The Party Schools The Definitive List

Ranking The Party Schools From 2014 to 2010 The Party Schools: The Definitive List by: John A. Byrne on July 08, 2014 | 10 Comments Comments 3,358 Views July 8, 2014Its the list no school wants to be on.But every year, for better or for worse, The Princeton Review publishes its provocative ranking of the Top 20 party schools. And college officials whose schools land on the list wince and often vehemently argue how unfair and undeserving they are of the dubious honor.Its based on a combination of survey questions completed by students on the use of alcohol and drugs, the average number of hours of study each day, and the popularity of the Greek system.Predictably, schools that make the party ranking attack the credibility of the list along with The Princeton Review.  Among all the rankings published by various media outlets, the Princeton Reviews stand out for their complete lack of objective, scientific methodology, UI spokesman Tom Moore  told the Iowa City  Press-Citizen. Their rankings are based almost exclusivel y on anecdotes and random, subjective feedback.Well, yes and no. The ranking is based on extensive online surveying of current students on college campuses.   Each year, tens of thousands of students on hundreds of campuses  are asked to answer more than 80 questions. As far as the University of Iowa goes, it has the dubious distinction of making the Top 20 party school list for at least five consecutive years. In fact, 13 schools have made the list in each and every one of the past five years.Of course, its easy for one-year anomalies to crop up that could unfairly get schools on a list like this. So weve taken a longer, five-year perspective to examine how the list has changed from 2014 to 2010.Heres the party schools that tend to show up again and again. Ranking The Party Schools From 2014 to 2010.tftable {font-size:12px;color:#333333;width:100%;border-width: 1px;border-color: #729ea5;border-collapse: collapse;} .tftable th {font-size:12px;background-color:#acc8cc;border-widt h: 1px;padding: 8px;border-style: solid;border-color: #729ea5;text-align:left;} .tftable tr {background-color:#d4e3e5;} .tftable td {font-size:12px;border-width: 1px;padding: 8px;border-style: solid;border-color: #729ea5;} .tftable tr:hover {background-color:#ffffff;}2014 Rank School2014 Rank2013 Rank2012 Rank2011 Rank2010 RankUniversity of Iowa124912UC-Santa Barbara275810University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign341118NRWest Virginia University41646Syracuse University51012NRNRUniversity of Florida66972Ohio University-Athens73125University of Wisconsin-Madison81314128Penn State University911731Lehigh University10NRNRNRNRUniversity of Georgia115214Florida State University1288119DePauw University1312151015University of Mississippi1414353University of Texas-Austin15151067Miami University-Ohio169NRNRNRUniversity of Maryland-College Park17161819NRTulane University18NRNRNR19University of Vermont19NR19NRNRUniversity of Oregon20NRNRNRNRUniversity of South CarolinaNR1720NRNRJames Madison Unive rsityNR18NRNRNRUniversity of MaineNR19NRNRNRUniversity of TennesseeNR20NRNR16University of Alabama-TuscaloosaNRNRNR13NRSewanee-The University of the SouthNRNRNR1417Indiana University-BloomingtonNRNR161514Louisiana State UniversityNRNR13NRNRUniversity of Colorado-BoulderNRNRNR1611University of MissouriNRNRNR17NRMichigan State UniversityNRNRNR20NRUnion College (NY)NRNRNRNR13University of North DakotaNRNRNRNR18Arizona State UniversityNRNR17NR20Source: The Princeton Review Page 1 of 11

