Playboy magazine recently announced that the University of Colorado in
Boulder edged out Penn State as the nation’s number 1 party school.
Playboy bases that ranking upon observations of current and former students,
feedback from Playboy campus representatives, and input of fans on Playboy’s
social media pages.
The 50-something medical marijuana dispensaries and four beer breweries
in Boulder were factors in CU’s high ranking. About one-half of
the school’s over 24,000 undergraduates turn out for the annual
4/20 smoke-out on school grounds. Other factors include the school’s
male-to-female ratio and its winning percentage of sports teams. The school
earned bonus points for the campus’ proximity to beaches, ski slopes,
and Colorado’s hot music scene.
We don’t really know to what extent the “party school”
reputation affects a prospective student’s decision when college
application time rolls around, but we do have a strong suspicion that
parents and guardians may not be thrilled about CU’s party-school
accolade. On the positive side, students interested in the art and study
of debate will have a perfect opportunity to test out their skills of
persuasion on either side of this issue.
The argument may go something like: “Sure, Dad, CU may have a party
reputation, but think of the advantage I’ll have over the other
students: with half of them high and the rest hung over, I’m sure
to be top of the class (being that I’m personally not into such
seedy things). I’ll also take extra care to find a roommate who’s
a straight arrow, I promise.”
On a more serious note, CU has been turning out intelligent, well-rounded, well-educated young women and men into the competitive work force for many years now, despite its past appearances on various lists as a party school. These graduates thrive and succeed after their years on the famous Boulder campus. (Does it hurt that they can hold their own with a little lady named Mary Jane and the locally-brewed Dale’s Pale Ale from Oscar Blues?)