{"id":49573,"date":"2021-01-26T17:23:02","date_gmt":"2021-01-27T01:23:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiosurvivor.com\/?p=49573"},"modified":"2022-12-15T11:57:18","modified_gmt":"2022-12-15T19:57:18","slug":"best-college-radio-stations-in-2021-according-to-princeton-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.radiosurvivor.com\/2021\/01\/best-college-radio-stations-in-2021-according-to-princeton-review\/","title":{"rendered":"“Best College Radio Stations” in 2021 According to Princeton Review"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It always strikes me as odd that the annual Princeton Review college rankings guide comes out in the year prior to the date listed in its title. But in this case, it makes me feel a bit less guilty about this super-delayed post about The Best 386 Colleges: 2021 Edition<\/a>. Released in August, 2020, the guide appeared during a strange period in our history. College looks a bit different during the 2020-2021 academic year, with some students staying put at home and doing their coursework online. Tours are largely virtual and some students may even be putting their studies on hold until the pandemic abates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since 2008, I’ve been writing about the “Best College Radio Station” list that is included in Princeton Review’s annual rankings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 2021 list of the 20 colleges with the “best radio stations” has a nearly identical group of schools compared with the 2020 list. Numbers 1 through 17 were included in 2020. Once again, it’s a mix, including large universities with multiple radio stations as well as small liberal arts colleges with online-only stations. The biggest school on the list is Arizona State (around 44,000 students) and the tiniest is Reed College (around 1,400 students).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The northeast again dominates the list, with 10 schools from this region (including 6 from New York alone). California continues to be absent, although Oregon and Washington colleges are represented, for a total of 3 schools from the Pacific Northwest. The remaining colleges and universities hail from the Midwest, the South, the Southwest, and Canada.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best = Popular<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As a reminder, although the Princeton Review describes its college radio results as \u201cBest College Radio Station,\u201d the title doesn\u2019t tell the whole story. Here\u2019s the skinny:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Results are based on student surveys<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Surveys were conducted at 386 colleges<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Students are asked to judge the popularity, not the quality, of an unspecified campus radio station at their own college<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Radio stations are not named in the survey or in the resulting rankings<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Only schools surveyed can make it into the rankings, so college radio stations at schools that are not surveyed by Princeton Review won\u2019t appear on the list<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A number of colleges appearing on the \u201cBest College Radio Station\u201d list have multiple radio stations, including student-run stations, large public radio stations, and everything in between. It makes sense that students would indicate that their school\u2019s radio station is \u201cpopular\u201d if they are on a campus with a high profile professional radio station and\/or with several radio stations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Digging into Methodology<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The 2021 college radio results are based on three years worth of survey data. Around 143,000 students from 386 colleges took the survey online, representing approximately 370 students per campus. Survey results for this edition are culled from responses given during the 2019-2020, 2018-2019, and 2017-18 academic years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The survey asks: \u201cHow much do you agree or disagree with the following statements at your school?\u201d and among the list of statements is: \u201cCollege Radio Station is popular.\u201d Respondents are given the following options: Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Neither Agree or Disagree, Agree or Strongly Agree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Similar is this Year\u2019s List to Prior Lists?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For the 2021 Princeton Review list of \u201cBest College Radio Stations,\u201d 17 of the 20 schools were on the 2020 list. Of the three that were not on the 2020 list, none have appeared in the years that I’ve been tracking these lists (since 2008). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The complete list for the 2021 edition is listed below (for comparison, here are the lists from the 2020<\/a>, 2019<\/a>, 2018<\/a>, 2017<\/a>, 2016<\/a>, 2015<\/a>, 2014<\/a>, 2013<\/a>, 2012<\/a>, 2011,<\/a> 2010<\/a>, 2009<\/a> and 2008<\/a> editions of Princeton Review).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2021 Princeton Review\u2019s Best College Radio Stations<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

(aka Most Popular College Radio Stations)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Note: I\u2019ve added station names and call signs as the Princeton Review only lists school names. Schools in bold were not on the list last year<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. University of South Florida (WUSF 89.7 FM<\/a> and Bulls Radio online\/89.7 HD3\/on campus 1620AM<\/a>, Tampa, FL)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Emerson College (WERS 88.9FM<\/a> and WECB<\/a>, Boston, MA)<\/p>\n\n\n\n