'Tis the season. I've been highlighting college rankings in my latest posts. Well, here's yet another set: the Unigo college rankings. Some highlights:

No Last Call

Top 10 schools where "Animal House" is considered tame.

University of California - Santa Cruz

Florida State University - Tallahassee

University of Georgia

Lehigh University

University of Massachusetts - Amherst

Penn State - University Park

Washington and Lee University

West Virginia University

University of Wisconsin - Madison

Vanderbilt University

Best Kept Secrets

Top 10 Schools that fly under the academic radar - but shouldn't.

Bard College

Denison College

Hampshire College

Harvey Mudd College

Kenyon College

Knox College

Ohio Wesleyan University

Reed College

Sarah Lawrence College

Wabash College

While these headings remind me quite a bit of those in the Princeton Review rankings, there are still enough new names under slightly new headings to inspire at least some chatter. Here's what the press release said:

UNIGO UNVEILS THEIR FIRST-EVER COLLEGE RANKINGS

More than 30,000 current college students voted

to create the "Top 10 for '10"

Unigo, the web's largest resource for student-written college reviews, today revealed their first-ever college rankings, the Top 10 for '10. More than 30,000 current college students from across the country contributed to the rankings, which name the top ten schools in ten unique categories. The lists represent a wide variety of institutions, and offer a more nuanced (and irreverent) look at their individual attributes.

The ten lists are: "The New Ivies," the top 10 schools that are the next generation of excellence; "Never Lock Your Doors," the top 10 colleges that are so safe, jaywalkers are the biggest felons; "Best Kept Secrets," the top 10 schools that fly under the academic radar - but shouldn't; "Walk of Shame Hall of Fame," the top 10 schools where everybody gets 'lucky'; "Nietzschean Supermen (and Superwomen)," the top 10 schools where the pursuit of knowledge goes far beyond the classroom; "All Business All the Time," the top 10 schools where students are already looking beyond their undergraduate years; "Location, Location, Location," the top 10 schools whose locales are the envy of family and friends; "Life is But a Game," the top 10 schools where sports rule; "Politicians & Pundits," the top 10 schools where students follow the beltway as closely as their studies; and "No Last Call," the top 10 schools where 'Animal House' is considered tame. The full list of categories and schools is below.

Unigo surveyed students at 225 colleges for their opinions about their own schools and peer institutions. With more than 30,000 votes cast, the results were vetted by Unigo's editorial staff and educational advisory board to ensure accuracy. For each school on each list, current students sent in photos and supporting quotes, offering on-the-ground insights into why their school made the Top 10 for '10.

"Our goal with these rankings was to present high school students and parents with interesting, authentic insights into the experiences at these institutions as they begin their college research," said Unigo's CEO, Jordan Goldman. "Unigo is one of the world's largest resources for college information created by current college students, offering information you can't find anywhere else. These rankings were a natural fit. The students really do have a more accurate assessment of what a school is all about than administrators or cold statistics."

More details, and the full rankings, are available at Unigo.com. The lists, with their supporting materials, will be rolled out on the site one per day, for 10 days, from August 25 through September 3.

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Here, then, in their entirety, are:

THE TOP 10 FOR '10:

Note: Schools within each category are listed in alphabetical order.

No Last Call

Top 10 schools where "Animal House" is considered tame.

University of California - Santa Cruz

Florida State University - Tallahassee

University of Georgia

Lehigh University

University of Massachusetts - Amherst

Penn State - University Park

Washington and Lee University

West Virginia University

University of Wisconsin - Madison

Vanderbilt University

Never Lock Your Doors

Top 10 colleges that are so safe, jaywalkers are the biggest felons.

Bennington College

Bryn Mawr College

Colgate University

Dartmouth College

Davidson College

Haverford College

Kenyon College

Princeton University

Wellesley College

Wheaton College

All Business All the Time

Doctors, Lawyers, and CEOs, Oh My! Top 10 schools where students are already looking beyond their undergrad years.

Amherst College

Bucknell University

Cornell University

Davidson College

Georgetown University

University of Pennsylvania

Princeton University

Rice University

Vanderbilt College

Wake Forest University

Life is But a Game

Jocktastic! Top 10 schools where sports rule.

University of Alabama

University of California-Los Angeles

University of Florida

University of Georgia

Lousiana State University

University of Michigan

University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

University of Notre Dame

Ohio State University

University of Texas - Austin

Best Kept Secrets

Top 10 Schools that fly under the academic radar - but shouldn't.

Bard College

Denison College

Hampshire College

Harvey Mudd College

Kenyon College

Knox College

Ohio Wesleyan University

Reed College

Sarah Lawrence College

Wabash College

Walk of Shame Hall of Fame

Top 10 schools where everybody gets "lucky."

Arizona State University

University of California-Santa Barbara

Florida State University

University of Miami

Michigan State University

University of Nevada-Las Vegas

Penn State University

Texas Tech University

Vassar College

University of Wisconsin-Madison

The New Ivies

These Top 10 Schools are the next generation of excellence.

Carnegie Mellon University

Duke University

Johns Hopkins University

New York University

Northwestern University

Tufts University

University of Virginia

Washington University in St. Louis

Wellesley College

Williams College

Location, Location, Location

Top 10 schools whose locales are the envy of family & friends.

Boston University

University of California-Berkeley

University of California-San Diego

University of Colorado-Boulder

University of Georgia

New York University

Pepperdine University

University of Texas-Austin

Tulane University

University of Vermont

Politicians & Pundits

Top 10 Schools where students follow the beltway as closely as their studies.

American University

Claremont McKenna College

George Mason University - Fairfax

George Washington University

Hampshire College

Macalester College

Oberlin College

Pitzer College

Wesleyan University

University of Wisconsin - Madison

Nietzschean Supermen (and Superwomen)

Top 10 Schools where the pursuit of knowledge goes far beyond the classroom.

Brown University

Carleton College

University of Chicago

Grinnell College

Haverford College

Macalester College

Pomona College

Reed College

Swarthmore College

Wesleyan University

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If you need an antidote to all these rankings, you might care to consider this article: 5 Reasons Why Every Single College Ranking Is a Pile of Crap. More on that in my next post.

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Be sure to check out all my admissions-related articles and book reviews at College Confidential.