Penn State dropped out of the list of top 10 party schools in this year's Princeton Review rankings.
In the list of the top 20 party schools in the country, Penn State fell four spots from 2011, from No. 7 to No. 11.
Penn State spokeswoman Lisa Powers wrote in an email that these rankings should not be taken seriously. She wrote that the surveys are not scientifically conducted and have no merit.
“If students used these same research methods in their classes, they'd fail, so I'm hopeful that any future applicants are aware of the shortcomings posed by these polls and look at more significant and meaningful indicators of a University's reputation,” she wrote.
Former University Park Undergraduate Association President TJ Bard said the drops in recent years are great for Penn State’s image and were made possible by a huge student-led effort to combat the excessive drinking that Penn State was once known for.
In 2010, Penn State was ranked No. 3 by The Princeton Review. Since then the ranking of the university has fallen both in 2011 and 2012.
The Princeton Review compiles information annually on various universities across the country based on a survey. Students from these universities answered 80 questions on topics such as greek life, academics, administration, themselves, the student body and campus life at their university, according to The Princeton Review’s survey.
“We continue to combat high-risk drinking through education and programming, and the fact that we have dropped allows us to go beyond explaining this bogus survey and being able to talk about more important related issues,” Powers wrote in an email.
Bard said that student leaders are very encouraged by the declining rankings of Penn State on the annual party school rankings list compiled by the Princeton Review.
“We’re slowly losing the generation of the No.1 party school [students],” Bard said.
He said in light of this year’s events, students are acting more responsibly in order to demonstrate the right image to the public — “to show the public what Penn State really is,” he said.
Penn State has so many great accomplishments that can be overshadowed by party school rankings and drinking holidays like State Patty’s Day, Bard said — students should continue working toward promoting a generation of Penn State students who will work towards what really matters — like THON, for example — so that the rankings will continue to fall, giving the public a more positive perception of what Penn State is.
For Penn State, ranking high on the Princeton Review party school list tends to diminish the value of the education students get in the eye of the public, State College Mayor Elizabeth Goreham said.
Goreham said this is not Penn State’s finest hour, which has made State College a more serious, sober place with more purpose than just partying. She said she hopes students can be safe and still have fun.
If dropping in the party school ranking leads to a decline in applicants, Goreham said students are not choosing to attend Penn State for the right reasons.
“If you’re going to a school only because it’s a party school, is that [the type of student Penn State] really wants?" Goreham said.
