Every year, the Princeton Review releases its famous “376 Best Colleges” list, compiled by surveying over 122,000 students across the nation. The most recent one just came out, which includes colleges with the best professors, best food, best financial aid and…best parties?
That’s right, part of this list is the ever-popular rundown of top party schools. This year’s winner? Ohio University, taking the title from the University of Georgia (last year’s winning contender, this year’s No. 2).
A lot of naysayers badmouth this list, claiming it’s irrelevant and sends a bad message. To that, I say a resounding, “Pshaw.” It’s college—it would be counterintuitive to pretend like partying doesn’t happen. I wasn’t looking for this list when it came time for me to apply, but it’s a fun thing to scan now. The Princeton Review is merely trying to give a well-rounded analysis of the nation’s higher education institutions; they’re giving the people what they want.
My sage advice? Partying happens within Ivy League walls, too. Don’t just apply to a school because it has a killer party scene. Go to college for the degree, but let off some steam by engaging in some bacchanalia every now and then. The best four years of your life only happen once.
Here are the Top 20 party schools:
1. Ohio University, Athens, Ohio
2. University of Georgia, Athens, Ga.
3. University of Mississippi, Oxford, Miss.
4. University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
5. University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, Calif.
6. West Virginia University, Morgantown, W. Va.
7. Penn State University, University Park, Pa.
8. Florida State University, Tallahassee, Fla.
9. University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla.
10. University of Texas, Austin, Texas
11. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana-Champaign, Ill.
12. Syracuse University, Syracuse, N.Y.
13. Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, La.
14. University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wis.
15. DePauw University, Greencastle, Ind.
16. Indiana University, Bloomington, Ind.
17. Arizona State University, Tempe, Ariz.
18. University of Maryland, College Park, Md.
19. University of Vermont, Burlington, Vt.
20. University of South Carolina, Columbia, S.C.
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