University At Albany No. 1 For Partying

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Albany, N.Y. -- The State University of New York at Albany returned to the top of the list of party schools in the nation, while Brigham Young University kept its place as the country's "stone-cold sober" school, according to the latest Princeton Review's survey.
The "Best 357 Colleges" survey is based on responses from more than 110,000 students at U.S. campuses. The review, which has no affiliation with Princeton University, has been conducting the study since 1992.

It's the ninth time the University at Albany has been on the party school list. It was No. 1 in 1998 and No. 14 last year.

The report ranked Albany seventh in the use of hard liquor and marijuana, ninth in beer drinking and first in "students (almost) never study."

Campus officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

"It's pretty crazy," said Matt Kazimir, 21, a recent Albany graduate from Danbury, Conn. "There's always a party."

Still, some students say Albany's ranking isn't deserved.

"I wouldn't agree it's No. 1," said junior Brian Fessler, 20. "There are certainly a lot of opportunities to party, but it's also a great institution with some top programs. There are great academic opportunities, as well."

Brigham Young was ranked the top "stone-cold sober" school, according to the study, while the Massachusetts Institute of Technology was the toughest to get into. The happiest students overall were at Pomona College in Claremont, Calif.

Students most likely to vote for President Bush are in the Republican's home state at Texas A&M University, while those most likely to vote for Democratic challenger John Kerry are at Warren Wilson College in Asheville, N.C.

The "party school" category is based on questions focusing on the amount of alcohol and drug consumption, the amount of time students spend studying, and the popularity of fraternities and sororities.

A Harvard study showed about 44 percent of college students nationwide binge drink. The American Medical Association has criticized party school listings, saying they legitimize high-risk drinking and portray alcohol as an essential part of student life.

Robert Franek, lead author for the survey, disagrees and says the survey accurately reflects college life -- for better or worse -- and can be a vehicle for change.

"I think we do a great service for college-bound students, being in a very unique position to get onto the 357 best college campuses and ask students tough questions," Franek said. "We are going directly to college experts, college students on the campuses."

Other top 10 party schools were Washington and Lee University, Lexington, Va.; the University of Wisconsin-Madison; West Virginia University, Morgantown; Ohio University, Athens; Florida State University, Tallahassee; University of Texas-Austin; University of Georgia, Athens; University of Colorado-Boulder; University of Mississippi.

Complete Title: Study Ranks University At Albany No. 1 For Partying



Source: Associated Press
Published: August 16, 2004
Copyright: 2004 The Associated Press
 
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