Catawba College again this year is one of the nation's best institutions for undergraduate education, according to The Princeton Review. The education services company features the school in the new 2016 edition of its annual college guide, "The Best 380 Colleges," that hit newsstands on August 4.
In this 2016 edition, Catawba's profile includes a Green Rating of 95 out of possible scores ranging from 60-99. The institution was also included as one of the top 20 schools in one of the 62 ranking lists in the book, coming in at 17th position on the list for "Best College Theater." These rankings are based on surveys of 136,000 students at the 380 colleges that ask students 80 questions about their school's academics, administration, student body, and themselves. Lists of the top 20 colleges in the 62 different categories are available at www.princetonreview.com/best380.
Catawba students who were surveyed said their college offers "a strong community of teachers, faculty, and students with a common goal of excellence in education." While noting small class sizes allow for close relationships with professors, another student responded, "I got to class knowing they want me to succeed." Life at school was described as "very lively and uplifting." Others taking the survey noted that renovations and improvements are underway on campus, and that the college grounds indicate "there is time and effort put into this beautiful campus." Still another cited Catawba's town-gown relations sharing, "the college and the town are very active together."
In a "Survey Says" sidebar in the book's profile on Catawba, The Princeton Review lists topics that Catawba students surveyed for the book were in most agreement about in their answers to survey questions. The list includes: "Students are friendly;" "Easy to get around campus;" and "Theater is popular."
"With Catawba's mission of 'providing an education rich in personal attention', it is good to see that our students recognize what we offer and that they are benefiting from that educational experience," said Catawba President Brien Lewis.
Catawba's most popular majors noted included Business Administration and Management; Sport and Fitness Administration/Management; Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts.
Says Rob Franek, Princeton Review's Senior VP / Publisher, "Every college in our book has outstanding academics. While our purpose is not to crown one college academically 'best' overall or to rank the schools 1 to 380 on a single topic, our lists provide direct student feedback on the schools' campus culture, program offerings and cost. Our goal is to help applicant choose and get into their dream college – the college best for them."
"The Best 380 Colleges" is the 24th edition of The Princeton Review's annual "Best Colleges" book. The Princeton Review (www.PrincetonReview.com) is a test prep and college admission services company headquartered in Natick, Mass.
