A&M tops conservative students list

The Princeton Review released its annual ranking of universities across the country Monday. Texas A&M University topped the charts for "most conservative students" and came in at number five for best athletic facilities and number 16 for "students pack the stadiums."

The University also was selected as one of the top 10 best value public colleges, based on an evaluation of available financial aid and the cost of attendance.

The rankings — which cover a number of topics including drug use on campus, the popularity of sororities and fraternities, and widespread political views — are based on e-mail surveys of 122,000 students at more than 370 universities.

The surveys are completed voluntarily, with an average of 325 students from each school completing questions for the nearly 60 categories covered by the survey.

Aggies also ranked number 15 in the category of "future Rotarians and Daughters of the American Revolution," which is an additional evaluation of students' traditionally conservative values, as indicated by responses to questions concerning religion, acceptance of the LGBT community and use of illegal substances.

The University of Texas at Austin ranked number six for top party schools. The category's champion for 2010 is the University of Georgia in Athens, where nearly 100 bars crowd the city's downtown area.

 

Texas A&M's rankings

• 5 - Best College Newspaper
• 5 - Best Athletic Facilities
• 15 - Class Discussions Rare
• 15- Future Rotarians and Daughters of the American Revolution
• 16 - Students Pack the Stadiums
• 17 - LGBT-Unfriendly

"I was thrilled to see that we have maintained our spot in the top 5 college newspapers in the country," said Matt Woolbright, Fall 2010 editor-in-chief of The Battalion. "I think it says a great deal about the skill, passion and determination of everyone involved with The Battalion. The people I have met working on staff are some of the most incredible people I know, and I am extremely proud to be a part of this team. I will say that my charge all along has been to be the best college newspaper in the country. This is no secret to the staff, and they are ready to show the everyone what we can accomplish together."

Woolbright said he thought the paper received such a good response because of the stories that focus on what matters to students.

"Our first duty is to our classmates, so I am very happy to see that they think we are doing a good job with our top priority," he said. "We want to keep getting better and are looking into ways to incorporate even more students' opinions in how we operate and what we cover. The students of Texas A&M are our top priority and always will be."