Party school

"Party school" is a term used to describe a college or university (usually in the United States) that has a reputation for heavy alcohol and drug use or a general culture of licentiousness. The best-known [Laurie Rozakis. "The Complete Idiot's Guide to College Survival". Alpha Books, 2001. 211.] list of alleged party schools is published annually by The Princeton Review. The magazine "Playboy" also releases a list of party schools on an irregular basis. Many schools bristle at the party school label, and the lists have been condemned by groups such as the American Medical Association for promoting dangerous behavior.

The Princeton Review

The Princeton Review bases its "Top Twenty Party Schools" list on "a combination of survey questions concerning the use of alcohol and drugs, hours of study each day, and the popularity of the Greek system". [http://encarta.msn.com/college_article_partyheartyschools/that_party_the_heartiest.html Ten Schools That Party the Heartiest] . Encarta.com. Retrieved on April 12, 2008.] The 2008 rankings were contained in The Princeton Review's book "The Best 368 Colleges" and were based on responses from 120,000 students at those 366 schools. Topping the 2008 list was the University of Florida, followed by the University of Mississippi, Penn State University, West Virginia University, and Ohio University.

"The Best 368 Colleges" also contains a list of "Stone Cold Sober" schools, led by Brigham Young University. It was followed by Wheaton College (Illinois), the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, the College of the Ozarks, and Grove City College. [" [http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hy24_rJEO6Mo1zVqd7PuKvxR04HQD92714780 List of 'stone-cold sober schools' released] ". Associated Press. July 28, 2008. Retrieved on July 28, 2008.]

"Playboy"

The magazine "Playboy" has published a list of party schools three times: in 1987, 2002, and 2006. The 1987 list included forty schools, with sixteen honorable mentions; California State University, Chico ranked first, a distinction that, according to the magazine, some students considered a burden. [Alison Prato. "Playboy's Top Ten Party Schools". "Playboy". November 2002. 89.] In 2002, the list featured twenty-five schools and ten honorable mentions and was topped by Arizona State University. The University of Wisconsin-Madison placed first among ten schools in the most recent list, which was based on discussions with students and professors at 250 college campuses. Wisconsin was followed by the University of California, Santa Barbara, Arizona State University, and Indiana University Bloomington. [Ryan J. Foley. "Books, babes, beer - Playboy says UW is No. 1 party school". "The Capital Times". April 5, 2006. C4.]

It is widely believed that "Playboy" released additional lists of party schools in the past, but this claim has been debunked by Snopes.com.Barbara Mikkelson. [http://www.snopes.com/college/admin/playboy.asp Playboy's Party Schools] . March 4, 2007. Retrieved on April 13, 2008.] "Playboy" did describe the University of Wisconsin as "the party school" in a September 1968 issue, and deemed the University of California, Los Angeles "tops in campus action" in 1976. However, the magazine did not actually rank schools until January 1987. [Doug Moe. "Playboy dresses down UW myth". "The Capital Times". November 27, 2001. 2A.]

Criticism of party school lists

In 2003, the American Medical Association requested that the Princeton Review remove the party school rankings from its college guides. Dr. Richard Yost, director of the AMA's Office of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse, said, "The Princeton Review should be ashamed to publish something for students and parents that fuels the false notion that alcohol is central to the college experience and that ignores the dangerous consequences of high-risk drinking. College binge drinking is a major public health issue and a source of numerous problems for institutions of higher learning." [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/08/26/earlyshow/living/parenting/main519804.shtml End of Top Party School's Ranking?] . "The Early Show". CBS. August 27, 2002. Retrieved on April 13, 2008.] The accuracy of The Princeton Review's rankings has also been questioned, especially with regards to the larger schools. Experts argue that the sample size of students surveyed at each college (three hundred students, on average) is not enough to provide a truthful depiction of student behavior. "It's positively unscientific," said Dr. Henry Weschler of the Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Studies Program.

Administrators, professors, and many students at so-called "party schools" have tried to disassociate themselves from the rankings. For example, West Virginia University president Michael Garrison refused to give interviews about his school's appearance in the 2007 Princeton Review list. "I've talked to thousands of our students over the weekend and during the first days of classes. Their concerns are with their education, with their futures, and with the great year we have ahead at WVU," he said in a prepared statement. [James I. Davison. "Party school". "Charleston Gazette". September 2, 2007. P1A.]

Rankings

The following table shows a comparison between the top 10 colleges in the 2006 Playboy ranking and that of the 2008 Princeton Review. [cite web|url=http://www.playboy.com/girls/coeds/features/top10partyschools/index.html|title=Playboy's Top 10 Party Schools|publisher=Playboy|author=|date=|accessdate=2008-04-13] " [http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/top_party_schools_list;_ylt=Am6CMWfysY2jAQHvRD4jgi9H2ocA List of top party schools by Princeton Review] ". Associated Press. Yahoo News. July 28, 2008. Retrieved on July 28, 2008.]

Notes

External links

* [http://www.snopes.com/college/admin/playboy.asp Snopes article, with Playboy's 1987 and 2002 rankings]