Campus News

Princeton Review Ranks Westminster #13 for Quality of Life, and #15 for Town-Gown Relations

Westminster College Praised for Quality of Life and Town-Gown Relations In The Princeton Review’s Annual Guide of Best Colleges 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 3, 2010

SALT LAKE CITY – The Princeton Review has once again included Westminster College in its annual guide of colleges, “The Best 373 Colleges,” which profiles schools that offer students the best undergraduate experiences in the country. This prestigious national college guide puts Westminster among the top 15% of all four-year colleges in America as determined by the Princeton Review.

Westminster was singled out for special recognition in the categories of “Quality of Life,” in which Westminster ranks 13th nationally, and “Town-Gown Relations are Great,” where Westminster ranks 15th. The primary criteria for inclusion in the guide are outstanding academics and survey data from students attending the schools.

In its profile, the Princeton Review quotes extensively from Westminster students who boast that the college’s “academically challenging” programs, combined with the opportunity to “ski, climb, work, attend classes, hang out with friends, and be active on campus every day” make Westminster “the absolute best package of any college available.” Pre-professional programs such as nursing, education and business are praised for preparing students for “a global career” and “being able to work in many different cultures.” Students also note that “it’s very easy to meet people as well as to do many different things in the local area.”

Students comment that small class sizes give them “the opportunity to be seen and heard by their professors.” They also say that the focus on student learning makes classes less about “strict lecturing and more [about] discussion-based learning.”

Westminster President Michael Bassis remarked, “We could not be more pleased to be included in the Princeton Review’s top colleges for the third year in a row, and to be singled out as having an outstanding quality of life and relationship with our Sugar House community. Since the Review bases its decisions largely on the comments and evaluation of an institution’s own students, this demonstrates that our students recognize the value of Westminster’s unique environment for learning.”

“The Best 373 Colleges”
Only about 15% of America’s 2,500 four-year colleges and two Canadian colleges are profiled in the book, which is The Princeton Review's flagship college guide. It includes detailed profiles of the colleges with rating scores for all schools in eight categories, plus ranking lists of the top 20 schools in 62 categories based on The Princeton Review's surveys of 122,000 students attending the colleges (about 325 per campus). The primary criterion for selection of schools for the book is outstanding academics. Selections are based on institutional data collected about schools, visits to schools over the years, feedback gathered from students’ surveys, and the opinions of The Princeton Review staff and their 28-member National College Counselor Advisory Board.

The Princeton Review guide "The Best 373 Colleges" (Random House / Princeton Review, August 3, 2010, $22.99) is on sale today. The book's complete ranking lists will also be posted on their website at www.PrincetonReview.com.

About Westminster:

Westminster is a nationally recognized, comprehensive liberal arts college. With a broad array of graduate and undergraduate programs, Westminster is distinguished by its unique environment for learning. Westminster prepares students for success through active and engaged learning, real world experiences and its vibrant campus community. Westminster’s unique location, adjacent to the Rocky Mountains and to the dynamic city of Salt Lake, further enriches the college experience. For more information, visit www.westminstercollege.edu or follow WestminsterSLC on Twitter.



Media Contact for Westminster College: Laura Murphy (lmurphy@westminstercollege.edu) 801-832-2685.



Media Contacts for The Princeton Review: Leah Pennino (LPennino@Review.com) 508-663-5133 or Jeanne Krier, 212-539-1350 (jeanne@jeannekrier.com).