Ursinus Among Top US 'Hard Liquor' Schools, Princeton Review Says

COLLEGEVILLE, PA — Ursinus College is well known for its stellar academics, and has consistently been included on national lists thanks to the prestige of many of its programs. However, its latest commendation is of a different variety.

The Princeton Review's most recent analysis of the country's 384 best colleges for 2019 included numerous "Best Of" and "Worst Of" lists that aim to give a fuller picture of college life. Ursinus appeared on one list: the "Lots of Hard Liquor" list. It came in at 17th overall.

Robert Franek, the editor in chief, 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."

Although the tutoring, test prep, and college admission services company did not rank the top 384 colleges — the list is in alphabetical order — it did rank them for its 62 category lists. Topics covered in those lists include best college theater, best science lab facilities, best party schools, most beautiful campus and even silly things like "nobody plays intramural sports."

The tongue in cheek rankings focused only on schools highly recommended by the study's authors, who said in a news release that the 384 "best" colleges were primarily based on their "outstanding academics."

The Princeton Review said it surveyed 138,000 students who attend the schools and asked them to rate the institutions on dozens of topics.

To see all Pennsylvania colleges on the list, see here.

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