Last week the 2002 Princeton Review’s Best 331 Colleges was unveiled, with Guilford College making the grade as one of the 331 as well as being ranked in eight of the 62 top 20 categories.The information gathered to assemble these rankings supposedly comes straight from students’ mouths, assuring that the rankings are accurate.

Student Senate representatives Spencer Ward and Jason
Brown hold similar views of the rankings. Ward says that “the rankings are true for the most part, but I am the exact opposite of most the rankings.”
Brown agrees, but adds , ”I agree with the rankings but a student body should not be judged by majority since we are a Quaker school
and we make decisions by consensus.”

First-year Stephanie Nalbantyan says that the rankings “definitely describe the student population really well. Specifically on the one about God, I feel that there is an extreme anti-Christian sentiment here. This campus claims it values tolerance, but if you don’t think like Guilford liberals than you and your ideas are not accepted.”

Along with the rankings, each college has a page that breaks the school down into academics, student life, student body, admissions, the inside word, and financial aid. Each section is heavily laced with quotes from students expressing extremes of opinion.

The Review says that, academically, Guilford “offers its students a unique brand of chaperoned academic independence.” It praises the intimate student faculty relationship as well as the liberal and supportive administration.

As for Guilford’s atmosphere, it mentions the
”beautiful campus and idyllic climate that come part and parcel with a Guilford education,” as well as recognizing Greensboro as “not the most exciting place.” It also notes that the campus is active in things like plays, poetry readings, and “coffeehouse conversations.”

However, opinions of what students are like vary, from those who feel that the students are “friendly, educated, active, and open-minded” to those who describe them as “selfish, rich, spoiled hippies …but some are cool.”

Dean of Enrollment Randy Doss feels that “People who rely on any book or guide are doing a disservice. No college is perfect. Everybody has to weigh the positives and negatives for themselves. You have to visit when class is in session to see and get a true idea of what Guilford is like.”

Sophomore Erin Greenway agrees. “I looked at the books but I didn’t take it seriously” she said. “It’s an experience that you have to have in coming here and seeing it.”

This book is a nationally recognized source for college-bound students, admissions counselors, and the general public to get an idea of what colleges are like.

On the same note, Loren Pope’s 40 Colleges That Change Lives also profiles Guilford.

Doss recognizes the positive aspect of having this amount of national attention: “These books are equalizers. Small colleges need long arms. They pique interest and give people more opportunity for people to learn about Guilford.”