Still, perhaps because our society seems to have become more oriented toward exhibitionism than pride in quality, The Princeton Review’s college and university ratings receive a great deal of attention.
Once again this year, West Virginia University is No. 1 in one intensely watched category: “Best Party School.” It also was ranked No. 1 in the “Their Students (Almost) Never Study” Category. It was No. 6 in “Lots of Beer” and No. 7 in “Lots of Hard Liquor.”
WVU often has ranked in The Princeton Review’s top-10 party schools, though it hasn’t been in first place for about a decade. Somehow, we doubt that incoming university President Mike Garrison and his staff are celebrating the new No. 1 ranking.
That’s because they understand that WVU certainly has its share of students who favor the party scene over academic excellence — like the other 366 colleges and universities covered by The Princeton Review. And, again, the fact that the ratings are based entirely on questionnaires answered by students — about 90 percent of them online — means that the Review’s results are indicative more of young people eager to pull their elders’ legs than of reality.
Still, if you’re a parent considering WVU for your child — or a high school student giving the university a look — should the Review’s ratings give you pause?
No. WVU is a top-notch educational and research university. It offers a quality education at reasonable cost — to those for whom that is the goal. If you go to WVU to get an education, you will succeed in that. If you go because you’re determined to add to that “party school” reputation, you’ll probably not benefit much — as would be the case at any other college or university.
That is the bottom line about going to college anywhere — even at institutions on the Review’s “stone cold sober” list.
Our advice concerning The Princeton Review’s “party school” ratings, then, is to take them for what they’re worth. And if you have any doubt concerning the ratings’ value, we suggest you talk to some of the tens of thousands of men and women who, down through the years, have had reason to be grateful for the educations they obtained at WVU.