Survey based on alcohol, drugs, and student study habits
Ohio University has landed top spot in this year’s Princeton Review ranking of American party schools.
The 20,000-student university, which is located in Athens, Ohio, is a recurring name on the list of party schools, placing second last year before earning this year’s top position. The rankings are based on survey questions about students’ use of alcohol and drugs, their study habits, and the use of the Greek alphabet.
Ohio U. is known particularly for its boisterous Halloween parties, which are not sanctioned by the university. The school’s administration responded skeptically to the results of The Review rankings.
“We take seriously our responsibility to help our students succeed in all facets of their experience, including addressing high-risk behavior,” Dean of Students Ryan Lombardi said in a statement Monday. “We are disappointed in the party school ranking as it is not indicative of the overall experience of Ohio students and does not match the data we have collected.”
University of Georgia and the University of Mississippi came in second and third on the list, followed by University of Iowa, University of California-Santa Barbara, and West Virginia University.
The list is part of the The Princeton Review’s 2012 edition of “The Best 376 Colleges,” which includes rankings of schools in other categories such as best professors and most beautiful campus.