Davidson College Ranks Among 384 Best: Princeton Review

DAVIDSON, NC -- The Princeton Review has named 12 colleges in North Carolina, including Davidson College, 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.

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 North Carolina as well as their rankings in the various categories:

• University of North Carolina at Asheville, Asheville, N.C.
  • Among The Best 384 Colleges
  • Ranked 11th in Least Religious Students
  • Ranked 13th in Best Quality of Life
  • Ranked 19th in LGBTQ-Friendly
  • Ranked 19th in Town-Gown Relations are Great

• Warren Wilson College, Asheville, N.C.
  • Among The Best 384 Colleges
  • Ranked 6th in LGBTQ-Friendly
  • Ranked 6th in Most Engaged In Community Service
  • Ranked 9th in Reefer Madness
  • Ranked 11th in Best Career Services
  • Ranked 15th in Administrators Get Low Marks
  • Ranked 18th in Tree-Hugging Vegetarians
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, N.C.
  • Among The Best 384 Colleges
  • Ranked 13th in Students Pack the Stadiums
  • Ranked 17th in Best College Newspaper
  • Ranked 20th in Everyone Plays Intramural Sports

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• Davidson College, Davidson, N.C.
  • Among The Best 384 Colleges
  • Ranked 20th in Most Politically Active Students
• Duke University, Durham, N.C.
  • Among The Best 384 Colleges
• Elon University, Elon, N.C.
  • Among The Best 384 Colleges
  • Ranked 2nd in Best-Run Colleges
  • Ranked 3rd in Most Popular Study Abroad Program
  • Ranked 4th in Most Beautiful Campus
  • Ranked 8th in Best Career Services
  • Ranked 13th in Financial Aid Not So Great
  • Ranked 17th in Best College Dorms
• Guilford College, Greensboro, N.C.
  • Among The Best 384 Colleges
• University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, N.C.
  • Among The Best 384 Colleges
• High Point University, High Point, N.C.
  • Among The Best 384 Colleges
  • Ranked 5th in Best College Dorms
  • Ranked 13th in College City Gets Low Marks
  • Ranked 18th in Most Beautiful City
  • Ranked 19th in Best-Run Colleges
  • Ranked 20th in Future Rotarians and DAR
• North Carolina State University, Raleigh, N.C.
  • Among The Best 384 Colleges
  • Ranked 15th in Best College Library
• Catawba College, Salisbury, N.C.
  • Among The Best 384 Colleges
  • Ranked 8th in Is it Food?
• Wake Forest University, Winston Salem, N.C.
  • Among The Best 384 Colleges
  • Ranked 11th in Lots of Hard Liquor
  • Ranked 12th in Most Accessible Professors
  • Ranked 14th in Party Schools
  • Ranked 15th in Little Race/Class Interaction
  • Ranked 16th in LGBTQ-Friendly
  • Ranked 17th in Lots of Greek Life

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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.

Photo credit: Shutterstock / baipooh