Saint Michael’s College featured again in Princeton Review

Saint Michael’s College is one of the nation's best institutions for undergraduate education, according to The Princeton Review which features St. Mike’s in the just-published 2014 edition of its annual college guide, The Best 378 Colleges (Random House / Princeton Review, August 6, 2013).
Only about 15% of America’s 2,500 four-year colleges are profiled in the book which includes detailed profiles of each college and rating scores in eight categories, plus ranking lists of top 20 schools in 62 categories based on The Princeton Review's surveys of 126,000 students attending the colleges.
Saint Michael’s is ranked #10 in the national TOWN-GOWN RELATIONS ARE GREAT category, and #20 in the national QUALITY OF LIFE category.
‘We’re delighted to be in this popular guide to colleges,’said Buff Lindau, spokesperson for Saint Michael’s, ‘particularly because student voices are showcased in the book, and our students have expressed real enthusiasm about their Saint Michael’s experience.’
Among the quotes from Saint Michael’s students are these:
In ‘the heart of Vermont ski country,’Saint Michael’s College offers a ‘close-knit and familial atmosphere’where everyone ‘will always value and support you.’’Small classes’help to ensure that ‘you are not just another number in a lecture hall.’Indeed, the college ‘really wants to help its students realize their full potential.’Many tout the ‘strong academics’and say classes are ‘discussion-based’and ‘require a conscientious student who will actively participate in discussion.’
Students also report that ‘There are always socials to [attend], bowling, athletic events, concerts, plays, [and] guest speakers.’Volunteering is also extremely popular. And students frequently head to nearby Burlington. ‘Church Street is crowded with unique shops, fantastic restaurants, and interesting people.’Many also love to take advantage of Vermont’s outdoor recreational options and the school counts many avid skiers, snowboarders, and hikers among it ranks. In fact, ‘Saint Michael’s provides amazing ski pass deals and transportation to amazing ski resorts in the area.’
Students report further that Many students are active in ‘social justice movements, green movements, [and] community service’and also frequently participate in ‘the school’s wilderness program.’And don’t be fooled: While the average St. Mike’s undergrad is ‘laid-back,’students here are ‘committed to their studies’and ‘focused on getting all they can out of their college experience.’As this math and econ double-major sums up, ‘Every student here is passionate about something, and it shows in their education and in their actions.’
Author of The Best 378 Colleges explains the process of assessing colleges:
"Saint Michael's College offers outstanding academics, which is the primary criteria for our choice of schools for the book,’says Robert Franek, Princeton Review's Senior VP / Publisher and author of The Best 378 Colleges. We base our selections primarily on data we obtain in our annual institutional data surveys. We also take into account input we get from our staff, our 35-member National College Counselor Advisory Board, our personal visits to schools, and the wide range of feedback we get from our surveys of students attending these schools. It is their opinions that college applicants often value the most, particularly on (or in the absence of) campus visits. We also work to keep a wide representation of colleges in the book by region, size, selectivity and character."
The Princeton Review does not rank the colleges academically or from 1 to 378 in any category. Instead it reports in the book 62 ranking lists of top 20 colleges in various categories. The lists are entirely based on The Princeton Review's survey of 126,000 students (about 333 per campus on average) attending the colleges. The 80-question survey asks students to rate their schools on several topics and report on their campus experiences at them. Topics range from assessments of their professors as teachers to opinions about their financial aid.
About Saint Michael’s
At Saint Michael’s College www.smcvt.edu students are challenged to do their best, find their niche, take on opportunities to grow, and immerse themselves in academic pursuits. Intellectual rigor, compassion, teamwork, caring’these characterize a Saint Michael’s experience. A residential Catholic college, Saint Michael’s is steeped in the social justice spirit of its founding priests, the Edmundites. Saint Michael’s is located three miles from Burlington, Vermont, one of America's top 10 college towns. Headed by President John J. Neuhauser, the college has 1,900 undergraduate students and 500 graduate students. Identified by the Princeton Review, 2013 as one of the nation’s Best 377 Colleges, and included in the Fiske Guide to Colleges 2014, Saint Michael's students and professors have received Rhodes, Woodrow Wilson, Goldwater, Pickering, Guggenheim, Fulbright, and other grants and awards. The college is one of the nation's top-100, Best Liberal Arts Colleges as listed in the 2013 U.S. News & World Report rankings.
About The Princeton Review
Founded in 1981, The Princeton Review (www.PrincetonReview.com) is a privately held education services company headquartered in Framingham, MA. The Company has long been a leader in helping students achieve their education and career goals through its test preparation services, tutoring and admissions resources, online courses, and more than 150 print and digital books published by Random House, Inc. The Princeton Review delivers its programs via a network of more than 5,000 teachers and tutors in the U.S.A., Canada, and international franchises. The Company also partners with schools and guidance counselors worldwide to provide students with college readiness, test preparation and career planning services.