Why Do Party Schools Rank So High?

<p>If you look side-by-side at the list of the biggest party schools in this country (via Princeton Review) and the highest, Nationally Ranked colleges on US News’ website, you will see that most of the schools that claim to have the most by way of drinking and partying are also some of the highest ranked.</p>

<p>Here’s the List of Biggest Party Schools (<a href=“http://www.princetonreview.com/college/research/rankings/rankingDetails.asp?categoryID=3&topicID=26”>http://www.princetonreview.com/college/research/rankings/rankingDetails.asp?categoryID=3&topicID=26</a> </p>

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<p>Out of those twenty schools, thirteen of them are ranked in the top 125 colleges in the country, with six of them being in the top 50, and 12 of them in the top 100. </p>

<p>Here’s what I found via the USNEWS site (<a href=“http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/brief/t1natudoc_brief.php[/url]”>http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/brief/t1natudoc_brief.php</a>)</p>

<li>UT-Austin </li>
<li>Penn State–University Park </li>
<li>Univ. of Wisconsin—Madison * </li>
<li>Univ. of Massachusetts—Amherst *</li>
<li>University of Iowa *</li>
<li>University of California—Davis *</li>
<li>University of Florida *</li>
<li>University of Georgia *</li>
<li>Indiana University—Bloomington *
105.University of New Hampshire *</li>
<li>Lehigh University¶</li>
<li>University of Arizona *</li>
<li>Univ. of Maryland—College Park *</li>
</ol>

<p>What does this mean, if anything?</p>

<p>I wouldn't necessarily consider any of those to have "high" rankings, with the exception of Lehigh and UW. </p>

<p>Basically, if you have half a brain I know for a fact you can get into UNH or Arizona. Your GPA and test scores don't have to be stellar or anything and no one expects them to get any better when you get there.</p>

<p>When you're working your ass off during the week in a difficult school, there is nothing more you would rather do during the weekend than blow off some steam by partying hard.</p>

<p>dude, the majority of the schools that you've listed are large state-schools and we all know that state-schools are known as party schools. And, like SilverCLoud said, the schools you've listed aren't even high-ranked, per se. When I saw the title of the thread I thought you were going to really name high-ranking schools like USNEWS top 50 schools.</p>

<p>those really aren't high ranked schools...</p>

<p>You elitist pricks need to get over yourselves. Just because a college isn't number 2 doesn't mean its not highly ranked. There are 3000 colleges in the US, so being in the top 40 is great. Seriously, UT-A isn't highly ranked? Lehigh, Penn State, Wisconsin, Indiana, all great schools and very highly ranked.</p>

<p>THANK YOU, Jlime. I was reading those responses with my mouth open. </p>

<p>Shoot, being in the top 100 is high, IMO. That may not mean they are super extra hard to get into, but that's not high? Huh?</p>

<p>SilverClover, I take issue with your statement about UNH (I don't know about Arizona). What a rude comment to make, anyone with half a brain can get in! I know many kids who go to UNH with whole brains and my daughter is going to join their ranks this fall. She has outstanding stats and selected UNH over several "higher-ranked" schools. Some of these so-called "party schools" get short shrift in the rankings and their academic strengths are often overlooked. It's wise to know whereof you speak before you start bashing schools.</p>

<p>Classic CC thread..</p>

<p>When I think of a highly ranked party school, Boston College comes to mind...</p>

<p>UCSB is known as the smartest party school on the west coast.<br>
I can not imagine how other schools can top off Isla Vista for partying.</p>

<p>come on guys,
with a country that has like what 400 colleges?
top 100 is pretty good</p>

<p>The quality drops off after about 40.</p>

<p>The fact that UGA is ranked in the 60s is really scary considering how easy of a school it is. In fact, people just don't get lower than a B in the honors program, and that's not for actually working.</p>

<p>Maybe it means that the current editors of USN&WR and The Princeton Review were intellectually gifted alcoholics when they were in school . . .</p>

<p>The variability of U.S. schools is just stupid. Anything below the top 60-70 is junk by international standards. Anything below the top 100, and you were scammed. I've talked with several profs. about this. The university system in the U.S. is like the health care system in the U.S.:great for those who benefit, atrocious for the rest.</p>

<p>^ silvercloud and wutang, your responses are a little over the top, don't you think? So the two of you are saying that a U.S. college or university ranked below the top 40-70 (according to whom, by the way?) isn't competitive by international standards and that any U.S. college or university ranked below 100 (again, by what standard) isn't worth the education it offers. Sorry, but that's ridiculous. The vast majority of U.S. college graduates weren't educated at the "elite" institutions, yet many of them go on to be top CEO's, doctors, lawyers, accountants, engineers, entrepreneurs, leaders in their fields, etc. This isn't meant to be a criticism of the top schools, their students, or their graduates, but there are certainly many very bright, talented students getting fine educations at institutions that don't make anybody's "name" list.</p>

<p>wutang is exaggerating a little bit, but not all that much. The fact of the matter is that the US university system is like many other things America: variable in quality. That means you get schools at the top end that are supremely good (best in the world I would argue), but also schools more towards the bottom that are just abominable.</p>

<p>This doesn't mean that if you don't go to a top school you won't be successful - but just because successful people have come from crappy schools doesn't make those schools less crappy.</p>

<p>UT Austin is really freakin' huge and certain departments are very hard, so that might excplain some things.</p>

<p>Wutang's right about the health care stuff.</p>

<p>what's wrong with parties?
A college cannot be a excellent one without parties!</p>