COA Ranks High at Princeton Review

 

By Donna Gold, Director of Public Relations

Princeton Review's Annual "Best 366 Colleges Rankings" designated College of the Atlantic as offering an outstanding undergraduate education and being one of the nation's "best value schools". The annual guidebook has placed College of the Atlantic as number 10 in the category of "Students Happy with Financial Aid." COA also ranks in the top-twenty in other essential academic categories, including a #12 ranking both for encouraging discussions and having accessible professors.

Only about 15 percent of the four-year colleges in the United States and two Canadian colleges were chosen for the book, which offers two-page profiles of the schools and student survey-based ranking lists of top 20 colleges in more than 60 categories. 

Says Robert Franek, Princeton Review's vice president for publishing, "We chose schools for this book primarily for their outstanding academics. We evaluated them based on institutional data we collect about the schools, feedback from students attending them and our visits to schools over the years. We also consider the opinions of independent college counselors, students, and parents we hear from."

This recognition from Princeton Review comes shortly after COA was named #1 of all colleges and universities in the world for being the "greenest" college by the influential environmental magazine and website, "Grist." 

According to the narrative discussion of COA in Princeton Review's guidebook, COA students "have the opportunity to shape their own educations. Students who are self-motivated and enthusiastic can have an awesome experience here."

COA ranked high in other Princeton Review categories, including the openness of the community. It is fifth in the nation among top colleges for "Gay Community Accepted." Campus food, which frequently has an international flavor to reflect the student body, much of it organic and local, some of it raised on COA's own farm was rated #17 of the 366 top colleges. The college's spectacular location on the shores of Frenchman Bay placed it as #15 for "Most Beautiful Campus."

The website,  Campus Squeeze, also recently came out with its top-20 most beautiful campuses. On that list, COA ranked #13.

A deliberately small, intensive learning community, COA's major in Human Ecology encourages students to apply skills, knowledge, conscience and passions from the arts, sciences, humanities and practical experience to every endeavor. Located between the Atlantic Ocean and Acadia National Park on Maine's Mount Desert Island, the college provides an individualized educational experience requiring students to be active learners and involved community members.