How to Get a 30+ Score on the ACT

110If youre hoping to reach the 95% percentile on the ACT, it can seem pretty intimidating at first glance. After all, scoring above 30 on the ACT means that youd have the highest score in a group of 20 test takers. Yet earning a 30+ score on the ACT has become a goal for many students hoping to attend selective colleges, and you shouldnt let the statistics discourage you! In this post, well cover how to get a 30+ score on the ACT. Youll see that its not only possible, its also achievable! No, it doesnt have to be! So if youre one of those students who wants to see a 30+ on your ACT score reports, know that itll take some worksky-high scores dont happen overnight! And if you’re ready to put in the effort, let’s begin. Why 30+? If youre applying to top-tier U.S. universities, a score of above 30 on the ACT will really help your application. Looking at the table below, you can see that, at the top-ranked 19 universities, 75% of students scored above a 30 on the ACT. If that doesnt light a fire under you, I dont know what will! College ACT Score Range for the Top 100 Universities College RankingCollege Name25th Percentile Scores75th Percentile Scores 1Princeton University3235 2Harvard University3335 3 (tie)Columbia University 3335 3 (tie)Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) 3Brown University3235 15 (tie)University of Notre Dame 3335 15 (tie)Vanderbilt University3335 17 (tie)Cornell University3234 17 (tie)Rice University3335 19Washington University in St. Louis3235 20University of California--Los Angeles 2834 21Emory University3134 22 (tie)University of California--Berkeley2834 22 (tie)University of Southern California3034 24 Georgetown University3134 25 (tie)Carnegie Mellon University3335 25 (tie)University of Michigan--Ann Arbor3034 27 Wake Forest University2933 28University of Virginia3034 29 (tie)Georgia Institute of Technology3134 29 (tie)New York University2934 29 (tie)Tufts University3134 29 (tie)University of North Carolina--Chapel Hill 2733 29 (tie)University of Rochester3034 34 (tie)University of California--Santa Barbara2632 34 (tie)University of Florida2732 36University of California--IrvineN/AN/A 37 (tie)Boston College3134 37 (tie)University of California--San Diego2633 39 University of California--Davis2531 40 (tie)Boston University3033 40 (tie)Brandeis University2933 40 (tie)Case Western Reserve University3034 40 (tie)College of William and Mary3033 40 (tie)Northeastern University3234 40 (tie)Tulane University3033 46 (tie)University of Wisconsin--Madison2732 46 (tie)Villanova University3033 48 (tie)University of Illinois--Urbana-Champaign2632 48 (tie)University of Texas--Austin2733 50 (tie)Lehigh University2933 50 (tie)Pepperdine University2632 50 (tie)Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute2933 50 (tie)University of Georgia2732 54 (tie)Ohio State University--Columbus2732 54 (tie)Santa Clara University2832 54 (tie)Syracuse University2532 57 (tie)Florida State University2630 57 (tie)Pennsylvania State University--University Park2530 57 (tie)Purdue University--West Lafayette2532 57 (tie)University of Miami2932 57 (tie)University of Pittsburgh2832 62 (tie)Rutgers University--New Brunswick2531 62 (tie)University of Washington2732 64 (tie)Loyola Marymount University2731 64 (tie)Southern Methodist University2933 64 (tie)University of Connecticut2631 64 (tie)University of Maryland--College Park2833 64 (tie)University of Massachusetts--Amherst2631 64 (tie)Worcester Polytechnic Institute2933 70 (tie)Clemson University2932 70 (tie)George Washington University2530 70 (tie)Texas AM University--College Station2531 70 (tie)University of Minnesota--Twin Cities2631 74 (tie)Fordham University2832 74 (tie)Stevens Institute of Technology3032 74 (tie)Virginia Tech2531 74 (tie)American University2731 77 (tie)Brigham Young University--Provo2631 79 (tie)Baylor University2631 79 (tie)Binghamton University--SUNY2832 79 (tie)Gonzaga University2530 79 (tie)Indiana University--Bloomington2431 79 (tie)University at Buffalo--SUNY2429 84 (tie)Colorado School of Mines2833 84 (tie)Elon University2530 84 (tie)Marquette University2430 84 (tie)Michigan State University2329 84 (tie)North Carolina State University--Raleigh2731 84 (tie)University of California--Santa Cruz2431 84 (tie)University of Iowa2328 91 (tie)Clark University2831 91 (tie)Miami University--Oxford2631 91 (tie)Stony Brook University--SUNY2631 91 (tie)University of California--Riverside2329 91 (tie)University of Delaware2530 91 (tie)University of San Diego2530 97 (tie)Drexel University2530 97 (tie)New Jersey Institute of Technology2530 97 (tie)Saint Louis University2531 97 (tie)Texas Christian University2630 97 (tie)University of Denver2631 97 (tie)University of San Francisco2329 97 (tie)Yeshiva University2230 But dont despair! With some work, a 30+ score may just be in reach. Your Starting Line Were all coming from different places when we approach the ACT for the first time. Our home lives, our educational backgrounds, even our parents educations all have some correlation to our ACT scores. But no matter where youre starting from, remember this: your ACT score wasn’t carved in stone on the day you were born. So if youre discouraged by early practice test results, keep in mind that your determination and grit are the most valuable assets you have, and with some practice you can learn how to get a 30+ score on the ACT. Discovering Weak Spots The first thing to do, as you might have guessed, is to take a timed practice test. Once you do this, look over your results. Let’s say, for example, you got the following scores: English: 29 Math: 24 Reading: 34 Science: 26 Composite: 28 (Now, even though it’s not what you’re hoping for, a 28 is a really strong score, and were just using it as an exampleyour initial score may be lower and its still possible to bring it up to over 30!) Now it’s time for the most important part of your early ACT prep: triage! Get this Math Test two hours of studying, stat! Just like a doctor in an ER, you need to make some judgment calls about which patients, (or, you know, exam sections) youll treat first. In the above scenario, Science and Math are the lowest scores, so they take top priority. English might come later if there’s time, but Reading is good to gofor the moment. If you do have time, aiming for a perfect 36 in that strong section will help bring up your composite (overall) score, but its definitely your last priority right now. Raising Your Score So you’re focusing on the Math and Science Tests. The first thing to do is set some reasonable goals. Remember, you’re not aiming for perfection, just 30+. Using our handy-dandy ACT Raw Score Conversion Chart, we can see that on the Math Test, you answered 37/60 questions correctly. You answered 30/40 questions correctly on the Science Test. To earn a score of 30 on both the Math and Science Tests, you would need to get these raw scores: Math: 50/60 Science: 35/40 In the simplest terms, 18 missed questions stand between you and a 30+ score on the ACT. That’s going to take some work, but there are a few tips I can offer you. The first thing is to take time to focus solely on the Math and Science Tests. As you review the results of your practice test and create a study plan based on your weaknesses, set aside topics with which you are already comfortable. Also, consistently apply new knowledge and techniques to practice questions. Doing this will reinforce learned material. Finally, take multiple timed practice Math and Science Tests to determine whether or not your studying is having the desired effect. If you are doing these things, your sub-scoresthats those scores on the different sections, or testswill improve. But let’s say that, in this scenario, weeks spent studying Math and Science have still not resulted in a 30+ score. At this point I would suggest turning to the English Test. Getting just two more questions correct would raise your English score from 29 to 31. On the actual ACT, that goes a long way to earning a 30+ composite score. Final Thoughts In a nutshell: how to get a 30+ score on the ACT? Identify your weaknesses, attempt to fix them, and only then reinforce your strengths. It’s a hard road to a 30+, but I hope this article makes your journey a little smoother. If you need more practice, check out Magoosh ACT prep for helpful videos and interactive tutorials. Good luck studying, students, and I’ll see you next time!