Carson-Newman one of Best Colleges in Southeast, says Princeton Review.

Carson-Newman College is one of the best colleges in the Southeast, according to the nationally known education services company, The Princeton Review. One of 133 institutions cited in the region, C-N’s faculty is described by a current student on the publisher’s website as “very intelligent, always accessible, and caring about my academic career and life in general. I feel like we’re family.”

Robert Franek, Princeton Review’s senior vice president/publishing, said, “We’re pleased to recommend Carson-Newman College to users of our site as one of the best schools to earn their undergrad degree. We chose it and the other terrific institutions we name as ‘regional best’ colleges mainly for their excellent academic programs.”

“Being cited as one of our region’s best institutions is most pleasing, but, given the quality of our faculty, I cannot honestly say I am surprised,” said C-N President Randall O’Brien. “We have an outstanding collection of scholars who pour themselves into their work and the lives of their students. That’s at the heart of our mission to educate minds and hearts in a caring Christian community.”

The 133 colleges The Princeton Review chose for its “Best in the Southeast” designations are located in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. The Princeton Review also designated 218 colleges in the Northeast, 152 in the Midwest, and 120 in the West as best in their locales on the company’s “2011 Best Colleges: Region by Region” lists. Collectively, the 623 colleges cited constitute about 25% of the nation’s 2,500 four-year colleges.

According to Franek, his team selected schools based on “institutional data we collected directly from the schools, our visits to schools over the years, and the opinions of our staff, plus college counselors and advisors whose recommendations we invite.” The reviewers also consider what students have to say about their schools via an 80-question survey.

For its project, The Princeton Review asked students attending the schools to rate their own schools on several issues – from the accessibility of their professors to quality of the campus food – and answer questions about themselves, their fellow students, and their campus life. Comments from surveyed students are quoted in the school profiles on The Princeton Review site (www.princetonreview.com/college/college-ratings.aspx).

The Princeton Review, which is not affiliated with Princeton Univesity, has been a pioneer and leader in helping students achieve their higher education goals through college and graduate school test preparation.