Colleges Ranked: Hardest, Easiest and Party-ist

by the editors at Netscape (Subscribe to the editors at Netscape's posts)
Aug 16th 2010 12:35PM

Filed under: In The News, Teen Culture, Education: Teens, Research Reveals: Teens

Credit: Getty Images

Princeton Review's Best 373 Colleges: 2011 Edition is out and here are the latest rankings:

When it comes to college, the one that has the best classroom experience is Mount Holyoke College, followed by Reed College, Stanford University, West Point and Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering.

Students buckle down and study the most at these difficult schools: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Reed College, Harvey Mudd College, California Institute of Technology and Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering.

If you want a school where the students (almost) never study, here's your list: University of North Dakota, University of Central Florida, University of Mississippi, SUNY-Albany and West Virginia University.

Party! They know how to party hearty at the University of Georgia, Ohio University-Athens, Penn State University, West Virginia University and the University of Mississippi.

What makes the Princeton Review unique -- and controversial -- is that it relies on the survey results of college students. No administrators. No professors. No parents. Only student opinions are solicited.

Following are the No. 1 rankings in selected categories:

I Only Want the Best

• Best Classroom Experience: Mount Holyoke College

• Professors Get High Marks: Reed College

• Professors Get Low Marks: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

• Most Accessible Professors: U.S. Air Force Academy

• Least Accessible Professors: University of Toronto

• Best Career Services: Northeastern University

All I Ever Do Is Study!

• Students Study the Most: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

• Students Study the Least: University of North Dakota

• Best College Library: Harvard College

• This Is a Library?: Bradley University

The Smiley Face Factor

• Happiest Students: Brown University

• Least Happy Students: Fisk University

• Dorms Like Palaces: Bryn Mawr College

• Dorms Like Dungeons: Tuskegee University

• Best Campus Food: Bowdoin College

• Is It Food?: United States Merchant Marine Academy

• Most Beautiful Campus: Sewanee--The University of the South

• Least Beautiful Campus: New Jersey Institute of Technology

• Great College Town: Columbia University

• Best Quality of Life: Rice University

Where's the Game?

• Best Athletic Facilities: University of Maryland-College Park

• Students Pack the Stadiums: Penn State University

• Best Jock School: Clemson University

• Dodge Ball Targets: Eugene Lang College The New School for Liberal Arts

• Everyone Plays Intramural Sports: University of Notre Dame

• Nobody Plays Intramural Sports: The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art

Animal House

• Top Party School: University of Georgia

• Major Fraternity and Sorority Scene: Transylvania University

• Reefer Madness: University of California, Santa Cruz

• Lots of Hard Liquor: Providence College

• Lots of Beer: Ohio University-Athens

They Never Wear Togas Here

• Stone Cold Sober School: Brigham Young University

• Most Religious Students: Brigham Young University

• They Don't Inhale: United States Coast Guard Academy

• Scotch and Soda, Hold the Scotch: Brigham Young University

Politically Correct

• Most Politically-Active Students: American University

• Election? What Election?: Salisbury University

• Most Conservative Students: Texas A&M University

• Most Liberal Students: Hampshire College

I'm Okay, You're Okay

• Lots of Race/Class Interaction: University of Miami

• LGBT-Friendly: Emerson College

• LGBT-Unfriendly: Grove City College

Red Tape, Green Money

• School Runs Like Butter: Elon University

• Long Lines and Red Tape: SUNY-Purchase College

• Great Financial Aid: Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering

• Financial Aid Not So Great: Sonoma State University

Related: College Kids Don't Disconnect From Parents; The Ultimate College Checklist