Syracuse University ranks as No. 1 party school

Maine in Syracuse, N.Y. The Princeton Reviews annual rankings of campus life issue put the Orange at No. 1 on the list of the nations top party schools.
Maine in Syracuse, N.Y. The Princeton Reviews annual rankings of campus life issue put the Orange at No. 1 on the list of the nations top party schools.

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) - Syracuse University has claimed the title of nation's top party school.

The No. 1 ranking was revealed Monday by The Princeton Review based on a nationwide survey of 130,000 students.

Syracuse's student newspaper ranked second best among the 379 colleges surveyed, and its sports scene, rated third best, likely helped the party mood.

University officials were disappointed by the private university's showing in the 2015 edition of "The Best 379 Colleges." The book contains 62 top-20 lists gauging student satisfaction with professors, financial aid awards, athletic facilities, food and other factors.

"We do not aspire to be a party school," Syracuse said in a statement citing its "long-established reputation for academic excellence with programs that are recognized nationally and internationally as the best in their fields."

Rounding out the top 5 party schools were: the University of Iowa (last year's winner), the University of California-Santa Barbara, West Virginia University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Repeating at the top of the "stone-cold sober" schools was Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.

Syracuse's central New York neighbor Colgate University topped the list of most beautiful campuses. The university of Chicago was found to have the best college library, and students voted Virginia Tech's dining hall offerings as the best campus food.

Other No. 1 spots: Stanford University in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender-friendly category; Elon University in North Carolina as best-run college; Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, for its dorms; and Yale University for best newspaper.

"Our purpose is not to crown one college "best' overall or to rank these distinctive schools 1 to 379 on any single topic," said Princeton Review senior vice president Robert Franek. "We present our 62 ranking lists to give applicants the broader base of campus feedback to choose the college that's best for them."

Northeastern University in Boston took the No. 1 spot on the list of best career services. Oregon's Reed College topped the list of best professors, and the happiest students were found at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, according to the rankings.

An average of 343 students per campus were asked 80 questions about their schools and themselves during the 2013-14 and/or previous two school years. With no affiliation to Princeton University, the Natick, Massachusetts-based Princeton Review has published "The Best 379 Colleges" since 1992.

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) - Syracuse University has claimed the title of nation's top party school.

The No. 1 ranking was revealed Monday by The Princeton Review based on a nationwide survey of 130,000 students.

Syracuse's student newspaper ranked second best among the 379 colleges surveyed, and its sports scene, rated third best, likely helped the party mood.

University officials were disappointed by the private university's showing in the 2015 edition of "The Best 379 Colleges." The book contains 62 top-20 lists gauging student satisfaction with professors, financial aid awards, athletic facilities, food and other factors.

"We do not aspire to be a party school," Syracuse said in a statement citing its "long-established reputation for academic excellence with programs that are recognized nationally and internationally as the best in their fields."

Rounding out the top 5 party schools were: the University of Iowa (last year's winner), the University of California-Santa Barbara, West Virginia University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Repeating at the top of the "stone-cold sober" schools was Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.

Syracuse's central New York neighbor Colgate University topped the list of most beautiful campuses. The university of Chicago was found to have the best college library, and students voted Virginia Tech's dining hall offerings as the best campus food.

Other No. 1 spots: Stanford University in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender-friendly category; Elon University in North Carolina as best-run college; Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, for its dorms; and Yale University for best newspaper.

"Our purpose is not to crown one college "best' overall or to rank these distinctive schools 1 to 379 on any single topic," said Princeton Review senior vice president Robert Franek. "We present our 62 ranking lists to give applicants the broader base of campus feedback to choose the college that's best for them."

Northeastern University in Boston took the No. 1 spot on the list of best career services. Oregon's Reed College topped the list of best professors, and the happiest students were found at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, according to the rankings.

An average of 343 students per campus were asked 80 questions about their schools and themselves during the 2013-14 and/or previous two school years. With no affiliation to Princeton University, the Natick, Massachusetts-based Princeton Review has published "The Best 379 Colleges" since 1992.

TOP 20 PARTY SCHOOLS

1.Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York

2.University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa

3.University of California-Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California

4.West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia

5.University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois

6.Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

7.Penn State University, University Park, Pennsylvania

8.University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin

9.Bucknell University, Lewisburg, Pennsylvania

10.University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida

11.Miami University (Ohio), Oxford, Ohio

12.Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida

13.Ohio University-Athens, Athens, Ohio

14.DePauw University, Greencastle, Indiana

15.University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia

16.University of Mississippi, University, Mississippi

17.Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana

18.University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont

19.University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon

20.University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware

TOP 20 SOBER SCHOOLS

1.Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah

2.Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois

3.U.S. Military Academy, West Point, New York

4.Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Michigan

5.Thomas Aquinas College, Santa Paula, California

6.College of the Ozarks, Point Lookout, Missouri

7.Gordon College, Wenham, Massachusetts

8.Grove City College, Grove City, Pennsylvania

9.U.S. Coast Guard Academy, New London, Connecticut

10.City University of New York-Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, New York

11.City University of New York-City College, New York, New York

12.Wesleyan College (Georgia), Macon, Georgia

13.U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland

14.Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering, Needham, Massachusetts

15.City University of New York-Queens College, Flushing, New York

16.Mills College, Oakland, California

17.St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota

18.University of Houston, Houston, Texas

19.Nazareth College, Rochester, New York

20.University of Dallas, Irving, Texas