Forbes magazine placed the U. Mississippi on the list of top universities in the nation at 295 out of 610 top schools.
The rankings are based on varying considerations, including quality of education offered by the school, students’ experiences and achievements of the student body. While the poll takes these and other important statistical and logistical information into consideration, Forbes states that their rankings are “from the students’ point of view.”
Student satisfaction is the number one category taken into the consideration, weighted at 27.3 percent of the total 100 percent. The nine other categories include postgraduate success, student debt, four-year graduation rate, competitive awards and others, according to the Forbes website, Ole Miss was the highest ranked school in the SEC West on the list.
Virginia Burke, Ole Miss Associated Student Body President (ASB), said that Ole Miss’s place in the top half of the Forbes list is an exciting acknowledgement.
“I’m so excited for the university to get recognition for the things we have done and accomplished in the past few years,” Burke said.
With student satisfaction weighted so heavily, ranking on the list is an indicator of fulfillment of students’ expectations.
Burke said one of Ole Miss’s most impressive attributes is its strong student life. The ASB and administration strive to create a strong atmosphere of community.
One example of student life opportunities offered by the school is a picnic in the Grove that was held Sunday night for freshmen—giving the new class of students an opportunity to meet their peers.
“There’s a sense of community here that you don’t get anywhere else,” Burke said.
Burke added that Ole Miss’ academic programs are another huge strength of the university. With programs like the Honors College, the Lott Leadership Institute and the Croft International Studies program, Ole Miss offers programs unique from others schools, Burke said.
Merging both student life and academics are programs like study abroad and the Washington and New York City Internship Experiences. These programs, along with many others, offer students an exciting setting to study and reflect the university’s goal to offer unique academic experiences.
The combination of both student life and academic strength is a pull for prospective students. Jess Ford, a freshman from Lynchburg, Va. said that he decided on Ole Miss because of this combination of opportunities.
“The mix between education and a fun student life is what drew me to Ole Miss,” Ford said.
Although Ole Miss is over 700 miles from home for Ford, he said he expects the opportunities offered by Ole Miss will be worth the distance. Attending SEC athletic events was another draw for Ford, he said.
Leading the list of top schools this year is Williams College, a small liberal arts school in Williamstown, Mass., followed by Princeton U. Coming in at 610 is Coastal Carolina U.