Which Colleges Have the 'Best' and 'Worst' Professors? It Doesn't Matter

The Center For College Affordability

analyzed reviews of professors posted by millions of college students on RateMyProfessors.com and put together a list of the 25 colleges with the worst professors, and the 25 with the best. For the sake of brevity, I'll stick with the top 10 for each. Check out CBS MoneyWatch for the full list.

10 Schools with the Worst Professors

1. U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (N.Y.)
2. U.S. Coast Guard Academy (Conn.)
3. Tuskegee University (Ala.)
4. Michigan Technological University
5. New Jersey Institute of Technology
6. Milwaukee School of Engineering (Wis.)
7. Bryant University (R.I.)
8. Bentley University (Mass.)
9. St. Cloud State University (Minn.)
10. Rensselaer Polytechnic University (N.Y.)

10 Schools with the Best Professors

1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
2. U.S. Military Academy at West Point (N.Y.)
3. Clarke College (Iowa)
4. Wellesley College (Mass.)
5. North Greenville University (S.C.)
6. Master's College and Seminary (Calif.)
7. Wabash College (Ind.)
8. Carleton College (Minn.)
9. Sewanee – The University of the South (Tenn.)
10. Marlboro College (Vt.)

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Are these results surprising? Probably. There's not a single Ivy League school on either list -- and only a handful that most people have even heard of. But does that mean you should tell your high schooler to ditch that stack of elite school applications and send your kid off to Oklahoma Wesleyan?

I don't think so. Students already know that every college is a combination of great professors and horrible ones, with most falling somewhere in between. But today, the power of the Internet has given students an unprecedented ability to vet their faculty before signing up for classes, and the ability to pass on their impressions of professors after the classes are over. A simple Google search can give you an idea of a professor's accomplishments, and sites like RateMyProfessors can give anecdotal color to the professor's methods in the classroom.

Bottom line? There's really no reason to to pick a college based on the professors. Go to a reasonably big school, and pick the classes taught by people with good reputations: It's easy -- and it's cheap.

Zac Bissonnette'sDebt-Free U: How I Paid For An Outstanding College Education Without Loans, Scholarships, Or Mooching Off My Parentswas called the "best and most troubling book ever about the college admissions process" by The Washington Post.