Here’s the truth that no one is disputing: if you come to Athens, Ohio looking for a party, you are going to find a party. You can find them in bars, in houses, apartment complexes and yes, in dorm rooms. In fact, you can find parties of all kinds.
You want to bong a beer? There’s a party for that. You want to stand on your head and drink beer upside down? There’s a party for that. You want to drink wine from local vineyards and listen to indie music? There’s a group of hipsters who “don’t party” throwing a party with that.
It’s true. Athens, Ohio is a place to party. So now we come to the issue: The Princeton Review’s top party school rankings of 2012. Given the obvious, it’s not very surprising that Ohio University came out on top.
The higher OU climbs on the list of top party schools, the less often you see it being recognized for its good qualities. The same thing happens with the way students are treated by OU faculty. I’ve heard way too many of my professors assume that everyone in the class is basically a weekend-alcoholic, and it’s insulting.
I hear, “Don’t tell me I didn’t give you enough time to do this assignment. You have plenty of time. I know what you do over the weekends, and it’s no excuse.” And I think, “You don’t know me!” The same thing happened at my graduation party. “Congratulations, Hanna! So where are you headed in the fall?” “Ohio University.” “Oh… That’s a big party school isn’t it?”
No one is debating that the majority of OU students party. But the ranking of OU as the “top party school” is unfair. Aside from the fact that this ranking comes from the opinions of other college students (OU students are not allowed to participate in those polls) who love to travel to Athens and add to the ruckus, students at Ohio University aren’t given the benefit of the doubt when it comes to partying.
Never mind that the photography program produces the most top student photographers each year than any other school, never mind that Scripps School of Journalism students are upholding the long tradition of success that Scripps has established, never mind that OU’s business students are getting important internships internationally, or that the library is packed full on Saturday afternoons and Court street is deserted on Sunday by 11 p.m.
The higher OU climbs in party school rankings, the more our name disappears from other rankings. So stop being petty, Princeton Review. For the sake of those who don’t party, are 21 and want to go to a bar, and who are just the same as college students who go to schools like Miami and OSU, the top party school ranking should cease to exist. We want the benefit of the doubt back, and a school isn’t measured by its BAC.