Princeton Review 2011 Top Stone-Cold Sober Schools

Where would the Top Party Schools be without the Top Stone-Cold Sober Schools? The Top 20 Un-Party Schools list changed a little bit less than the Top 20 Partiers. Like last year, the Top Stone-Cold Sober Schools are dominated by religious, military and female colleges and universities. The Top 3 stayed intact this year (with Brigham Young University at No. 1 for the 12th consecutive year!), though No. 4, 5 and 6, College of the Ozarks, Wesleyan College and the United States Air Force Academy, switched places. The only newcomer on the list is Mount Holyoke College, which bumped out last year's No. 20, Simmons College.

But before you imagine all Brigham Young Students studying all day every day and spending Saturday nights all alone in their dorm rooms, being a stone-cold sober school does NOT mean there's nothing to do on campus. For example, BYU students tell Vault that dating is a pretty big deal on campus. One student had at least one date every week all four years! It's just a different kind of social scene.

Princeton Review Top 5 Stone-Cold Sober Schools

1. Brigham Young University
2. Wheaton College (IL)
3. United States Coast Guard Academy
4. United States Air Force Academy
5. Wesleyan College

So how do you use this ranking to your advantage in your job search? Clearly, if you graduated from one of these schools you are a serious candidate, who focused on academics and professional endeavors rather than partying like it's 1999. However, sometimes going to a stone-cold sober school can be a disadvantage; for example, you don't want a prospective employer to think you won't be involved in firm/company culture or that you're--gasp!--boring. If the ranking comes up, focus on what you did for fun (e.g., started a new club, joined a bowling league, frequented Renaissance fairs) and why you chose to go to the school, rather than its sober atmosphere.

Princeton Review Top 20 Stone-Cold Sober Schools

1. Brigham Young University
2. Wheaton College (IL)
3. United States Coast Guard Academy
4. United States Air Force Academy
5. Wesleyan College
6. College of the Ozarks
7. United States Naval Academy
8. United States Military Academy at West Point
9. Calvin College
10. Thomas Aquinas College
11. Grove City College
12. Wellesley College
13. Mills College
14. Marywood University
15. Berea College
16. California State University Stanislaus
17. Queens College, The City University of New York
18. Mount Holyoke College
19. Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering
20. Agnes Scott College