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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Tuesday, August 21, 2007

West Virginia is No. 1 party school

By Vicki Smith
Associated Press

PRINCETON REVIEW'S 2008 RANKINGS

From the Princeton Review's 2008 edition of "The Best 366 Colleges":

TOP 10 PARTY SCHOOLS

1. West Virginia University

2. University of Mississippi

3. University of Texas, Austin

4. University of Florida

5. University of Georgia

6. Penn State University

7. University of New Hampshire

8. Indiana University, Bloomington

9. Ohio University, Athens

10. University of California, Santa Barbara

TOP 10 "STONE COLD SOBER" SCHOOLS

1. Brigham Young University

2. Wheaton College (Ill.)

3. Thomas Aquinas College (Calif.)

4. College of the Ozarks (Mo.)

5. Grove City College (Pa.)

6. U.S. Coast Guard Academy

7. U.S. Air Force Academy

8. U.S. Naval Academy

9. City University of New York, Queens College

10. Webb Institute (N.Y.)

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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — To the disappointment of school administrators — and the pride of some students — West Virginia University is No. 1 on The Princeton Review's annual list of the top 20 party schools.

The school has made the list seven times in the past 15 years, despite efforts to curb underage drinking and rowdy behavior.

But not since 1997 have the Mountaineers taken the top spot. Last year, WVU was No. 3, bested by the University of Texas at Austin and Penn State, both remaining in the top 10 this year.

The University of Hawai'i-Manoa was not among the 20.

WVU senior Katie O'Hara, 22, said her campus is No. 1 because "no matter what kind of party you want, it's here — bars, fraternities, house parties."

Still, O'Hara said, her friends "know how to manage their time. They know when to party and when not to," which wouldn't explain the school's No. 1 ranking in the category of Their Students (Almost) Never Study.

The rankings are contained in the 2008 edition of "The Best 366 Colleges," which is going on sale today and is based on a survey of 120,000 college students at those schools, mostly during the 2006-07 school year.

At the other end of the partying spectrum is Brigham Young University, claiming the top spot in the "Stone Cold Sober" category for the 10th straight year. UH-Manoa did not crack the "Stone Cold Sober" top 20, either.