The Best, Easiest, and Most Fun
When it comes to college, the one that has the best overall experience for undergraduates is Yale University, followed by Princeton, Duke, Amherst, and MIT.
That's the word from the Princeton Review, which has just published its 2004 edition of "The Best 351Colleges" in which it ranks schools in 70 somewhat unusual categories. What makes the Princeton Review unique--and controversial--is that it relies on the survey results of just over 100,000 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 Academics Overall: Yale University
Best Academic Bang for Your Buck: Marlboro College
Best Profs: Middlebury College
Worst Profs: Stevens Institute of Technology
Toughest College to Get Into: U.S. Military Academy
Too Many TAs, Not Enough Profs: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
All I Ever Do Is Study!
Students Never Stop Studying: California Institute of Technology
Students Hardly Ever Study: University of Colorado, Boulder
Best College Library: Dickinson College
This Is a Library?: University of Dallas
The Smiley Face Factor
Happiest Students: DePaul University
Unhappiest Students: Montana Tech of the University of Montana
Dorms Like Palaces: Loyola College, Baltimore
Dorms Like Dungeons: University of Missouri-Rolla
Best Campus Food: Bowdoin College
This Is Food? St. Bonaventure University
Most Beautiful Campus: University of California at Santa Cruz
Ugliest Campus: Illinois Institute of Technology
Best Quality of Life: Hollins University
Where's the Game?
Best Sports Fans: University of Notre Dame
Best Jock School: Penn State University, University Park
Dodge Ball Targets: Emerson College
Animal House
Top Party School: University of Colorado, Boulder
Best Frat & Sorority Scene: DePauw University
Reefer Madness: Skidmore College
They Never Wear Togas Here
Stone Cold Sober School: Brigham Young University
Most Religious School: Brigham Young University
They Don't Inhale: United States Air Force Academy
Politically Correct
Most Politically-Active Students: Wesleyan University
Election? What Election?: Cooper Union
Students Lean Most to the Right: Washington and Lee University
Students Lean Most to the Left: Bard College
I'm Okay, You're Okay
Most Diverse: Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Friendliest Race/Class Relations: McGill University
Campus Most Accepting to Gays: New York University
Alternative Lifestyles Not an Alternative: University of Notre Dame
Red Tape, Green Money
Students Most Satisfied With Financial Aid: Knox College
Students Dissatisfied With Financial Aid: SUNY at Stony Brook
Best-Administered: University of Chicago
Long Lines and Red Tape: Illinois Institute of Technology
____________________________________________________________
The complete listing is in "The Best 351 Colleges: 2004 Edition", which also has two-page profiles on each college with information on academics, student body, campus life, admission, and financial aid.
http://www.princetonreview.com/college/research/rankings/rankingCategory.asp?categoryID=1