7 Georgia Colleges Named Among 384 Best By Princeton Review

ATLANTA, GA — The Princeton Review has named seven colleges in Georgia among the top 384 in America. Nearly all of those schools appear on various “Best Of” — and “Worst Of” — lists, and you might be surprised where some of our colleges land. The tutoring, test prep, and college admission services company surveyed 138,000 students at the schools and asked them to rate the institutions on dozens of topics.

Some Georgia colleges found themselves high on lists that are not so flattering. For example: Emory University finished tops in America on the list entitled: "Best Quality of Life" and Georgia Institute of Technology was No. 20 for "Best College Radio Station." Agnes Scott College in Decatur finished 15th in the nation on the list entitled: "Stone-Cold Sober Schools" and No. 20 for "Don't Inhale."

Although the company did not rank the top 384 colleges — the list is in alphabetical order — it did rank them for numerous category lists, including best college theater, best science lab facilities, best party schools, most beautiful campus and even something as silly as “nobody plays intramural sports.”

Here’s a breakdown of the best colleges in Georgia — all ranked among top 384 – as well as their rankings in the various categories:

• University of Georgia, Athens
  • Ranked 12th in Lots of Hard Liquor
• Emory University, Atlanta
  • Ranked 1st in Best Quality of Life
  • Ranked 9th in Best College Dorms
  • Ranked 10th in Their Students Love These Colleges
  • Ranked 11th in College City Gets High Marks
  • Ranked 12th in Town-Gown Relations are Great
  • Ranked 15th in Most Beautiful Campus
  • Ranked 19th in Best Classroom Experience
  • Ranked 20th in Best Health Services
  • Ranked 20th in Best Science Lab Facilities
• Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta
  • Ranked 4th in Best Athletic Facilities
  • Ranked 5th in Best Health Services
  • Ranked 20th in Best College Radio Station
• Spelman College, Atlanta
  • No individual category rankings
• Agnes Scott College, Decatur
  • Ranked 4th in LGBTQ-Friendly
  • Ranked 7th in Nobody Plays Intramural Sports
  • Ranked 8th in Town-Gown Relations are Great
  • Ranked 15th in Stone-Cold Sober Schools
  • Ranked 16th in Most Active Student Government
  • Ranked 18th in Best Classroom Experience
  • Ranked 20th in Don't Inhale
  • Mercer University, Macon
  • Ranked 11th in Most Conservative Students
  • Ranked 12th in Everyone Plays Intramural Sports
  • Berry College, Mount Berry
  • Ranked 7th in Most Beautiful Campus
  • Ranked 11th in Most Religious Students
  • Ranked 12th in Future Rotarians and DAR
  • Ranked 17th in Most Engaged in Community Service
  • Ranked 17th in Stone-Cold Sober Schools
  • Ranked 20th in Most Conservative Students

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Robert Franek, editor in chief at The Princeton Review and the book's lead author, said in a release that the 384 “best” colleges were primarily based on their “outstanding academics” and that the authors “highly recommend each one.” But Franek noted stellar academics aren’t the only things students — and parents — look for in a college.

“We created our 62 ranking lists to help narrow that search,” he said. “They are based entirely on data we gather beyond academics that give insight into what the schools' enrolled students say about their professors, administrators, school services, campus culture, and student life. In the end, it's all about the fit.”

Among the key findings: Bentley University had the most highly-rated career center and Vanderbilt University in Tennessee topped the "Great Financial Aid" list. Reed College in Oregon — where most class sections contain just two to nine students — ranked No. 1on the list, "Professors Get High Marks," based on how students rated their faculty specifically in their roles as teachers.

Here are the top performers in some of the other categories:

• "Most Accessible Professors" — United States Military Academy (New York)
• "Best College Dorms"— Washington University in St. Louis
• "Best Campus Food" — University of Massachusetts-Amherst
• "Best Health Services" — University of Wisconsin-Madison
• "Most Beautiful Campus"— Bucknell University (Pennsylvania)
• "Best Athletic Facilities" — The University of Alabama-Tuscaloosa
• "Happiest Students" — College of William & Mary (Virginia)
• "Most Politically Active Students" — American University (Washington D.C.)
• "LGBTQ-Friendly" — Emerson College (Massachussetts)
• "Party Schools" — University of Delaware
• Stone-Cold Sober Schools" — Brigham Young University (Utah)
• "Students Pack the Stadiums" — Syracuse University (New York)
• "College City Gets High Marks" — Tulane University (Louisiana)
• "Their Students Love These Colleges" — Clemson University (South Carolina)

The 84-question survey asks students about their school's academics, administration, student body and themselves. You can read more about the ranking methodology here.

Patch national reporter Dan Hampton contributed to this article.

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