations need to be more forthcoming and candid about what goes on behind the scenes with ranking processes and the current student lender investigations. Otherwise, those rankings may end up in the recycle bins of many students who will lose faith in them.