HPU Listed Among "Best Western Colleges" by Princeton Review
Hawai'i Pacific University has been named one of the 122 best western colleges in the United States, according to the latest The Princeton Review 2006 edition guidebook, "The Best 361 Colleges," which is on sale now.
"We believe these schools uphold the standards of our 'Best Western College' distinction and provide students with a wide breadth of excellent schools to consider," said Robert Franek, publisher and editorial director of The Princeton Review's "The Best 361 Colleges." "No school is best for all students. That's why our book has 62 different ranking lists and campus feedback."
HPU received a "Quality of Life Rating" of 92 on a scale of 60-99. The Princeton Review weighed several factors to determine this rating, including students' assessment of: their overall happiness; the beauty, safety, and location of the campus, the comfort of dorms; the quality of food; the ease of getting around campus and dealing with administrators; the friendliness of fellow students; the interaction of different student types; and the quality of the relationship with the local community.
In order to be listed in the book, colleges and universities needed to meet the publisher's standards for academic excellence within their region. Also, student input played an important factor in the college selections. Students were asked to rate their schools by academics, admission, financial aid, quality of life, and student body. The Princeton Review conducted a 70-question survey, asking 110,000 students at 361 colleges across the country to rate their schools and report on their campus experiences.
According to The Princeton Review's "The Best 361 Colleges," HPU students responded to the survey saying:
STUDENT BODY
"If you're looking for a school where you can meet a lot of different types of people, then this is the place for you."
"Students here quickly make friends with one another."
"If I travel in the future, I have a place to stay in practically every country!"
ACADEMICS
"HPU's faculty gets a 12 on a scale of 1 to 10."
"Classes tend to be pragmatically structured."
"Small classes allow [for] discussion and personalized teaching."
Professors are "always available" and teach with a "global perspective."
CAMPUS LIFE
"A typical day here would be going to a class that will probably be in a high-rise in downtown Honolulu, then eating lunch in Chinatown with your friends from 10 different countries. After class you can go hiking to a waterfall in the middle of the rainforest, or go to a beach and snorkeling over a reef."
In addition to The Princeton Review rankings, HPU is listed in the top tier of the best of western regional universities, ranked number 57, in the universities-master's category of the 2006 edition of U.S.News & World Report's "America's Best Colleges." HPU also scored among the top 16 schools in the west for having one of the most diverse U.S. student populations and ranked second in that region for having the most international students. For more information on the U.S.News & World Report rankings, please click here .