Princeton Review 2011 list of 373 ‘best’ colleges in U.S. includes six local schools

By William Hamilton
PBN Staff Writer

PROVIDENCE – Six local schools have again made the Princeton Review Inc.’s list of the 373 best U.S. colleges for 2011, including Brown University, where students were ranked as the happiest in the country.

Joining Brown on the annual list released Monday were Bryant University, Providence College, the University of Rhode Island, as well as Bristol County, Mass., schools Stonehill College in Easton and Wheaton College in Norton. Each of the schools appeared on the 2010 list.

“Each of our 373 best colleges offers great academics and we salute them for that,” Robert Franek, author of the book and Princeton Review senior vice president and publisher, said in a statement. “However, they differ widely in their program offerings and campus culture. That’s why we don’t rank them 1-373. Instead we tally 62 ranking lists based entirely on how students at these schools rated their experiences at them: We also compile eight rating scores for each school based on our institutional research. For applicants, it’s all about finding your best fit college.”

The list is based on surveys of 122,000 students – an average of 325 per campus – during the 2009-2010 academic year and the previous two years. The 80-question survey asked students about their school’s academics, administration, campus life, student body and themselves.

While Brown ranked No. 1 in happiest students, it came in at No. 5 for best college radio station, and 17th for best college theater, as well as No. 18 for both “lots of race/class interaction” and “best quality of life.”

Meanwhile, Providence College ranked No. 1 in “lots of hard liquor,” No. 4 in “little race/class interaction,” 10th in a category titled “lots of beer,” and 18th in terms of unfriendliness to gays and lesbians.

The survey indicated URI was seventh-least politically active campus on the list, and it ranked 11th in terms of professors needing improvement and 20th in least-happy students.

Wheaton College placed fifth in the “college town not so great” ranking, and Stonehill College ranked as fourth least politically active campus, 13th most popular study abroad program, and 19th in best career services.

Bryant did not make any of the individual lists, but was praised providing an education that “blends the academic and the real world.”

Princeton Review’s best colleges guide, published annually since 1992, is one of 165 books produced by the test-prep provider. It went on sale Tuesday.

Additional information is available at www.PrincetonReview.com.