College is said the to be the best four years of one’s life. In fact, at many schools, college life is one big party.
The Princeton Review has released a new study that takes a close look at this aspect of college life, with a ranking of the nation's top "party schools."
Among the factors considered in the assessment were the use of drugs and alcohol at each school, study hours outside of class and the popularity of sororities and fraternities, as well as survey results from students on campus life, social life, town life and social scene.
Some college towns appear to be facilitating students who want to spend their college years living like rock stars.
At the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, for example, it is legal for 19-year-olds to enter and serve alcohol at off-campus bars, although they're still prohibited from drinking alcohol. The university itself also allows 19-year-olds to enter bars located on campus.
At the University of Florida, roughly a quarter of students surveyed by Niche.com said parties are happening on campus every night of the week, while 53 percent of students say parties are even more frequent during football season.
The following schools, in ascending order, topped the Princeton Review list of top party schools:
10. University of Rhode Island
South Kingstown, R.I.
Enrollment: 15,092
According to students, cannabis is used pretty frequently at the university, which ranked eighth in the "Reefer Madness" category—a ranking of how heavily marijuana is used among students.
9. Colgate University
Hamilton, N.Y.
Enrollment: 2,873
Colgate ranked ninth in the "Lots of Hard Liquor" category, which asked students how accessible liquor was on their campus.
8. University of Wisconsin-Madison
Madison, Wisc.
Enrollment: 32,196
Each year the Mifflin Street Block Party attracts up to 18,000 college students for a full day of drinking and partying. Although the massive celebration has been safe for the past few years, a partygoer was stabbed in 2011, according to a news report.
7. University of California – Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, Calif.
Enrollment: 22,186
The school ranked ninth in the "Students Least Likely to Study" category.
6. Lehigh University
Bethlehem, Pa.
Enrollment: 5,075
Lehigh University was ranked number one in the "Lots of Beer" category.
5. Bucknell University
Lewisburg, Pa.
Enrollment: 3,611
Bucknell University might be small, but the social scene is huge. The school also ranked number one in the "Lots Greek Life" category.
4. Syracuse University
Syracuse, N.Y.
Enrollment: 15,252
Syracuse University students appear to be getting more serious about studying. The school topped the party school list in 2014, but has since dropped down a few spots.
3. Tulane University
New Orleans
Enrollment: 6,571
The university was ranked fourth in the "Happiest Students" category. Tulane also ranked eighth in the "Lots of Hard Liquor" category.
2. West Virginia University
Morgantown, Va.
Enrollment: 22,504
West Virginia University ranked second in the "Students Study the Least" category and fourth in the "Lots of Beer" category.
1. University of Delaware
Newark, Del.
Enrollment: 18,144
The school ranked high in a number of categories that create the perfect recipe for a party epicenter, including first in hard liquor consumption.
