LYNCHBURG — Randolph College’s professors ranked in the top 20 in the nation in the latest edition of The Princeton Review’s popular guidebook, The Best 373 Colleges: 2011 Edition. The college was also named one of the nation’s best institutions for undergraduate education. Only about 15 percent of America’s 2,500 four-year colleges and two Canadian colleges were included in the 2011 edition.
In addition to earning a spot on the “Professors Get High Marks” top 20 list, Randolph College was also one of 133 schools named a “Best Southeast College” by the Princeton Review.
Students quoted in the guide touted Randolph College’s rich diversity and academic excellence. According to students quoted in the book, Randolph College offers “a combination of great academics, cultural integrity, individuality, and tradition.” As one student explained, “I decided to attend Randolph because I wanted a school that melded fun, wacky traditions; strong academics; small classes with teachers who really get to know you well; a family-like community; and a school that makes you feel at home.”
The college’s diverse community also received high marks from students, and most students surveyed agreed that Randolph’s “close-knit community is a place where everyone really does know your name, and everyone smiles at each other.”
The Princeton Review also sang the college’s praises. “Admitting highly qualified and well-matched students is a top priority at Randolph,” the book’s authors said, adding that “Randolph is looking for independent, confident students who place a premium on their educations.”
“We commend Randolph College for its outstanding academics, which is the primary criteria for our selection of schools for the book,” said Robert Franek, the Princeton Review’s senior vice president of publishing and author of The Best 373 Colleges . “Our choices are based on institutional data we collect about schools, our visits to schools over the years, feedback we gather from students attending the schools, and the opinions of our staff and our 28-member National College Counselor Advisory Board. We also work to keep a wide representation of colleges in the book by region, size, selectivity and character.”
The ranking lists in The Best 373 Colleges are based on The Princeton Review’s survey of 122,000 students (about 325 per campus on average). A college’s appearance on these lists is attributable to a high consensus among its surveyed students about the subject. The 80-question survey asked students to rate their schools on several topics and report on their campus experiences at them. Ranking lists report the top 20 schools in categories that range from best professors, administration, and campus food to lists based on student body political leanings, race/class relations, sports interests, and other aspects of campus life.
The Princeton Review is a New York-based company known for its test preparation, education, and college admission services. It is not affiliated with Princeton University and does not print a magazine.
For more information, see www.princetonreview.com/college/college-rankings.aspx