How does someone choose the right college? Answering that question is not necessarily easy. High schoolers are often bombarded with biased information, which creates the need for unbiased sources. Since 1992, The Princeton Review has attempted to help students and families wade through the sea of admission materials to spotlight important features of the “best colleges” in the country. Once again, Warren Wilson College makes the grade.

The 2018 edition of the popular book, “The 382 Best Colleges,”spotlights roughly 15 percent “of America’s 2,500 four-year colleges” along with two institutions in Canada. The Princeton Review does not rank the colleges from 1 to 382 in any category. Instead, it uses students’ ratings of their schools to compile 62 ranking lists of top 20 colleges in various categories.

Roughly 350 students were surveyed on campus to determine the College’s 2018 rankings.

“The voices of our current students are louder and more impactful than any piece of information we can deliver,” said President Lynn Morton. “The Princeton Review is an incredibly important tool for prospective students and families to use as a compass to select their home for the next four years. I couldn’t be more proud to have The Princeton Review’s seal of approval.”

In many cases, the selection of a college is based on the potential it has to place a student in a job. The Princeton Review asked undergraduates to rate Warren Wilson College’s “career/job placement services.” The result showed resounding approval as the College ranked No. 6 in the list of the schools with the “Best Career Services.”

Do Warren Wilson College “students treat all persons equally, regardless of their sexual orientation and gender identity/expression?” The Princeton Review found the answer was an overwhelming yes as the College is the No. 4 most “LGBTQ-Friendly” in the 2018 list of the 382 “best colleges.” