Students praise Alfred State in two national polls

With the big move-in day on campus next week, the number of discussions online among young people about college life, anticipation, and expectations are dominating their online social channels. Those student discussions and opinions are so highly valued, that two national polls rely on student input to rank schools across the country.

Both Niche.com and Princeton Review report that Alfred State received high praise from current students. The two rankings make those candid comments available online for prospective students and their parents to read and to find out what it’s really like to attend.

Princeton Review named Alfred State among the Best Northeastern Colleges for 2018, placing the school on a coveted list of the 229 highest ranking colleges in the 11-state region. Students, who weighed in on academics, the student body, and campus life said that Alfred State:

• Offers “many different learning styles to try to make this a learning environment everyone can benefit from.”
• Has a very friendly, diverse student population and that students are “guaranteed to meet and become friends with people who have very different cultural, ethnic, and spiritual backgrounds.”
• Has “many things that students can participate in, whether it is clubs, intramural sports, or community service.”
• Provides “opportunities to grow in any and every aspect of the student’s life through civic engagement, provided resources, and the residential life program.
• Has professors with "good real life experiences” which is “helpful in the hands-on learning style of the school."

According to Niche.com poll results, Alfred State had several majors ranked No. 1 overall among New York public colleges, including building trades, culinary arts, mechanics, and veterinary studies.

Niche.com also ranked Alfred State No. 5 among New York public colleges on “Best College Food” poll. When asked to describe Alfred State:

• 79 percent ranked the college as “very good, great, or best choice”
• 84 percent agreed “professors are passionate about the topics they teach”
• 83 percent agreed “admissions process made them feel like the school cared”
• 82 percent agreed “professors put a lot of effort into teaching their classes”
• 82 percent agreed “professors care about their students’ success”
• 80 percent agreed “professors are engaging and easy to understand”

In addition to polling students, the Princeton Review surveys administrators of each school to obtain data, and to gather administrator opinions on other colleges. Niche bases its rankings on a combination of data analysis along with reviews and survey responses from parents and students.