Recently, the Princeton Review (not affiliated with Princeton University) updated its college rankings lists. This means changes in lists such as “Happiest Students�, “Dorms Like Dungeons�, “Professors Make Themselves Accessible�, and “Students Dissatisfied with Financial Aid.� http://www.princetonreview.com/college/research/regional/methodology.asp
One of the functions of the Princeton Review is to help high school students find the right college. The Princeton Review’s website contains profiles of hundreds of colleges in the U.S. The “Rankings and Lists� and the “Students Say� section of each profile are based on college students’ opinions of their college.
The result is, as the Princeton Review says, “that which a college admissions viewbook by its very nature can never really achieve—an uncensored view of life at a particular college.� And they’re right. I’m a senior in high school, and I’ll be applying to colleges this fall. The Princeton Review has been an important aid to my college search.
Early in my search, I considered a certain college that had a good physics program. But the college is on the lists “Professors Make Themselves Scarce,� “Campus Is Tiny, Unsightly, or Both,� “Least Happy Students� and “Long Lines and Red Tape.� That collage of bad qualities decided for me: I wasn’t applying there.
For a while, I planned on applying to Swarthmore. According to the Princeton Review’s profile, Swarthmore’s student body is very liberal – it’s on the “Students Most Nostalgic for Bill Clinton� list. I thought that wouldn’t be a big deal. But when I remembered that I’m the person who wants FDR off of dimes, I dropped Swarthmore from my college list. Of course, I had another reason: the distributional requirements at Swarthmore wouldn’t allow me to study physics in depth.
Sometimes I ignore the lists: I’m applying to Johns Hopkins, and I don’t care that it’s fourth on “Is It Food?�. I attended Johns Hopkins’s pre-college program last summer, and I thought the food was good.
These lists have affected my college choices. Warning to colleges on the bad lists: students and parents will use the lists. Parents whose children are considering Warren Wilson University will want to know that it’s number one on the “Reefer Madness� list.
Somehow, a few schools are on all the bad lists: Penn State is second on “Party Schools�, third on “Students Dissatisfied with Financial Aid�, third on “Lots of Hard Liquor�, sixth on “Lots of Beer�, and ninth on “Their Students (Almost) Never Study.� State University of New York at Albany has horrible rankings. The top colleges tend to be on all the good lists. The lists say all sorts of great things about Princeton, which is part of why I’m applying there. Go online and look at the lists; they’re worth seeing.
If the Princeton Review’s lists become as well known as I expect – they were a topic in the national news – then colleges on the bad lists might soon be unpopular. Maybe good will result. The colleges could try to improve themselves. Some colleges take the lists seriously: Johns Hopkins is changing its food service in an attempt to get off of the “Is It Food?� list and onto the “Best Campus Food� list. http://www.jhunewsletter.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2006/04/06/44382ad03b221?in_archive=1
I wonder what would happen if the Princeton Review ranked high schools.
These rankings should be taken with a grain of salt. Like all surveys, people often only reply when they have something negative to say.
Also, the Princeton Review was founded in 1982. They haven't just been in the news 'recently.' They already are 'well-known.' They've been published every year for years. Some good already has resulted and some schools will strive to make a change, but all realize it is only as reliable as a survey can be. I would caution you to base your college decision solely on what the Princeton Review has to say.
One thing I learned - no matter where you go - YOU make the college experience. You only get out of it what you put into it. That's better advice than anything the Princeton Review can tell you.
I don't like the Prinston Review. I found the University of Alabama through the U.S News & World Report's review because their's is more accurate.
From my understanding of the college admissions process, admissions officers look for students that are the "best fit" for a college and counsel students to look for a college that will "fit" them. With this in mind, students should base their decision on what a college says about itself, what others say about the college, and the student's own impressions. Rankings such as those provided by the Princeton Review can be valuable in this respect. But, certainly a student should not base his decision soley on these rankings.
I agree with Megan that you get out of college the effort that you put into it. However, a serious student, who is looking forward to academic discussions with professors and other students, should be leary of a school where "students almost (never) study" or "professors make themselves scarce." With the high price of college these days, students owe it to themselves and their parents (who foot the bill) to make a smart choice.
Unlike public high schools, colleges are in competition for the best students. Therefore, colleges should take into account what their own students have to say.