Best party schools versus best educational schools

William Atkins
Saturday, 18 April 2009 22:43

Opinion and Analysis

For 2009, Playboy magazine ranks the best party school in the United States to be the University of Miami (Florida) while U.S. News and World Report ranks the best educational school to be Harvard University (Cambridge, Massachusetts). Is this party atmosphere further hurting the educational system in the United States? Is this really good for the reputation of schools?


According to Wikipedia.com, the definition of “party school” is: “… a term used to describe a college or university (usually in the United States) that has a reputation for heavy alcohol and drug use or a general culture of licentiousness.”

Playboy magazine (through its Playboy U) provides the top party schools in the United States. The first five are:

1.    University of Miami
2.    University of Texas (Austin)
3.    San Diego State University
4.    University of Florida
5.    University of Arizona

U.S. News and World Report (U.S. News) provides the top educational schools in the United States. The first five are:

1.    Harvard University
2.    Princeton University
3.    Yale University
4.    Massachusetts Institute of Technology
5.    Stanford University

The iTWire article “Harvard gets #1 nod at 2009 U.S. News & World Report” reports on the rankings of colleges in the United States based on educational excellence.

Partying happens in all college and university campuses in the United States (and throughout the world). It’s part of life, whether we like it or not. Drinking and illegal drug use happens as kids grow up to be adults. And drinking and illegal drug use continues in adulthood.

What is important is: Do we condone it and do nothing about it, or do we act to minimize it, control it, and try to raise our standards of conduct and behavior in this country and around the world?

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