Princeton Review ranks College in six areas

Ilyse Kramer Staff Writer

The Princeton Review recently published Best 361 College Rankings for the 2005-2006 year. Vassar was ranked in eight categories, with the highest rankings being for “Best College Theater” and for “Town-Gown Relations are Strained.”

Dean of Admissions David Borus admitted that he and his colleagues find The Princeton Review’s rankings amusing, and do not take them seriously. Borus revealed The Princeton Review gathers information through unreliable means. “Of all the subjective guide books, The Princeton Review has the most questionable methodology.”

“The Princeton Review rankings consist of skewed data based on one or two extreme positive or negative opinions. Representatives from The Princeton Review come to campuses across the United States and ask students to fill out questionnaires. They use the results of their surveys to make up their statistics. “This is not typical research survey methodology, but rather an excuse for students to goof. “

“For instance, one year we were ranked as having ‘the happiest students.’ The following year we were not on the list. Did our students suddenly become unhappy? I think not. Instead, because of the methodology of The Princeton Review, the rankings change dramatically from one year to the next. Casey Salvietti ‘07 remarks: “The Princeton Review needs to take a course on probability and statistics.”

Borus does not believe prospective students will be swayed by the rankings. “These rankings are amusing, but students do not put great stock in them. They add flavor to the cut and dried nature of statistics. They are fun, but are all fairly bogus.”

Salvietti agreed, “The Princeton Review is trying really hard to sound cool and thinks it is okay to lump people together. Many people do eat meat and wear Birkenstocks. I have never once smelled cloves on campus.”

Borus admitted “some of the rankings are in the ballpark. We do have a beautiful campus.” Nate Kimball ’09 and Sam Rausnitz ’09 agreed with Borus, but could not believe that there were 18 campuses more beautiful than Vassar. “What does a more beautiful campus look like?” wondered Rausnitz.

Borus commented on the practice of ranking colleges. “In general, the notion of ranking schools like bars of soap is ridiculous. It is fallacious for students to decide where to look for college based on external rankings that may have no validity for themselves as individuals. It is important to remember that the primary goal of guidebooks is not to help students, but sell more guidebooks.”

Full rankings are available at princetonreview.com/college/research/profiles/rankings.