Vanderbilt University in Tennessee proves that happiness and an academic setting where term papers are completed during caffeine-induced all-nighters don't have to be mutually exclusive.
The Princeton Review recently ranked colleges with the best classroom experience using reviews from about 130,000 students at 379 top colleges. The ranking revealed Monday that the happiest college students attend the Nashville-based institution.
Vanderbilt University also ranked high in "Their Students Love These Colleges" list and rounded out the top 10 of colleges with the "Best Quality of Life."
"Every college in our book offers outstanding academics," Robert Franek, the guide's author and Princeton Review senior vice president and publisher, said in a statement. "These colleges differ significantly in their program offerings, campus culture, locales, and cost. Our purpose is not to crown one college 'best' overall or to rank these distinctive schools one to 379 on any single topic. We present our 62 ranking lists to give applicants the broader base of campus feedback to choose the college that's best for them."
Top 10 Colleges With the Happiest Students
1. Vanderbilt University (Nashville, Tenn.)
2. Claremont McKenna College (Claremont, Calif.)
3. Clemson University (Clemson, S.C.)
4. Tulane University (New Orleans, La.)
5. Virginia Tech (Blacksburg, Va.)
6. Rice University (Houston, Texas)
7. Kansas State University (Manhattan, Kan.)
8. Bowdoin College (Brunswick, Maine)
9. Vassar College (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.)
10. Hillsdale College (Hillsdale, Mich.)
View the complete Top 20 list here.
The ranking methodology (www.princetonreview.com/how-we-do-it.aspx) uses a five-point Likert scale to convert qualitative student assessments into quantitative data for school-to-school comparisons.
The Princeton Review has released its annual college rankings in 62 categories on its website and "Best 379 Colleges" Guidebook.
