Exceptional experiences in the classroom along with great financial aid, environmentally aware students and terrific food earned Lawrence University inclusion in the just-released 2017 edition of The Princeton Review’s “The Best 381 Colleges” book.
Only 15 percent of America’s 2,500 four-year colleges which it considers the nation’s top schools are included in The Princeton Review’s 25th edition. The book, which was released Aug. 30, also includes “Top 20” lists in 62 categories based on surveys of students attending the colleges.
Lawrence was ranked 20th nationally in the best classroom experience category, based on student responses to survey questions regarding how they rate their professors, their classroom and lab facilities, the amount of in-class time devoted to discussion and the percent of classes they attend.
Using a scale of 60-99, Lawrence earned rating scores of 92 in quality of campus life, which measures students’ satisfaction with their lives outside the classroom, 92 in academics, including a 94 rating in professor’s accessibility, and an 89 in financial aid.
In its 2017 profile of Lawrence, The Princeton Review described the university as a “beautifully warm and positive community” that “encourages creativity and exploration.” It also cited the faculty for “an extraordinary amount of support and academic enthusiasm.”
Students who were surveyed called Lawrence a place “where you’ll find all sorts of people — homebodies, partygoers, musicians, athletes, scientists, gamers. You name it, we have it.”
Robert Franek, senior vice president of publishing at The Princeton Review and the book’s author, said outstanding academics are the primary criteria for inclusion in the book.
“We make our selections primarily based on data we collect through our annual surveys of administrators at several hundred four-year colleges,”said Franek. “Additionally, we give considerable weight to observations from our school visits, opinions of our staff and our 24-member National College Counselor Advisory Board and an unparalleled amount of feedback we get from our surveys of students attending these schools. We also keep a wide representation of colleges in the book by region, size, selectivity and character.”
About Lawrence University
Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a nationally recognized conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. It was selected for inclusion in the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.” Engaged learning, the development of multiple interests and community outreach are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,500 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries.
