The annual top college rankings for the Princeton Review are in for the 2010-2011 school year. The University of Georgia earned the most hyped position as the Top Party School 2010-2011. However, the Princeton Review actually ranks schools on 62 different criteria.
Princeton Review Top College Rankings
Here are the top schools on some of the most popular Princeton Review rankings for the 2010-2011 school year:
- Top Party School: University of Georgia
- Stone Cold Sober School: Brigham Young University
- Happiest Students: Brown Univeristy
- Professors Get High Marks: Reed College
- Most Beautiful Campus: Sewanee
- Best Campus Food: Bowdoin College
- Dorms Like Palaces: Bryn Mawr College
- Great College Town: Columbia University
- Best Athletic Facilities: University of Maryland
- Best College Newspaper: Yale University
- Reefer Madness: University of California - Santa Cruz
Here are some of the less honorable rankings from the Princeton Review:
- Least Happy Students: Fisk University
- Professors Get Low Marks: University of Illinois
- Least Beautiful Campus: New Jersey Institute of Technology
- Dorms Like Dungeons: Tuskegree University
- Long Lines and Red Tape: SUNY Purchase
Other rankings aren't necessarily good or bad, but are descriptive and up to the interpretation of prospective students. Some measure the political climate and the percentage of religious students on campus. Other rankings measure "schools by type," such as ""Dodgeball Targets" (that's Eugene Lang) and "Birkenstock-Wearing, Tree Hugging, Clove-Smoking Vegetarians" (Bard College).
Should Students and Parents Take These Rankings Seriously?
The Princeton Review conducts surveys with over 100,000 college students on campuses all over the United States, and tabulates the results based on these surveys. No, this is not a particularly scientific way to gather information. Yes, students and parents should take these rankings, and all college rankings, with a grain of salt. There's no scientific way to determine the "Top Party School," or which school truly has the worst "Dorms Like Dungeons."
Nonetheless, these rankings are far from worthless. When a student looks at schools, it's important to consider as many factors as possible, including school tours, websites, brochures, advice from guidance counselors, and yes, college rankings. If a school is ranked pretty highly on a Princeton Review category, there's a good chance that ranking is at least somewhat accurate at describing what everyday life is like at that school. It's especially useful to look at schools that have multiple rankings on at the Princeton Review, as this may give a useful (although certainly not complete) perspective.
Keep in mind that all of these rankings come from data gathered from students,and there's something quite valuable from getting student perspectives on college life! So no, these rankings shouldn't be taken as fact, but yes, they can provide some useful information about college admission choices.
Source:
The Princeton Review. The Best 373 Colleges, 2011 Edition. Framingham, MA: The Princeton Review. 2010.
For more useful articles from the Campus Life section of Suite101.com, check out this College Dorm Room Buying Guide and Ten Articles about Study Skills that Every Student Should Read.
Naomi Rockler-Gladen - Instructional designer and freelance writer, Naomi Rockler-Gladen writes some of Suite101's most read work.
