It’s getting to the time of year when high school juniors and seniors are checking out their college books, looking for the annual Princeton Review college and university rankings. While categories include everything from the best alumni networks to most beautiful facilities, there is one list that always garners a lot of attention: the annual ranking of party schools. This year, Bucknell students, faculty and alums either celebrate or roll their eyes at clinching the top five spot behind University of Wisconsin, West Virginia, University of Illinois and Lehigh (also included with Patriot League rival Colgate in the top ten). For a small school with limited “going out” scenes beyond campus, it’s interesting to see the campus ranked so highly alongside large universities with thousands of students and large downtown areas. There are still articles being written about the subject, including a 2014 article titled “15 Reasons Why Bucknell Parties Harder Than Your School.” With schools being competitively compared on every level and a myriad of opinions and variables going into the decisions from location to student life, academics and financial aid, it makes one wonder: what really goes into these rankings?
According to the Princeton Review, the results were calculated based on 143,000 individual students: “we tallied the rankings lists in the current edition, The Best 381 Colleges (published August 2016), based on the data from our surveys of 143,000 students at the 381 schools in the book. Our student survey has 80 questions in four sections. We ask students about: 1) their school’s academics/administration, 2) life at their college, 3) their fellow students and 4) themselves.” Perhaps Bucknell ranks highly because of the passionate students and alumni who are actively sharing their love of the university with others.
There are also a couple of unique factors in the social scene at a smaller school with such a prevalent Greek system. According to the Bucknell website, approximately 60% of eligible females (sophomore and above) are involved in Greek Life, nearly double in percentage compared to the largest state schools. The University also ranked highly on Business Insider’s “Most Hot and Smart” list for the past several years, which may also greatly contribute to the reputation of “work hard, play hard” in selecting the list. What differs from most of the schools on the list is Bucknell’s identity as a small liberal arts school. Few college students are able to attend a school with small classes and strong community while also having a lively social scene – even in rural Pennsylvania. In retrospect, as Bucknell students, it’s amazing to attend a university that’s selective, academically strong, and – you guessed it – lots of fun.