'Tis the season. I've been highlighting college rankings in my latest posts. Well, here's yet another set: the Unigo college rankings. Some highlights:
No Last Call
Top 10 schools where "Animal House" is considered tame.
University of California - Santa Cruz
Florida State University - Tallahassee
University of Georgia
Lehigh University
University of Massachusetts - Amherst
Penn State - University Park
Washington and Lee University
West Virginia University
University of Wisconsin - Madison
Vanderbilt University
Best Kept Secrets
Top 10 Schools that fly under the academic radar - but shouldn't.
Bard College
Denison College
Hampshire College
Harvey Mudd College
Kenyon College
Knox College
Ohio Wesleyan University
Reed College
Sarah Lawrence College
Wabash College
While these headings remind me quite a bit of those in the Princeton Review rankings, there are still enough new names under slightly new headings to inspire at least some chatter. Here's what the press release said:
UNIGO UNVEILS THEIR FIRST-EVER COLLEGE RANKINGS
More than 30,000 current college students voted
to create the "Top 10 for '10"
Unigo, the web's largest resource for student-written college reviews, today revealed their first-ever college rankings, the Top 10 for '10. More than 30,000 current college students from across the country contributed to the rankings, which name the top ten schools in ten unique categories. The lists represent a wide variety of institutions, and offer a more nuanced (and irreverent) look at their individual attributes.
The ten lists are: "The New Ivies," the top 10 schools that are the next generation of excellence; "Never Lock Your Doors," the top 10 colleges that are so safe, jaywalkers are the biggest felons; "Best Kept Secrets," the top 10 schools that fly under the academic radar - but shouldn't; "Walk of Shame Hall of Fame," the top 10 schools where everybody gets 'lucky'; "Nietzschean Supermen (and Superwomen)," the top 10 schools where the pursuit of knowledge goes far beyond the classroom; "All Business All the Time," the top 10 schools where students are already looking beyond their undergraduate years; "Location, Location, Location," the top 10 schools whose locales are the envy of family and friends; "Life is But a Game," the top 10 schools where sports rule; "Politicians & Pundits," the top 10 schools where students follow the beltway as closely as their studies; and "No Last Call," the top 10 schools where 'Animal House' is considered tame. The full list of categories and schools is below.
Unigo surveyed students at 225 colleges for their opinions about their own schools and peer institutions. With more than 30,000 votes cast, the results were vetted by Unigo's editorial staff and educational advisory board to ensure accuracy. For each school on each list, current students sent in photos and supporting quotes, offering on-the-ground insights into why their school made the Top 10 for '10.
"Our goal with these rankings was to present high school students and parents with interesting, authentic insights into the experiences at these institutions as they begin their college research," said Unigo's CEO, Jordan Goldman. "Unigo is one of the world's largest resources for college information created by current college students, offering information you can't find anywhere else. These rankings were a natural fit. The students really do have a more accurate assessment of what a school is all about than administrators or cold statistics."
More details, and the full rankings, are available at Unigo.com. The lists, with their supporting materials, will be rolled out on the site one per day, for 10 days, from August 25 through September 3.
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Here, then, in their entirety, are:
THE TOP 10 FOR '10:
Note: Schools within each category are listed in alphabetical order.
No Last Call
Top 10 schools where "Animal House" is considered tame.
University of California - Santa Cruz
Florida State University - Tallahassee
University of Georgia
Lehigh University
University of Massachusetts - Amherst
Penn State - University Park
Washington and Lee University
West Virginia University
University of Wisconsin - Madison
Vanderbilt University
Never Lock Your Doors
Top 10 colleges that are so safe, jaywalkers are the biggest felons.
Bennington College
Bryn Mawr College
Colgate University
Dartmouth College
Davidson College
Haverford College
Kenyon College
Princeton University
Wellesley College
Wheaton College
All Business All the Time
Doctors, Lawyers, and CEOs, Oh My! Top 10 schools where students are already looking beyond their undergrad years.
Amherst College
Bucknell University
Cornell University
Davidson College
Georgetown University
University of Pennsylvania
Princeton University
Rice University
Vanderbilt College
Wake Forest University
Life is But a Game
Jocktastic! Top 10 schools where sports rule.
University of Alabama
University of California-Los Angeles
University of Florida
University of Georgia
Lousiana State University
University of Michigan
University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
University of Notre Dame
Ohio State University
University of Texas - Austin
Best Kept Secrets
Top 10 Schools that fly under the academic radar - but shouldn't.
Bard College
Denison College
Hampshire College
Harvey Mudd College
Kenyon College
Knox College
Ohio Wesleyan University
Reed College
Sarah Lawrence College
Wabash College
Walk of Shame Hall of Fame
Top 10 schools where everybody gets "lucky."
Arizona State University
University of California-Santa Barbara
Florida State University
University of Miami
Michigan State University
University of Nevada-Las Vegas
Penn State University
Texas Tech University
Vassar College
University of Wisconsin-Madison
The New Ivies
These Top 10 Schools are the next generation of excellence.
Carnegie Mellon University
Duke University
Johns Hopkins University
New York University
Northwestern University
Tufts University
University of Virginia
Washington University in St. Louis
Wellesley College
Williams College
Location, Location, Location
Top 10 schools whose locales are the envy of family & friends.
Boston University
University of California-Berkeley
University of California-San Diego
University of Colorado-Boulder
University of Georgia
New York University
Pepperdine University
University of Texas-Austin
Tulane University
University of Vermont
Politicians & Pundits
Top 10 Schools where students follow the beltway as closely as their studies.
American University
Claremont McKenna College
George Mason University - Fairfax
George Washington University
Hampshire College
Macalester College
Oberlin College
Pitzer College
Wesleyan University
University of Wisconsin - Madison
Nietzschean Supermen (and Superwomen)
Top 10 Schools where the pursuit of knowledge goes far beyond the classroom.
Brown University
Carleton College
University of Chicago
Grinnell College
Haverford College
Macalester College
Pomona College
Reed College
Swarthmore College
Wesleyan University
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If you need an antidote to all these rankings, you might care to consider this article: 5 Reasons Why Every Single College Ranking Is a Pile of Crap. More on that in my next post.
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Be sure to check out all my admissions-related articles and book reviews at College Confidential.