A survey released by the Princeton Review ranks Brandeis fourth on a list of colleges and universities where students say they are least happy. The survey was part of a poll that ranked 345 institutions based on online feedback dating back as early as 2000. The review consists of more than 60 lists ranking various components of college life, including academics, demographics and quality of life.Brandeis administrators criticized the Review's data collecting method and added the rankings are based on old information. Referring to Princeton Review findings criticizing dorms, food and social areas, Vice President for Students and Enrollment Jean Eddy said the University has "made strides of improvement" in the past two years and asserted that the age of the data means the rankings cannot reflect such changes.

She added that comments from Brandeis students on the Princeton Review site (www.review.com) suggest something other than Brandeis' sour ranking. "I was very, very surprised to see that our students are considered to be unhappy because that's not what their excerpts say," she said.

Sarah Parrott, director of the Office of Institutional Research, had harsher things to say about the survey. "It's unscientific," she said. "The bottom line is Princeton Review is doing this to make money and beat out U.S. News and World Report," whose own college rankings are due out in the next several weeks.

Parrott also said that the Princeton Review misstated some data about Brandeis and other institutions, and that there is talk that some are considering suing the Review. Brandeis, she said, is not exploring that option. Parrot added that she doesn't believe that any suits will ultimately be filed.

The Princeton Review also gave the University the following rankings:



#17 - Gay community accepted

#10 - Nobody plays intramural sports

#13 - Scotch and soda, hold the scotch

#14 - Students most nostalgic for Bill Clinton

#11 - Most politically active

#17 - Campus is tiny, unsightly, or both

#19 - Dorms like dungeons



"The first focus we should have about this is that we were ranked one of the best 345 institutions in the country, that's major," Eddy said. She added that she believes Brandeis students are happy and becoming progressively more satisfied with their experience at Brandeis.

Not everyone, however, is in agreement. One student said that while she is satisfied academically, the social scene is lacking. "Sororities and fraternities have a blast because they have their own group," Svetlana Starikov '03 said. "But that isn't really my scene.