Students at the University of Maryland, College Park, love sports like no others and hold their own when it comes to partying too. At Loyola College in Maryland, students prefer Bacardi over beer. St. Mary?s College has among the happiest students in America.
So says the Princeton Review, which just released its annual college rankings.
The college guidebook publisher surveyed 120,000 students at 366 schools nationwide to compile the rankings.
But whether students and college officials agree with the rankings may well depend on whether their school got positive or negative reviews.
“It?s not something we put much stock into due to the lack of statistical and scientific processes involved,” said Courtney Jolley, a Loyola spokeswoman.
Andrew Friedson, College Park?s student government president, agreed that his school?s team spirit trumps most and shared the Review?s view of UM?s diverse student population.
But he questioned the description of College Park as a school that parties instead of studies.
“I think partying is a very tough thing to rank,” said Friedson, a senior politics and government major.
“It happens on every college campus in the country. Students who come here have a lot of fun ? there?s no denying that ? but it would be tough for me to compare.”
And, for the record, he said, he studies.
The Princeton Review rankings
Goucher College: Best 366 colleges, best Northeastern colleges
Johns Hopkins University: Best Northeastern colleges
Loyola College in Maryland: This is a library?, homogeneous student population, lots of hard liquor, dorms like palaces, best Northeastern colleges
Salisbury University: Not politically active, best Northeastern
St. John?s College: Class discussions encouraged, professors get high marks, lots of race/class interaction, intercollegiate sports unpopular, best Northeastern
St. Mary?s College of Maryland: Happiest students, most beautiful campus, America?s best value, best Northeastern
United States Naval Academy: Professors make themselves available, everyone plays intramural sports, students pack the stadiums, marijuana and hard liquor are unpopular, stone-cold sober, most politically active, most nostalgic for Ronald Reagan, future Rotarians and Daughters of the American Revolution, jock schools, town-gown relations are great, best Northeastern, best value
University of Maryland, Baltimore County: Diverse student population, best northeastern
University of Maryland, College Park: Students pack the stadiums, students (almost) never study, diverse student population, party school, best college newspaper.
