Top Party Schools: Syracuse University Wins 2014 Honors

The honor of the top party school of 2014 goes to Syracuse University, according to The Princeton Review’s survey of 130,000 college students around the country. The school jumped four spots from No. 5 last year to claim top honors in the 2015 edition of “The Best 379 Colleges.”

The upstate New York school released a statement about the award, saying, “We do not aspire to be a party school.” The statement made note of the school’s “long-established reputation for academic excellence with programs that are recognized nationally and internationally as the best in their fields.”

Along with the school’s reputation for academic excellence, the survey found that Syracuse University is the top party school in the United States, according to the New York Daily News. Last year’s champion, the University of Iowa, slipped to the No. 2 spot, while the University of California-Santa Barbara, West Virginia University, and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign completed the top 5.

Four of the top eight party schools are part of the Big 10 conference, primarily made up of Midwestern state colleges.

Understandably, Syracuse University didn’t seem to appreciate being named the top party school, though students may be proud to earn the title. The school informed the Washington Post that “students, parents, faculty and the full Syracuse University community should expect to see important and positive changes in the year ahead that will improve and enhance the student environment in every aspect.”

While schools may not be vying for the award of top party school, The Princeton Review did hand out some awards schools were happy with, such as most beautiful campus, best college library, and best-run college.

Princeton Review senior vice president Robert Franek explained to MSN Money that the Review’s “purpose is not to crown one college ‘best’ overall or to rank these distinctive schools 1 to 379 on any single topic.” He added, “We present our 62 ranking lists to give applicants the broader base of campus feedback to choose the college that’s best for them.”

An average of 343 students per campus are asked 80 questions about their schools and themselves during the 2013-2014 academic year and/or previous two years.

While Syracuse University was named the top party school for 2014, Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah was named the most sober school in the country, followed by Wheaton College in Illinois, the U.S. Military Academy in New York, Calvin College in Michigan, and Thomas Aquinas College in California.

It’s likely some changes Syracuse University makes in the coming year will be an attempt at losing its title of top party school by The Princeton Review.

[Image: 20 Watts]