'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
<p>Top 10 schools where "Animal House" is considered tame.</p><p>University of California - Santa Cruz</p><p>Florida State University - Tallahassee</p><p>University of Georgia</p><p>Lehigh University</p><p>University of Massachusetts - Amherst</p><p>Penn State - University Park</p><p>Washington and Lee University</p><p>West Virginia University</p><p>University of Wisconsin - Madison</p><p>Vanderbilt University</p><h3>Best Kept Secrets</h3><p>Top 10 Schools that fly under the academic radar - but shouldn't.</p><p>Bard College</p><p>Denison College</p><p>Hampshire College</p><p>Harvey Mudd College</p><p>Kenyon College</p><p>Knox College</p><p>Ohio Wesleyan University</p><p>Reed College</p><p>Sarah Lawrence College</p><p>Wabash College</p><p>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: </p><h2>UNIGO UNVEILS THEIR FIRST-EVER COLLEGE RANKINGS</h2><p><strong>More than 30,000 current college students voted</strong></p><p><strong>to create the "Top 10 for '10"</strong></p><p><em>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.</em></p><p><em>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.</em> <em></em></p><p><em>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.</em> <em></em></p><p><em>"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."</em> <em></em></p><p><em>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.</em></p><p rel="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;"><em>***</em></p><p style="text-align: left;">Here, then, in their entirety, are:</p><h3>THE TOP 10 FOR '10:</h3><p>Note: Schools within each category are listed in alphabetical order.</p><p><strong>No Last Call</strong></p><p>Top 10 schools where "Animal House" is considered tame.</p><p>University of California - Santa Cruz</p><p>Florida State University - Tallahassee</p><p>University of Georgia</p><p>Lehigh University</p><p>University of Massachusetts - Amherst</p><p>Penn State - University Park</p><p>Washington and Lee University</p><p>West Virginia University</p><p>University of Wisconsin - Madison</p><p>Vanderbilt University</p><p><strong>Never Lock Your Doors</strong></p><p>Top 10 colleges that are so safe, jaywalkers are the biggest felons.</p><p>Bennington College</p><p>Bryn Mawr College</p><p>Colgate University</p><p>Dartmouth College</p><p>Davidson College</p><p>Haverford College</p><p>Kenyon College</p><p>Princeton University</p><p>Wellesley College</p><p>Wheaton College</p><p><strong>All Business All the Time</strong></p><p>Doctors, Lawyers, and CEOs, Oh My! Top 10 schools where students are already looking beyond their undergrad years.</p><p>Amherst College</p><p>Bucknell University</p><p>Cornell University</p><p>Davidson College</p><p>Georgetown University</p><p>University of Pennsylvania</p><p>Princeton University</p><p>Rice University</p><p>Vanderbilt College</p><p>Wake Forest University</p><p>Life is But a Game</p><p>Jocktastic! Top 10 schools where sports rule.</p><p>University of Alabama</p><p>University of California-Los Angeles</p><p>University of Florida</p><p>University of Georgia</p><p>Lousiana State University</p><p>University of Michigan</p><p>University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill</p><p>University of Notre Dame</p><p>Ohio State University</p><p>University of Texas - Austin</p><p><strong>Best Kept Secrets</strong></p><p>Top 10 Schools that fly under the academic radar - but shouldn't.</p><p>Bard College</p><p>Denison College</p><p>Hampshire College</p><p>Harvey Mudd College</p><p>Kenyon College</p><p>Knox College</p><p>Ohio Wesleyan University</p><p>Reed College</p><p>Sarah Lawrence College</p><p>Wabash College</p><p><strong>Walk of Shame Hall of Fame</strong></p><p>Top 10 schools where everybody gets "lucky."</p><p>Arizona State University</p><p>University of California-Santa Barbara</p><p>Florida State University</p><p>University of Miami</p><p>Michigan State University</p><p>University of Nevada-Las Vegas</p><p>Penn State University</p><p>Texas Tech University</p><p>Vassar College</p><p>University of Wisconsin-Madison</p><p><strong>The New Ivies</strong></p><p>These Top 10 Schools are the next generation of excellence.</p><p>Carnegie Mellon University</p><p>Duke University</p><p>Johns Hopkins University</p><p>New York University</p><p>Northwestern University</p><p>Tufts University</p><p>University of Virginia</p><p>Washington University in St. Louis</p><p>Wellesley College</p><p>Williams College</p><p><strong>Location, Location, Location</strong></p><p>Top 10 schools whose locales are the envy of family & friends.</p><p>Boston University</p><p>University of California-Berkeley</p><p>University of California-San Diego</p><p>University of Colorado-Boulder</p><p>University of Georgia</p><p>New York University</p><p>Pepperdine University</p><p>University of Texas-Austin</p><p>Tulane University</p><p>University of Vermont</p><p><strong>Politicians & Pundits</strong></p><p>Top 10 Schools where students follow the beltway as closely as their studies.</p><p>American University</p><p>Claremont McKenna College</p><p>George Mason University - Fairfax</p><p>George Washington University</p><p>Hampshire College</p><p>Macalester College</p><p>Oberlin College</p><p>Pitzer College</p><p>Wesleyan University</p><p>University of Wisconsin - Madison</p><p><strong>Nietzschean Supermen (and Superwomen)</strong></p><p>Top 10 Schools where the pursuit of knowledge goes far beyond the classroom.</p><p>Brown University</p><p>Carleton College</p><p>University of Chicago</p><p>Grinnell College</p><p>Haverford College</p><p>Macalester College</p><p>Pomona College</p><p>Reed College</p><p>Swarthmore College</p><p>Wesleyan University</p><p style="text-align: center;">***</p><p style="text-align: left;">If you need an antidote to all these rankings, you might care to consider this article: <a href="http://consumerist.com/2010/08/5-reasons-why-every-single-college-ranking-ever-published-is-a-pile-of-crap.html" target="_blank">5 Reasons Why Every Single College Ranking Is a Pile of Crap</a>. More on that in my next post.</p><p style="text-align: center;">**********</p><p style="text-align: left;">Be sure to check out all my admissions-related articles and book reviews at <a href="http://www.collegeconfidential.com/" target="_blank">College Confidential</a>.</p>
Keep reading
Show less
