Because Penn State did not rank for party schools last year, some question how the data is collected.
"The rankings are bogus, and of all the different groups, they [the Princeton Review] have the least scientific way of doing it," a said Bill Mahon, university spokesman.
Mahon said the group visits the school every couple of years and relies on a small group of students' opinions.
"They go to one spot and do a random sampling of students walking by," Mahon said.
"They claim they do not need to visit the schools frequently because the student attitudes do not shift from year to year."
Others find the rankings well deserved.
"It's about time," Bill O'Connell (junior-chemistry) said.
Some students do not share the same enthusiasm.
"That is not something that I wanted to see," Megan Sowa (sophomore-marketing) said.
The ranking might be a generalization based on too few opinions, some said.
"They [The interviewed students] don't necessarily speak for the whole school," Lyn Weinberg (sophomore-nutrition) said.
Despite the controversy, many agree that Penn State will not change.
"Penn State has accomplished so much that even though it ranked high in party schools, it will still produce the same amazing people it has for years," Dave Keiper (freshman-division of undergraduate studies) said.
Others are confident the public will view the university in the same manner.
"People hear of Penn State and know that it stands for quality," Mahon said.
