America's top party schools REVEALED: Syracuse University crowned wildest college for drugs, drinking and Greek Life
Syracuse University has been named as the country’s best college - but for drinking, drug consumption and frat parties, rather than academic excellence.
The New York institution was awarded the unfavorable accolade by the Princeton Review, following a survey of 140,000 students across 385 difference schools.
The top 20 list, released this week, ranked schools across the US on drug and alcohol use, time spent studying or in class, and fraternity culture.
In total, the schools are ranked under 58 separate categories. Syracuse came in second place on the ‘Lots of Hard Liquor’ category, eighth in the ‘Lots of Beer’ category, and a respectable 19th in the ‘Reefer Madness’ rankings.
Syracuse University has been named as the country’s best college - but for drinking, drug consumption and frat parties, rather than academic excellence
The New York institution was awarded the unfavorable accolade by the Princeton Review, following a survey of 140,000 students across 385 difference schools
But Syracuse wasn’t the only university to be outed for its students' apparent preference of booze over books.
Also ranking in the top five came the University of Alabama, the University of Delaware, West Virginia University and Tulane University, ranking second through to fifth respectively.
Hanging close behind on their coattails came the University of California-Santa Barbara – which also ranked first for hard liquor consumption, Colgate University, Wake Forest University, Bucknell University, and the University of Rhode Island in sixth to tenth.
The top 20 list, released this week, ranked schools across the US on drug and alcohol use, time spent studying or in class, and fraternity culture (file photo)
Also ranking in the top five came the University of Alabama, who jumped to second from 11th in the survey last year
The University of Delaware ranked in third, according to the Princeton Review
West Virginia University (left) and Tulane University (right) ranked fourth and fifth respectively
This year’s list marked a new high – or low – for Syracuse, who ranked fourth in 2018’s survey, with Delaware, West Virginia and Tulane topping the tally.
The University of Alabama also made an epic leap from from 11th to second this year.
But heavy weighs the tarnished crown for Syracuse, with officials from the school decrying the results, insisting the Princeton Review’s conclusions are far from fair.
‘By all measures, our student experience is rooted in the programs and services available to facilitate both personal and professional success — while at Syracuse University and beyond,” the statement said.
The school, which costs $74,799 to attend, said the Princeton Review party list is not ‘a reflection of our distinctive approach to education.’
Kevin Quinn, Syracuse University’s Senior VP for Public Affairs, added to Fox Business: ‘It is based on a two-year-old survey of a very small portion of our student body.
‘Syracuse University has a long-established reputation for academic excellence with programs that are recognized nationally and internationally as the best in their fields. We do not aspire to be a party school.’
Hanging close behind on their coattails came the University of California-Santa Barbara – which also ranked first for hard liquor consumption, Colgate University, Wake Forest University, Bucknell University, and the University of Rhode Island in sixth to tenth
The results of Princeton Review’s survey were announced on the same day as a new study from TD Ameritrade that suggests half of young Americans are believe college is too expensive and unnecessary.
The study surveyed over 3,000 U.S. teens and adults, including approximately 1,000 Gen Z (aged 15 to 21), 1,000 young millennials (aged 22 to 28), and 1,000 parents (aged 30 to 60).
Approximately 19.9 million students will attend college this fall, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, down from 20.3 million a decade ago during the Great Recession.
While college attendance has risen from 14.8 million in the last 20 years, the NCES expects attendance figures to remain relatively steady over the next five years.
However, experts say the $1.5 trillion in student debt has given younger students second thoughts.
