DeLand, FL - Stetson University in DeLand was recognized on Princeton Review's list of the nation's 382 best colleges and was praised for "outstanding academics."
The University was featured in Princeton Review's 2018 edition of "The 382 Best Colleges," which has been published each year since 1992 and contains detailed profiles of each college with excerpts from student surveys and rating scores in eight categories. Some of the categories included in the review are Academics, Admissions Selectivity, Financial Aid, Fire Safety, and Green, which measures the schools' commitment to sustainability and the environment in its policies, practices and educational programs.
"We chose Stetson University for this book because it offers outstanding academics," Robert Franek, Princeton Review's Editor-in-Chief and author of the Review explains. The Princeton Review does not rank the colleges from 1 to 382 in any category. It uses student ratings to compile rankings of the top 20 colleges in various categories. The Princeton Review also uses administrator surveys, college visits, and an advisory board, but a lot of its information comes directly from student surveys and feedback.
The Princeton Review praises Stetson for its academics and campus life and even includes quotes from Stetson students. The Review quotes comments from students that say Stetson's small class sizes allow personal relationships to form and that the smaller class sizes encourage “students to be more involved on campus and to have a stronger voice in the classroom." Students also compliment Stetson's diversity, saying it has an “abundance of culture radiating throughout our campus.”
“Stetson University is known as an academically rigorous institution that places a high value on global citizenship, personal growth and social responsibility,” Stetson President Dr. Wendy B. Libby says. “Stetson provides a personal learning experience for students, with access to top quality faculty focused on learning outcomes. We challenge our students to go beyond success - to become significant in their communities, nation, and the world.”
Joel Bauman, VP of Enrollment Management at Stetson says the upcoming class will be either the second or third largest class in the history of the university, which will include students from Mauritius (an island nation west of Madagascar). "We're excited about the diversity of the class. We're excited about how strong it is, about an average 1200 SAT score with an average GPA score of about 3.76," says Bauman.
"What is especially rewarding, despite not being big fans of all rankings, (we) do appreciate the recognition from Princeton Review because it's based mostly on actual student responses," Bauman adds. "This is the actual voice of our students, and that's what gets us on the list of the best 382 colleges. "
One category that Stetson was listed on in the Review was the top colleges for Greek life. “Fraternity and sorority life has a long history at Stetson,” Lynn Schoenberg, Dean of Students says. “It has always been a great opportunity for students to engage in campus life and support the community.”
There is one category that Stetson was listed on which students and faculty might not be willing to boast about. Stetson also made the list in a category called "Is it Food?" Still, Lua Hancock, Vice President of Campus Life and Student Success, says that Stetson is undergoing a multi-million dollar redesign of the student unions, including an overhaul of the kitchen and food service facilities in an effort to improve the food experience there. She says the new facility should be opened in 2018.
The Princeton Review also recommends Stetson University on its website feature, "2018 Best Colleges: Region by Region - Northeast / Midwest / Southeast / West," which salutes 658 schools (all U.S.-based schools in “The Best 382 Colleges,” plus an additional 278 schools) as outstanding in their regions.
Below is a list of some other Florida schools that were also mentioned in the Princeton Review:
Flagler College, St. Augustine, FL
Florida Southern College, Lakeland, FL
Florida State University, Talahassee, FL
New College of Florida, Sarasota, FL
Rollins, College, Winter Park, FL
University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL
University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL
University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
University of Tampa, Tampa, FL
For a link to the list from Princeton Review, Click
here.
Copyright Southern Stone Communications 2017.
