My understanding is that the Princeton Review surveys are pretty dependent upon how motivated different parts of the student body are about completing them and sending them in. I wouldn’t take the exact ranking order too seriously.
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It would be interesting to see what percentage of students at each school responded to the survey. Just a guess, but I would think that the schools that appear more frequently on the lists had higher participation rates than those that didn’t.
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It’s interesting that a school typically tagged as a stressfest, dull, dreary, sans much of a social scene… ends up #1 on the Best College Theater list.
So at least CMU kids have that outlet to take the edge off/relax/have some fun.
ETA: I thought that the famous Primanti Bros sandwiches would be fun, but… I guess I’m not cut out for a having a pile of dry fries plopped onto my sandwich. hehe
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CMU is like three colleges in one, tracking Andrew Carnegie’s personal interests (Tech, Business, and the Arts). I think most of CMU’s national branding is related to the Tech component, but that Arts component is very real.
For the record, there are a lot of great eats to try in Pittsburgh. But Primanti’s is not on my list of suggestions.
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I don’t disagree, and wonder how/why that happened since the talent that has come out of the CMU theater dept is highly impressive!
My personal fav 
Just to stay on track with the thread, of course there are many notable NESCAC alum, but I won’t be posting a pic of David Solomon 
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I dissed Williams’ theater department, but I’ll die on this sword: Sondheim>Lin Manuel Miranda
P.S. Of course, Lin Manuel would agree.
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Sondheim, of course, wasn’t busy pursuing an acting career at the same time he was composing some of the greatest musicals of all time.
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But he was composing crossword puzzles 
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Well, Forbes has graced us with yet another opportunity to wine & cheese about the rankings. Here is how Forbes ranked the NESCACs on a list ranking of the best US colleges and universities (the dreaded combined ranking):
Williams #17
Amherst #24
Bowdoin #25
Middlebury #51
Tufts #52
Wesleyan #54
Hamilton #66
Trinity #71
Bates #80
Colby #145
Conn #161
Some observations:
- don’t these people know that Williams and Amherst are never supposed to be more than one spot apart?
- Conn continues in its undeserved role as the Rodney Dangerfield of New England Liberal Arts Colleges.
- CMC (19) was ranked well ahead of Pomona (37). Somebody needs to alert Forbes that the C Consortium people are not going to take that lying down.
- Vassar was ranked a silly #102. What are these people smoking?
- Rice and Dartmouth were ranked ahead of Brown. Pfffft. Oh, sorry. Wrong thread.
- In somewhat of a return to the rational, Babson, which has caused such a stir with its lofty perch in the WSJ attention-seeking ranking, is at #96.
I now fully expect the usual suspects to analyze the criteria (which I did not), question the data (which I do), and file a sternly worded complaint (which I have - here).
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Oh dear, will have to update D25 with the bad news. “The school you have your heart set on didn’t make Top 20 in Forbes. Please change your interests to a school more prestigious.”
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You forgot Colby at #145.
I once had an overnight job at a hotel. On the slow nights, I would make crossword puzzles.
It was challenging! I’d often get stuck in a corner and have to get creative…
“Uh, CTRLP isn’t a word.”
“It’s code for Print.”
“Oh… okay.”
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fixed
No, but he went to my favorite boarding achool, where he wrote his first musical – involving all things BS. So he should get the CC nod for that!
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But was he eventually able to bring it to Broadway where it would win a Tony for Best Musical?
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That one, alas, saw only the school stage. But “By George”, a comic musical about George School, was apparently “well received by his fellow students.”
Broadway had to wait until after graduation!
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There you all go off again, talking about silly things like musicals and Broadway, instead of the important thing, Rankings.
Won’t somebody PLEASE think of the rankings!
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I am so tempted to screenshot the self-congratulatory posts in the Williams Families FB group after the USNWR rankings are published. Haven’t seen any such posts since the WSJ and Forbes rankings came out
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Hey! I’m doing my part!
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As I said, the dreaded combined rankings!
Still, the Williams squad must have enjoyed some level of smirk to see Amherst ranked 7 spots below.
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