<p>PrincetonReview.com rates universities on a number of criteria on a 60-99 scale. I always look at their ratings as 90-99 = A; 80-89 = B; 70-79 = C; and 60-69 = D. I noticed last night that a particular university had scores over 90 for both Selectivity and Quality of Life (the Q of L score is based on student surveys about a number of campus life qualities). I then wondered how many major universities get scores of 90 or above on their ratings on both criteria. The answer is 28 (I added a 29th below that could qualify as a National University, if it chose to leave the Regional U. classification).</p>
<p>Are you surprised at any of those who made this list or schools you thought that should but didn't?:</p>
<p>American U.
BYU
Brown
UC-Davis
Columbia
Cornell
Dartmouth
Emory U.
GWU
U. of Georgia
U. of Miami
U. of Michigan
UNC
N.C. State
Northeastern U.
Penn State
Pitt
Princeton
Rice
Stanford
Stevens Tech
U. of Texas
Tufts
Tulane
Vanderbilt
Virginia Tech
Wash U.
Yale
[Villanova - chooses to be classified as a Regional U.]</p>
<p>What exactly constitutes “Quality of Life”? Frat parties, keg stands, and athletics? Hot students of the opposite gender, weather, students rating their ‘happiness’?? I can understand some more academically intense places like MIT and UChicago being left off, but no USC or Northwestern? Besides being a pretty meaningless list, the ‘metric’ seems flawed as well…</p>
<p>I have to agree with Seahawks on this one. “Quality of life” seems like too much of a subjective criterion on its own, given that what one student finds adds to a higher quality of life may not be the same for another.</p>
<p>Not sure “campus aesthetics” is weighted all that heavily, otherwise UC Davis and GWU wouldn’t have made the list. The dorms and food at GWU are above average, but I don’t think you could say the same thing at Davis.</p>
<p>Well, Princeton Review isn’t exactly the most credible source. But that said, I’d say the following:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Not surprised that some heavy hitters like Harvard. MIT, Caltech, Chicago don’t make it because of the quality-of-life (QOL) thing. My experience: many but certainly not all students at these schools find them not warm and happy places, but places where a monastic self-sacrificing lifestyle is the norm.</p></li>
<li><p>I am surprised to see schools like Georgetown, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Duke, Boston College don’t make the list. My perception would be these schools are certainly “selective” enough, so the shortcoming must be QOL. I would have expected students at these schools to be pretty comfortable and well cared-for, in relatively plush little cocoons. If they’re still unhappy despite that, it suggests something deeper is missing. Either that, or it’s a flaw in Princeton Review’s methodology, which is certainly possible.</p></li>
<li><p>I’m also surprised that some top publics–UC Berkeley, UCLA, UVA, Wisconsin–don’t make the cut. I would perceive these as schools where most students are pretty happy and comfortable, the academics are strong, the selectivity is there (certainly if schools like NC State make the cut). So I don’t really get it.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>[insert disbelieving comment that my amazing alma mater didn’t make the list]</p>
<p>Very interesting, but I always like to see the raw numbers. Several elite schools make the >90 QofL but not others. I wonder too if there is a selection bias among the undergraduates (surveyed?) at those institutions.</p>
<p>If the QOL stat is based on student satisfaction, it probably has more to do with student esprit de corps and love of alma mater mixed with expectations than any objective standard.</p>
<p>The one I found most surprising was Stevens Tech. Tech schools in general don’t fare well on PR’s Q of L scale. Perhaps Hoboken is the place to be!</p>