The persistently low rating is still a big mystery to us. I doubt that weather would be a significant factor, both because U of Chicago and DePaul have good QoL ratings, and because the surveys are done year-round, not just in winter: “Our student survey is also now a continuous process. Students submit surveys online from all schools in the book and can submit their surveys at any time (though our site will accept only one survey from a student per academic year per school (it’s not possible to “stuff” the ballot box, as it were).” http://www.princetonreview.com/college-rankings/how-it-works
Any further thoughts from people here would be appreciated. My son was accepted as a transfer but is waiting to hear from 2 more colleges he applied to.