RIPON, Wis. – Making the Princeton Review's "Best 361 Colleges" list is always a thrill. Parents, students and alumni look to the annual list to help with both decision making and bragging rights, and justifiably so. But for a college that prides itself on unique attributes, a brief entry in a thick book doesn't necessarily capture the essence of all Ripon College is (or is not). Fortunately, this year's list, released in August 2006, dug a little deeper with the inclusion of unique subcategories.

The broad categories were: Academics, Demographics, Extracurricular, Parties, Politics, Quality of Life, Schools by Type, and Social. Within each were several specific indicators, too numerous to list here, and even those juxtaposed the cream of the crop with the bottom of the barrel. Happily, Ripon landed on mostly positive indicators. Without further ado, then, here they are:

• Academics
  Professors Make Themselves Accessible (#9 of 20)
  With a student/faculty ratio of 13:1, it may not come as a surprise that Ripon made this list, but it comes down to attitudes. Even a 1:1 ratio wouldn't matter if individual professors decide to spend their office hours on the golf course, which might be why New Jersey's Stevens Institute of Technology got a big thumbs-down despite its 9:1 ratio. Apparently no one frowns frowns on inaccessibility more than the military; the U.S. Air Force Academy and U.S. Naval Academy finished #1 and #2, respectively.
  
  Students Happy With Financial Aid (#16 of 20)
  Almost every Ripon student receives some form of financial aid, and the average debt after four years compared to UW-system schools is nearly a wash. Notably, Beloit College ranked #8, but it's Princeton students who are most pleased with their packages.

• Extracurriculars
  Everyone Plays Intramural Sports (#4 of 20)
  Nearly 7 out of 10 Ripon students participate in intramural sports, an impressive statistic that earned Ripon its highest subcategory ranking. A number of other comparably sized schools made the list, such as Wabash College, but Notre Dame was tops.

• Politics
  Election? What Election? (#18 of 20)
  This is not necessarily a measure of political apathy, but rather the popularity of political/activist groups on campus. Ripon has long prided itself on its Republican roots, but political activism has never been much of a pastime. It may just be that Ripon students are too busy with intramurals and studies to dedicate much time to politics, which is hardly a bad thing. Not surprisingly, American University in Washington, D.C. tops the list.

• Social
  Town-Gown Relations Are Great (#5 of 20)
  This may be the most encouraging measure of all. Concerted efforts are being made to enrich, and ensure the longevity of, community relations. The fact that they're already pretty good -- among the best in the country -- suggests that much of the groundwork is already in place for sustained goodwill. Our neighbor to the northwest, St. Olaf College, earned the highest ranking.

Apart from the "Best 361" list and the small subcategories, Ripon is also counted among the "Best 163 Colleges in the Midwest." Other conference schools included in the list are Lawrence, Beloit and St. Norbert.

About Ripon College
Ripon College, founded in 1851, prepares students of diverse interests for lives of productive, socially responsible citizenship. Ripon’s liberal arts curriculum and residential campus create an intimate learning community in which students experience a richly personalized education. Ripon has been recognized as a “best value” and “Best 361 College” by The Princeton Review, a “Best Buy in College Education” by Barron’s, and among the 160 best schools in the nation by Colleges of Distinction. For more information about Ripon College, visit www.ripon.edu.

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