Princeton Review, a Massachusetts-based educational services company, for its new book, “The Best 376 Colleges: 2012 edition.” interviewed 122,000 students at 376 top colleges to rate their schools and describe their campus experiences. Some of the categories included: Top colleges for “Most Conservative/Most Liberal Students,” “Best Professors,” and “Great Financial Aid.”
According to a survey, the best professors are at Wellesley College (MA). Florida Southern College (FL) has the most beautiful campus while Wheaton College (IL) serves the best campus food, and Bryn Mawr College (PA) has the best dorms.
“Each of our 376 best colleges offers outstanding academics,” says Robert Franek, the book’s author and Princeton Review Senior VP / Publishing. “We don’t rank them hierarchically, 1 to 376, because they differ widely – and importantly – in their program offerings and campus culture, and that is their strength. Instead, we tally lists of the top 20 schools in 62 categories based entirely on what students at these schools tell us about their campus experiences. Our goal is not to crown one college ‘best’ overall, but to help applicants find and get in to the college best for them.”
Other ranking lists in the book and #1 colleges on them are:
- Best Administered Colleges – Washington University in St. Louis (MO)
- Best Career Services – University of Florida
- Best Health Services – University of California-Los Angeles
- Most Conservative Students – Hillsdale College (MI)
- Most Liberal Students – Macalester College (MN)
- Most Politically Active Students – George Washington University (DC)
- Least Religious Students – Bennington College (VT)
- Happiest Students – Rice University (TX)
- Lots of Race/Class Interaction – Loyola University–New Orleans (LA)
- LGBT-Friendly – New York University (NY)
- Best Town-Gown Relations – Clemson University (SC)
- Top Stone-Cold Sober Schools – Brigham Young University (UT)
- Top Party Schools – Ohio University–Athens
- Everyone Plays Intramural Sports – Pennsylvania State University
- Students Pack the Stadium – University of Notre Dame (IN)
- Best Athletic Facilities – Georgia Institute of Technology