FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (8/05)
Media Contact for Princeton Review Books: Jeanne Krier, 212-539-1350:
Centenary Contact: Lynn Stewart, Centenary News Service, 318-869-5120

The Princeton Review College Guide includes Centenary College in its “The Best 361 Colleges – 2006 Edition”

SHREVEPORT, LA — Centenary College of Louisiana is one of the nation’s best institutions for undergraduate education, according to The Princeton Review. The New York-based education services company features the college in The Best 361 Colleges (Random House / Princeton Review, Aug. 23, 2005, $21.95), the new 2006 edition of its annual "best colleges" guide.

Only about 15 percent of the four-year colleges in America and two Canadian colleges are in the book. It has two-page profiles on the schools and student survey-based ranking lists of top 20 colleges in the book in various categories.

The book's profile on Centenary commends the school for having small class sizes, "which allow for learning to assume the form of a dialogue between teacher and student, rather than the former spitting out facts in a lecture hall and the latter parroting it back on tests.” It also notes that no Centenary classes are taught by teaching assistants and that 100 percent of professors teach undergraduate courses. In its section about the student body, the profile said, “Centenary students “form a community based primarily on strong ethics and sharp intellects.”

Says Robert Franek, vice president-publishing, The Princeton Review, "The main factor in our selection of schools in the book was our high regard for their academic programs. We evaluated them based on institutional data we collect about the schools, feedback from students at them, and visits to schools over the years. We also considered the opinions of independent college counselors, students and parents we talk to and survey. Finally, we worked to have a wide representation of colleges in the book by region, size, selectivity and character.”

The ranking lists in The Best 361 Colleges are based on The Princeton Review's survey of 110,000 students attending the colleges in the book. Students rated their schools on several topics and reported on their campus experiences at them. Ranking list categories range from best professors, administration and campus food to lists based on student body political leanings, interests in sports and other aspects of campus life. The Princeton Review posts the book's ranking lists on its website www.PrincetonReview.com.

Centenary is on the following ranking lists in the new edition of the book: “Is it Food?” listed at No. 18.

The college profiles in The Best 361 Colleges also include candid comments from students surveyed at the schools. Among the student comments in the profile on Student Life: This is a "friendly and academically driven environment."

The Best 361 Colleges is the 14th edition of The Princeton Review's annual "best colleges" guide. It is one of over 200 Princeton Review books published by Random House. The Princeton Review, known for its education, admission and test-prep services, is not affiliated with Princeton University or ETS.

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