Princeton Review ranks UM high on campus life, low on academics

The good news about the recently released tome "The Best 357 Colleges" is that the University of Montana’s Missoula campus made the cut.

By BETSY COHEN of the Missoulian

http://missoulian.com/articles/2004/09/08/news/local/news03.txt

The not so good news? Editors at the Princeton Review gave UM the lowest possible ranking for academics and the highest possible ranking for campus life.

Full report: http://www.princetonreview.com/college/research/rankings/rankings.asp

UM received a four-star rating on a four-star scale for quality of life and a one-star rating for academics.

The only other Montana school to grace the book’s pages is Montana Tech, which received a two-star rating for academics and a three-star ranking for campus life.

But star-gazing doesn’t tell the whole picture, said Robert Franek, the book’s lead author.

Franek said he knows schools, and he knows surveys and what he knows about UM is more positive than the stars reflect.

"The University of Montana is nicely competitive, certainly not what we consider mega-competitive, but it does garner a respectable rating," Franek said.

"It’s a big school and when we think of a big school that runs well, we can look to the University of Montana," Franek said. "There’s a good student-faculty ratio and it shows faculty are doing the bulk of the teaching, not teacher assistants."

"There’s a good ‘work hard, play hard philosophy’ there," he said. "Missoula is a good-sized town, a liberal town and has easy access to environmental pleasures, and a lot of students take advantage of that."

Information for the survey was gathered through e-mail responses from students, Franek said. After canvassing the country, the top 357 schools out of the nation’s 1,500 four-year institutions were chosen for the book.

"The stars might not look so positive, but that the University of Montana is included in the top 12 percent of four-year universities in the country is impressive," Franek said.

A higher academic ranking, he said, would be given if UM had a stiffer admissions policy.

UM Provost Lois Muir said she hadn’t seen the material in the book, but agrees UM would become a more competitive school once admission standards are increased.

"It’s not clear to me how they did the rating," Muir said. "We will be looking into what gives rise to this rating to assess its accuracy."

"These results do not mirror other surveys and rankings of UM or its students," she said, "which are better."

Here are some excerpts from the book’s two-page description of UM:

n "Students at the University of Montana-Missoula love the gestalt of their school, telling us that ‘Missoula is one of the best places to be: friendly people, supportive faculty, a great sense of community, fantastic educational opportunities, and beautiful, beautiful scenery!’ "

n "Montana receives praise for its offerings in a broad range of subjects – English literature, wildlife biology, business and communications. … although students worry that recent state financial problems will cause some departments to shrink or even disappear."

n "In the wake of budget cuts, many here resent the school’s focus on intercollegiate athletics; ‘the contrast of the buildings on campus is ridiculous,’ complained a typical undergrad. "We have a fancy stadium and sport center, but we have a crappy and dilapidated math building, for example."

n "The course load is not very demanding," wrote one student. "For students seeking a greater challenge, ‘the honors college is a lifesaver. Honors classes are small and taught by many of the university’s best professors.’ "

And in the "Inside Word," the book’s editors write: "Montana’s rolling admissions process places few demands on its applicants. Most students with a college-prep curriculum in high school and average grades should encounter no trouble gaining admission."

For the record, Montana Tech is described in the book as a place where professors know every student’s name.

"This is a great school if you are interested in real world engineer," wrote one student. "If you want to go to school and party a lot, I wouldn’t recommend coming to Tech," wrote another.

Editors’ "Inside Word" goes like this:

"Underrecognized schools like Montana Tech can be a godsend for students who are strong academically but not likely to be offered admission to nationally renowned technical institutes. In fact, because of its small size and relatively remote location, Montana Tech is a good choice for anyone leaning toward a technical career. You’d be hard pressed to find many other places that are as low-key and personal in this realm of academe."

Reporter Betsy Cohen can be reached at 523-5253 or at [email protected].