SUNY Oswego appears on The Princeton Review’s recently released “Best in the Northeast” recommended schools for 2017.
The educational services company rated SUNY Oswego one of the top 228 colleges in the 11-state region as part of its “2016 Best Colleges: Region by Region.” Oswego has been on every regional best list produced by The Princeton Review. The first edition appeared in 2003.
Robert Franek, senior vice president and publisher of the company, said schools profiled for the list qualified primarily for excellent academics.
Franek said the guide to the nation’s best schools serves two main purposes. “One: we want to shine light on these exceptional institutions, which represent only 15 percent of the nation’s four-year colleges,” Franek said. “Two: we work to give applicants considering them an incomparable amount of campus feedback to decide which college may be best for them.”
The Princeton Review survey asks 143,000 students in total to rate their colleges on several issues—from the accessibility of their professors to the quality of their science lab facilities—and answer questions about themselves, their fellow students and their campus life.
Students surveyed said professors are “knowledgeable about their subject and excited to be in Oswego” while striving to create a “personal and comfortable learning environment.” Faculty members seem to “really care about what you do and want to help you in every way to make sure you do well,” according to the surveys.
Students also appreciate having “a lot of opportunities to work with professors on research and other projects outside of the classroom to help build real-world experience.” Those surveyed said the “amazing professors” make an Oswego bachelor’s degree “a great education for the amount of money you pay.”
Student comments on campus life included, “When the weather is nice we have bonfires down by the lake” and “There are also concerts and performers that come throughout the year to the school.”
The Princeton Review also scores schools on its four “Best Colleges: Region by Region” lists in six categories: academics, admissions selectivity, financial aid, fire safety, quality of life and green. The company surveys administrators of each school to obtain data for the ratings.
SUNY Oswego enrolls about 8,000 students in its College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, School of Education, School of Business and School of Communication, Media and the Arts. The college offers more than 110 programs of study, as well as graduate degree and certificate programs.