UMd. Jumps One Spot Up on Party School List

University of Maryland cracked the list of top 20 party schools in the country for the second year in a row, according to the annual Princeton Review student survey.

UMd. ranked 18th on the 2011-2012 list, one spot higher than last year. Topping the list was Ohio State University in Athens, Ohio, displacing University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia from the year before.

Maryland has teetered on and off the list over recent years. UMd. didn't appear on the 2009-2010 or the 2008-2009 top 20 lists for party schools.

The Diamondback, UMd.'s independent student newspaper, hasn't covered the recent list, yet, as it publishes weekly in the summer months. Last year though, at least one writer urged readers to not buy into the rankings.

"I personally believe Princeton Review rankings are a load of bollocks," wrote senior sociology student Bethany Wynn in her column on Aug. 4, 2010. "Having said that, they've been cunning enough to convince America that their opinions actually mean something and they make this university look pretty fabulous."

Indeed.

In recent years, Maryland has also ranked high in other Princeton Review ranking categories that shine more positively on the university; Best Athletic Facilities; Best College Newspaper; and Students Pack the Stadiums are among them.

These are just one of more than 60 lists the Review releases each year, based on surveys conducted with 122,000 students at 376 "top colleges." The online surveys ask students about their schools' academics, administration, campus life, student body, and themselves.

According to The Princeton Review, the list of party schools is created "based on a combination of survey questions concerning the use of alcohol and drugs, hours of study each day, and the popularity of the Greek system."