CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind. – Wabash College was named one of the best institutions for undergraduate education by the Princeton Review in its annual listing of the top 379 schools across the country.
Inclusion in the Princeton Review’s “Best 379 Colleges” means that Wabash ranks among the top 15 percent of 2,500 U.S.-based four-year colleges. The review includes detailed profiles of the best schools with rating scores in eight categories, plus ranking lists of top-20 schools in 62 categories. Ratings are based on the Princeton Review's surveys of 130,000 college students collected during the 2013-14 academic year.
Not surprisingly, Wabash ranked highly (No. 9) in “Best Classroom Experience,” a rating based on answers to several survey questions including the strength of their professors, classroom and lab facilities, the amount of in-class time devoted to discussion, and the percentage of classes attended. The College’s student:faculty ratio is 11:1.
Wabash professors rate strongly in both interest and accessibility, charting a 98 and 97, respectively, (on a scale of 60 to 99) and ranked No. 18 in the category “Professors Get High Marks,” based off the question, are your instructors good teachers? Wabash’s overall academic rating was a 97.
“It’s rewarding to see that Wabash men value their professors so highly,” said Dr. Scott E. Feller, Dean of the College and professor of chemistry. “Not only is the faculty made up of excellent teachers and researchers, but our ability to interact directly with our students across campus is a key factor in what makes the Wabash experience unique.”
The College’s Schroeder Center for Career Development also got high marks for its efforts, ranking No. 7 in “Best Career Services.” A devoted alumni network was cited by respondents multiple times in the Wabash profile.
Wabash also polled well in athletics and recreation, finishing as the No. 3 “Jock School,” based on answers concerning the popularity of intercollegiate and intramural sports, and of Greek life on campus. The College ranked No. 7 in the popularity of intramural sports.
“Our campus culture at Wabash fosters a balance between the mental and the physical aspects of an educated man,” said Director of Athletics Joe Haklin ‘73. “Wabash is an active place where men strive to improve in the classroom, on immersion trips, during internships, on athletic teams, and in our extensive intramural activities.”
Finally, the Wabash campus was ranked as the nation’s easiest campus to get around. The 60-acre wooded campus contains 25 buildings predominantly of Georgian architecture. Caleb Mills taught the first class of Wabash students in 1833 in Forest Hall, located since 1965 at the north end of campus.