Survey ranks UW-Madison top party school

By JR ROSS
Associated Press Writer

August 22, 2005, 4:44 PM EDT

MADISON, Wis. -- The University of Wisconsin-Madison topped the list of the nation's party schools Monday despite a decade-long effort by school officials to reduce its reputation for heavy drinking.

UW-Madison has ranked among the top party schools on the annual Princeton Review report in 13 out of the 14 years it has compiled the list and was No. 3 a year ago. Meanwhile, Brigham Young University was tops among "stone cold sober" schools for the eighth straight year.

The list, which is not affiliated with Princeton University, is based on on-line surveys of more than 110,000 college students and included in the Princeton Review's "Best 361 Colleges."

The top party schools rankings are based on survey responses regarding alcohol and drug use, hours of study each day, and the number of students in fraternities and sororities.

UW-Madison has long had a reputation for heavy drinking, ranking No. 3 this year for the amount of beer and hard liquor consumed. Still, the school touts its nine-year program to cut down on binge drinking they it says had led to a drop in students who drink to excess, fewer admissions to local detoxification centers and more freshman who say they don't drink at all.

"We're not trying to tell students that they can't drink at all, but they really do need to learn how to drink responsibly," said Susan Crawley, who heads the effort.

Still, the school's reputation has been hard to shake. Its annual spring party drew 20,000 revelers this year, while Halloween weekend has been marred by riots the last two years as thousands have descended upon the city.

Senior Liz Drilias lunched Monday at the student union, where the school has a bar and had the beer taps open by noon. She said the ranking was no surprise but no source of pride, either.

"People get a bad image of Madison, that we just drink all the time," Drilias said. "There are people who are like that, but there are just as many people who aren't."

The other top party schools are:
Ohio University in Athens
Lehigh University in Pennsylvania
University of California-Santa Barbara
State University of New York at Albany
Indiana University-Bloomington
University of Mississippi
University of Iowa
University of Massachusetts-Amherst
Loyola University New Orleans
Tulane University in New Orleans
University of Georgia
Penn State University
West Virginia University
The University of Texas-Austin
University of Tennessee-Knoxville
University of New Hampshire
University of Florida
Louisiana State University
University of Maryland-College Park

Party on . . . ::

They sell alcohol on campus!?! Is this typical of larger Universities?

You're kidding me, right?

I went to a small public liberal arts college--no alcohol on campus, except for Super Saturday in July, when they open up the beer garden for one day only.

I'm drinking a Screwdriver as I type this.

We had a bar on campus at Calstate Northridge. On campus, not in campustown, on campus. No hard liquor, only beer and wine. It's where the philosophers congregated. At Illinois there was a bar in the basement of the Student Union building until about '96 or so.

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You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows - Robert A. Zimmerman

I guess I'm weird because I don't drink alcohol Oh well--more for you guys

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Audi TT

most of great parties are off campus anyway.. IU is cracking down hard.. Ball State was on top a couple of years ago but I don't see them on there.. must be same as IU..

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72 W114/M130

RedMeat cartoon

They did that with LSU back in the 80's too. Their quote, "We can no longer include LSU in our party school rankings because it is unfair to compare amateurs to professionals." If you have ever been to LSU, you'd understand. Louisiana had an 18 year old drinking age limit until not that long ago. Baton Rouge is also very close to New Orleans so the party will often move to New Orleans when the bars close down in Baton Rouge. I can't tell you how many times we drove to NO early in the morning. The whole lifestyle in Lousiana is wrapped around drinking and having a good time. maybe that's why the state is so screwed-up!

There were so many deaths at LSU due to drinking that they finally banned it from on campus fraternity and sorority functions. I remember at our bid night we had an entire beer truck with 8 taps coming out of the side of the truck with the beer guy switching out kegs the entore night. I think we went through somehthing like 60 kegs of beer that night.

They used to say that Michigan Tech (MTU/empty you) students were professionals also.
With the winters as long as they are...what else are they going to do?

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It is a truism that almost any sect, cult, or religion will legislate its creed into law if it acquires the political power to do so. Robert A. Heinlein


09 Jetta TDI
1985 300D

Wow 60 kegs And college students complain that they are poor. I rarely drink now and am still paying college off with all that beer money I saved.

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1974 240D 3.0L 4(M) - 250K -OM617.910 + 300D FW + Rajay turbo power!
1977 6.9 3(A) - 84k

Michigan State got bumped because of riots


But we still lead in Playboys best college women.

What was that school? UW? I'm not from there and cannot vouce for their women, but maybe they "have to party".
"after a few drinks everybody looks like a 10". I'd hate to have to drink that much.

go gators!

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JHaburay

1972 280se 4.5 "princess"
1986 2.3-16v first 100 (099) USA

Uconn is pretty good too. I am moving back into the dorms next Saturday and can't wait for the "welcome" weekend at the frats.