CollegeHumor.com's First Annual "Power Rankings" Give Best Marks to Schools with the Least 'Class'
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE via COLLEGIATE PRESSWIRE)--Nov. 14, 2006--CollegeHumor.com, today's definitive source for irreverent student humor and co-ed pop culture, will release its first annual "Power Rankings" - a scientifically-calculated index of schools where students can find out where to go to follow the age-old college mantra of having the most fun while putting forth the least effort. While the ever popular US News & World Report index caters to the type A and B-level student, CollegeHumor.com's list is dedicated solely to the Van Wilder generation of students who just want a place to go enjoy the fruits of his parents' labor for the next four to six years.
"Every academic list under the sun has been compiled except one that accurately reflects the intrinsic wants and needs of every college student - sex, drugs and rock & roll. Our goal was to find the school that would best fit the needs of a student like that of Ferris Bueller," says CollegeHumor.com co-founder and editor-in-chief Ricky Van Veen. "Applying to college isn't just about academics and molding your future career path anymore. In this day and age, kids are more interested in choosing a school where they can go to get a more well-rounded, non-traditional education that includes everything from frat parties to hooking up."
While other popular college surveys compile lists of the best schools based on the best grade point averages, SAT scores and graduation rates, CollegeHumor.com's "Power Rankings" employ a unique and complex formula involving serious empirical data. Among a total of 10 different categories, schools could gain points for having access to free condoms in their campus health center and lose points for each male A cappella group at the school. A few examples of the categories that score CollegeHumor.com's "Power Rankings" include:
-- Male A cappella vocal groups
-- Percentage of females listed in a relationship (compiled on Facebook.com)
-- Free condoms given away at school health center
-- What time bars in the college town close
-- % Greek
-- Visiting bands Billboard peak position
-- Director's Cup Ranking
In total, 50 schools were "Power Ranked." Within the chosen schools, this year's, #1 "Power Ranking" crown goes to Michigan State University, weighing in with the best overall score and ranking within the top ten schools in six different categories. The most disappointing "Power Ranking" score goes to Texas Tech University who ranked within the bottom ten schools in six categories. Though the "Power Ranking" list is presented in the same format as the U.S. News & World Report rankings, the editors of CollegeHumor.com don't see the same frenzied effort from college administrations about moving up on their list. "Four years is a long time, and we hope that future college students will come to rely heavily on CollegeHumor.com's annual Power Rankings for what is sure to be the cornerstone of their education," said Ricky Van Veen. "Our mission is to motivate current and prospective students to do everything in their power to help elevate their schools ranking each year by finding the delicate balance of partying while passing."
ABOUT COLLEGEHUMOR.COM:
CollegeHumor.com was founded in a dorm room in 1999 as an online depositary for all of the content that floats around collegiate computer networks. The site has since grown into a daily updated source of original web content and now boasts a loyal following of eight million unique readers a month. With major blue chip companies such as Ford, Universal Pictures and Procter & Gamble now advertising on the site, as well as the April 2006 release of Penguin Books' The CollegeHumor Guide to College and a movie with Paramount in the works, CollegeHumor has quickly emerged as an icon of today's young adult culture.
