August 16, 2004 == MEDIA ADVISORY
Calvin College is again considered one of the best colleges in the country by
the Princeton Review and will be included in its 2005 edition of the "The Best
357 Colleges."
The ranking lists will be posted at www.princetonreview.com beginning at 7 pm
eastern time tonight (August 16).
Calvin vice president Tom McWhertor notes that just getting into "The Best 357
Colleges" is a coup.
"Those 357 schools," he says, "represent only about 10% of the nation's
colleges and universities. We're in some good company in the guide."
Other schools in Michigan included in "The Best 357 Colleges" are Albion,
Kalamazoo, Michigan State, Michigan Tech and the University of Michigan.
"The Best 357 Colleges" - which goes on sale tomorrow - has two-page profiles
on each college with information on academics, student body, campus life,
admission and financial aid.
It also has a series of 64 quirky rankings lists that annually garner national
attention: everything from quality of life to town-gown relations to party
schools and non-party schools.
Calvin annually appears in several such categories and this year is no
exception. Calvin appears in eight lists for 2005.
#7 - Scotch & soda, hold the scotch (hard liquor usage reported low)
#7 - Stone-cold sober schools
#8 - Got milk? (beer usage reported low)
#8 - Students pray on a regular basis (most religious students)
#10 - Future Rotarians and Daughters of the American Revolution
#12 - Students most nostalgic for Ronald Reagan (lean right politically)
#13 - Town-gown relations are good
#15 - Don't inhale (marijuana use reported low)
Albion College was the only state school to earn a number-one ranking in any
of the 64 lists. It topped the "More to do on campus" list - a measure of how
much there is to do in the college's town or city. Albion also was fifth on
the "Town-gown relations are strained" list. Michigan Tech earned a
number-four spot on the "Election? What election?" list - a measure of the
least politically active students. Both Michigan (#9) and Michigan State (#15)
were in the top 20 for teacher assistants teaching too many upper-level
courses, while Kalamazoo College earned 14th position on both the "Students
never stop studying" list and the "This is a library?" list.
Calvin's McWhertor notes that those rankings are not a comparison vs every
school in the country, but rather denote where the schools fit in when compared
only to the 357 schools in the 2005 guide.
So for 2005 the top party school among the 357 schools in the guide is the
State University of New York at Albany, while Brigham Young University was the
top stone-cold sober school among the 357 profiled.
The Princeton Review surveys students, asking 70 questions about their own
school's academics, campus life and student body, as well as their study hours,
politics and opinions. The surveys are conducted on campuses on paper with the
permission of college administrators, and electronically.
The Princeton Review, a New York City-based company known for its test
preparation courses, admission and education services, and books, has conducted
the survey since 1992, when it first published its annual "Best Colleges"
guide.
Later this week the annual U.S. News & World Report rankings will be issued.
Calvin has been a top-ranked school in that guide in 16 of the last 18 years.
Contact Tom McWhertor at 616-526-6650
-end-
Received on Mon Aug 16 14:30:03 2004
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