You just finished high school and now face an important decision: Which college is the right choice? Every year, high school seniors face this difficult life-altering question. The correct answer is not as simple as picking the university with the highest ranking.

Some students intend to choose a university based solely on its ranking. The bragging rights of studying at a high-ranking university seem enticing. The rankings might even provide insight into the quality of the university and, to an extent, the education. However, your final decision should favor personal fit over national prestige.

U.S. News and World Report annually ranks the universities in the U.S. For years, the validity of its approach has been a hot debate among students and educators. Sharon Fonn, a professor at the University of Witwatersrand, argues that the ranking system is unclear and inaccurate.

“But it is not clear how [rankers] come up with their scores. They are not completely transparent about what they measure and how much each component of the measure counts.” Fonn said.

These rankings can be biased at times and might not align with the interests of the students. Though there may be some correlation between a university’s ranking and its quality, the ranks do not reflect important factors, such as campus culture, financial aid, and strength in a specific major. Instead, these companies focus on trivial factors like peer assessments, graduation rates and retention rates. Peer assessments lack objectivity and may be influenced by a person’s affinity towards the university. Graduation and retention rates can be skewed due to special circumstances such as familial problems, socioeconomic problems, and mental health issues.

These factors contribute to 41% of a university’s rank, according to U.S. News and World Ranking. While these factors could be helpful to some, they should not hold a significant weight in the university’s ranking.

Each student is unique, and his or her perfect college cannot be found through a university’s ranking. Someone else’s generalized assessment should not determine the best fit of an educational institution for everyone. Though rankings can give a vague idea of a school’s quality, students should take the time to look at other important factors.