STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Penn State University is now the nation's No. 1 party school.
The school known partly for its football tailgate weekends and fraternity and sorority scene snatched the title away from the University of Florida in the 2009 Princeton Review survey of 122,000 students nationwide. Florida, last year's winner, finished second in the annual survey released today.
The University of Tennessee ranked 16th.
It's the first time Penn State has finished first in the dubious category. The school has been on the list the last seven years and ranked third in 2008. The listing covers Penn State's main University Park campus in State College.
"These rankings are not more than popularity contests," said university spokeswoman Annemarie Mountz. She noted that groups on the social networking site Facebook have urged members to make Penn State the top party school.
"It's a badge of honor at this point. Nationwide, kids want to pump their schools in these surveys," Mountz said. "It's not connected to reality."
The rankings were part of the Princeton Review's "The Best 371 Colleges" annual guide. On average, there were 325 respondents to the survey per school, which Mountz said amounted to less than 1 percent of the University Park campus' enrollment of 43,000 students.
Penn State also finished first in the categories "lots of beer" and students who pack the stadium. Beaver Stadium is one of the country's largest sports facility, seating more than 107,000 for football games.
After Penn State and Florida, the top five institutions on the party schools list were the University of Mississippi, the University of Georgia, and Ohio University-Athens.
Guide author Robert Franek said every school in the survey offered "great academics."
But the guide does not rank schools academically, Franek said in a statement, because the goal is to "help students find and get into the best school for them ... It's all about fit."
The annual rankings also list the country's "Stone-Cold Sober Schools." Brigham Young University in Utah topped that list for the 12th straight year.
The Princeton Review is a New York company known for its test preparation courses, educational services and books and is not affiliated with Princeton University.
More details as they develop online and in Tuesday's News Sentinel.
List of top party schools by Princeton Review
The nation's top party schools, according to Princeton Review's 2009 survey of 122,000 students.
1. Penn State University, State College, Pa.
2. University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla.
3. University of Mississippi, Oxford, Miss.
4. University of Georgia, Athens, Ga.
5. Ohio University, Athens, Ohio
6. West Virginia University, Morgantown, W.Va.
7. University of Texas, Austin, Texas
8. University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis.
9. Florida State University, Tallahassee, Fla.
10. University of California-Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, Calif.
11. University of Colorado, Boulder, Colo.
12. University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
13. Union College, Schenectady, N.Y.
14. Indiana University, Bloomington, Ind.
15. DePauw University, Greencastle, Ind.
16. University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tenn.
17. Sewanee: The University of the South, Sewanee, Tenn.
18. University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, N.D.
19. Tulane University, New Orleans, La.
20. Arizona State University, Tempe, Ariz.
Tennessee's signing class for 2012
Tennessee defeats Georgia 3-2 in…
Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
Comments » 31
VolPride_13 writes:
Awesome?
volever writes:
Hell YeAH!!!
TommyJack writes:
Useless info.
drone#208075 writes:
Looks like I need to re-enroll! Party Hardy!
jeff1vol writes:
ANY list that omits ECU is as worthless as an igloo in Hates!
BasketVols writes:
Does anyone know anything about the "Big Fish" QB transfer rumor?
golfballs03 writes:
Their survey is flawed.
VolPatrick writes:
3rd in the SEC east again.
/sigh
HighlandVol writes:
Wow, look at Sewanee coming in number 17! Way to go tiny school on Monteagle Mountain.
lomas98 writes:
"More details as they develop online and in Tuesday's News Sentinel".
What more details could develop on this story?
RJ_Vol writes:
Not a sports story...Even so, where is LSU on that list? They always seem to have some "enhanced" celebration in the stands - winning or losing. Not a very positive article for UF, though.
CoachNeyland writes:
definitely some good sports news...
CoachNeyland writes:
Haha! Good eye...
scott_m99 writes:
UT will not be ranked 16th in this category once I get there for the UCLA game Sept. 12. I'm sure me and my boys will consume enough cold beverages to bump us up to atleast the top 5.
GO VOLS!
LiveFaith writes:
Hardy? :-D Apparently to much to make that 8am freshman English class.
BasketVols writes:
I'd be as bitter as you if my girlfriend was so fat.
scott_m99 writes:
I noticed that the Princeton Review's 2009 Survey for the nations gayest school had UNC at the top of their list. Go celebrate that on Franklin St. why don't ya
WytheVol writes:
I was thinking the same thing. I grew up in Winchester and I used to party up and down that mountain myself, but I was suprised to see ole Monteagle U on here too...
VOLDoll writes:
Why do you care? You should be on a Duke board or any other ACC board. Please play on another board.
VOLDoll writes:
I hope when you are old enough to get a girlfriend you are able to refrain from making fun of women or people in general. I really wish your parents cared enough to monitor your time on the computer.
VOLDoll writes:
Coach Pearl is on ESPNU right now, for those interested.
golfballs03 writes:
As Hank would say, It's a family tradition. Let's get whiskey bent and hell-bound.
BasketVols writes:
Not you! I thought you were just a basketball troll.
BasketVols writes:
You caught me! Wow, now you are one smart, smart girl...
bradr114 writes:
i wonder what criteria they use to judge how good of a party school one is. every sec school except vandy should be in top 20. this ranking means absolutely nothing. no way yankees party as much as some of these rednecks in the deep south do.
VOLDoll writes:
I'm not sure about the screennames. But I do know that Chicago is not a very exciting place for a child. I just wonder why his parents allow him to play on the computer 24/7. Being on a website 24/7 this poor child has one empty life. I will take Tennessee any day of the week over sitting on a computer in Chicago.
arlvol writes:
That is a classic comment. Picture two frat dudes holding JoPa's legs up while he does a keg stand!! LMAO!!
VOLDoll writes:
I asked the same question. I never had much time to party while at UT but plenty of my friends partied real hard.
VOLDoll writes:
I really hope you meet some friends young man.
Have a good night all!
BasketVols writes:
Thanks!
Morphy writes:
Hey..the Big Ten finally beat the SEC in something !! Huzzah !
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