Calvin College is one of the nation’s best institutions for undergraduate education, according to the Princeton Review. The education services company features the school in the recently published 2016 edition of its annual college guide, “The Best 380 Colleges.”
Only about 15 percent of the nation's four-year colleges are included in the guide, which bases its selections on institutional data, school visits, student feedback and the opinions of both the Princeton Review staff and the 23-member National College Counselor Advisory Board. The Princeton Review depends heavily on student surveys in forming each school's two-page profile.
In a “Survey Says” sidebar in the book’s profile on Calvin, the Princeton Review lists topics that Calvin students surveyed for the book were in most agreement about in their responses. The list includes: “great library,” “students are very religious,” and “recreation facilities are great,” to name a few.
Students who were surveyed highlighted their relationship with the faculty as a defining characteristic of a Calvin education. One nursing student said: “The professors are what makes this school. They know everyone by name and help you to succeed.” A biochemistry major wholeheartedly agrees stating “the professors are all very passionate about their field and they pass that on to their students.” A literature major adds: “I would say that faculty-student relationship is probably one of my favorite parts of Calvin.” The students add that their instructors are “very intelligent and well respected, but also very down-to earth.”
And, according to the college’s admissions office, that faculty-student interaction is one of the hallmarks of a Calvin education. The college's profile states: “the meaningful work in a student’s area of interest doesn’t begin post-college, but during the Calvin experience—through in-depth research, fast-paced internships and the chance to present and publish alongside world-class faculty."
In addition to being included in the Princeton Review’s “Best 380 Colleges,” Calvin is also touted as one of the country’s best and most interesting institutions in the 2016 edition of the Fiske Guide to Colleges. Calvin made the lists for small colleges and universities strong in business and also in engineering. Calvin is the only college in Michigan on either of those lists. And Money magazine ranks Calvin College as the top private school in Michigan on its “The Best Colleges For Your Money” list, which is compiled based on educational quality, affordability and career outcomes.
