Muhlenberg Ranked #1 in College Theatre by The Princeton Review

Also Ranked #19 for “Easiest Campus to Get Around” and #20 for “Most Accessible Professors”

 Tuesday, August 2, 2011 09:58 AM

Muhlenberg College is one of the country's best institutions for undergraduate education – and offers the best college theatre program – according to The Princeton Review.   This is the fifth year in a row that the college’s department of theatre and dance has been in the top ten.  ‘Berg also got high marks as one of the “easiest campus(es) to get around” (19) and as having some of the “most accessible professors” (20).  The education services company features the school in the new 2012 edition of its annual college guide, "The Best 376 Colleges" (Random House / Princeton Review, August 2, 2011, $22.99).

Only about 15% of America’s 2,500 four-year colleges and three colleges outside the U.S.A. are profiled in the book, which is The Princeton Review's flagship college guide. It includes detailed profiles of the colleges with rating scores for all schools in eight categories, plus ranking lists of top 20 schools in the book in 62 categories based on The Princeton Review's surveys of students attending the colleges.

“Needless to say, we're pleased by The Princeton Review's wisdom and perspicacity in ranking Muhlenberg's theatre and dance department, accessible faculty and wonderful campus in its top twenty,” says Randy Helm, President of Muhlenberg College.    “Those of us who live and work on campus have known all this for years, but it's nice when others figure it out too - especially when they publish a widely read guide for prospective students!”

In its profile on Muhlenberg, The Princeton Review praises the school for its “decidedly friendly touch” and the “spirit of community between students, faculty, and staff.” 

The Princeton Review does not rank the colleges in the book academically or from 1 to 376 in any category.  Instead it reports in the book 62 ranking lists of "top 20" colleges in various categories. The lists are entirely based on The Princeton Review's survey of 122,000 students (about 325 per campus on average) attending the colleges in the book and not on The Princeton Review's opinion of the schools.  The 80-question survey asks students to rate their own schools on several topics and report on their campus experiences at them.  Topics range from assessments of their professors to opinions about their financial aid and campus food.  Other ranking lists are based on student reports about their student body's political leanings, race/class relations, and LGBT community acceptance.  The Princeton Review explains the basis for each ranking list in the book and at www.princetonreview.com/college/college-rankings.aspx