As you know, we love indexes. Top 100s. And we just discovered a new one; the QS World University Rankings. Find out which university is best with a handy list. Their methodology is described here. The list is here, and MIT is the best in the world, it says.
And, hooray, there's also a list for Latin America! Top university on our continent? The Universidade de São Paulo. The entire top is dominated by Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Mexico, with some Colombia and Venezuela added for good measure.
And Central America? Good news there too! Two Costa Rican universities are among the best 100 of LatAm. On number 29 they list the Universidad de Costa Rica, and on number 66 the Universidad Nacional Costa Rica.
And Panama? Did you have to ask?
The Universidad de Panama features on the lower end of the list, on a shared 161-170 position. That is of course because we don't really have a university but a robbers den, headed by a self-appointed "rector magnificus" whose doctorate comes from a diploma mill and whose only "scientific" publication ever was an introduction to a booklet about the game of domino.
Months back I was in a business meeting doing translating. The visiting Gringos had done there homework they new all about the quality, diploma$ of UP.
Sad thing is for many in this country it is their only choice due to where they live, financial etc