Worcester State University has been named as one of the best colleges in the Northeast by the nationally known education services company, The Princeton Review [1]. This is the ninth year in a row WSU has received this designation, and it is the only Massachusetts State University with this designation. It is one of 222 institutions The Princeton Review recommends in its “Best in the Northeast”section of its website feature, “2013 Best Colleges: Region by Region,” posted on PrincetonReview.com. The profile of Worcester State, on the Princeton Review site, states, “Students praise the ‘intimate and learner-friendly’ environment, where small classes make for ‘a much more comfortable’ experience. A current student tells us, ‘I have also gotten to know many of my professors due to the small class sizes and their availability to meet with students after class.’”
“This recognition reflects the academic excellence and incredible value students find on our campus,” said WSU President Barry M. Maloney. “This designation is particularly meaningful because Princeton Review bases their results on independent interviews with our students. The fact that our students speak so highly of our quality is very gratifying.
Princeton Review’s Senior VP /Publisher Robert Franek said, “We’re pleased to recommend Worcester State University to users of our site as one of the best schools to earn their undergrad degree. We chose it and the other terrific institutions we name as ‘regional best’ colleges mainly for their excellent academic programs. From several hundred schools in each region, we winnowed our list based on institutional data we collected directly from the schools, our visits to schools over the years, and the opinions of our staff, plus college counselors and advisors whose recommendations we invite. We also take into account what students at the schools reported to us about their campus experiences at them on our 80-question student survey for this project. Only schools that permit us to independently survey their students are eligible to be considered for our regional ‘best’ lists.”
Some of the other colleges and universities included on the list are: Harvard College, Boston College, Brown University, Bowdoin College, Clark University, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, University of Massachusetts Amherst, University of Massachusetts Boston, and University of Vermont.
The 222 colleges chosen for its “Best in the Northeast” list are located in eleven states: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire,New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont, and the Districtof Columbia. The Princeton Review also designated 153 colleges in the Midwest, 122 in the West, and 136 in the Southeast as best in their locales on the company’s “2013 Best Colleges:Region by Region” lists. Collectively, the 633 colleges named” regional best(s)” constitute about 25% of the nation’s 2,500 four-year colleges.
The Princeton Review is an education services company known for its test-prep courses, tutoring, books,and other student resources. Headquartered in Framingham, MA, the Company is not affiliated with Princeton University.