How Does Your College Stack Up?

What are you looking for in the college you attend? Do you want the best deal? The best campus food? The best help for landing a career after graduation? The best party atmosphere?

Well, you are in luck because the Princeton Review has done all the legwork for you. The publication just released its annual college rankings list.

But first, here is the nitty gritty. The rankings, which include 62 different categories, are drawn from a survey of 130,000 students across 379 “top” colleges.

Let’s take a peek at what they found:

Best Party School
For students who are most worried about living up their college experience through sorority and fraternity parties, you’d be wise to apply to Syracuse University in New York, which was ranked number 1 in the Party category. Despite school officials putting out a statement saying that it doesn’t “aspire to be a party school”, those familiar with the school may know it by another mantra, “Win or loose Hawks still booze.”

Stone-Cold Sober School
For those who have no interest in the partying aspects often associated with college, then don’t worry, The Princeton Review has a ranking on the flip side as well, Stone-Cold Sober School. And the winner in that category is Brigham Young University in Utah. Not surprisingly, this is the 17th year the school has earned top honors in the category.

Best Campus Food
Want to enjoy the best food around while away at college? Than think about applying to Virginia Tech. This isn’t the first year that the school has been named number one in the category. It’s had a reputation as being a beacon for foodies for years. Don’t believe us? Just ask First Lady Michelle Obama. In her 2012 commencement address at the school she called the food, “the best campus food you’ll ever eat.”

Happiest Students
Forget partying, staying sober and eating. If you want to join the happiest students in the US, then your best bet just might be to head south to Vanderbilt University in Tennessee. Based in Nashville, this school is not only located in the heart of an amazing city, it’s got affordability, diversity and a great academic reputation on its side.

Here are a few of the other top contenders in their categories:

  • Most Beautiful Campus – Colgate University (NY)
  • Best-Run College – Elon University (NC)
  • Best College Library – University of Chicago (IL)
  • Best College Dorms – Washington University in St. Louis (MO)
  • Best Health Services – Pennsylvania State University (PA)
  • Happiest Students – Vanderbilt University (TN)
  • Most Conservative Students – Texas A&M University (TX)
  • Most Liberal Students – Sarah Lawrence College (NY)
  • LGBT-Friendly – Stanford University (CA)
  • Best Athletic Facilities – University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (IL)
  • Students Pack the Stadiums – University of Kansas (KS)
  • Their Students Love These Colleges – Claremont McKenna College (CA)

Photo credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kristinnador/