When I was a senior in high school, my parents made sure to buy U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges issue. While I wasn’t overly focused on what their data said when figuring out what colleges I would apply to, I looked at the listings for colleges I was interested in attending. I’m sure my parents were paying attention to the information as well. Because college is way more expensive today and college education is big business for many universities, good rankings are essential. I’m sure the University of Central Missouri was happy for their inclusion.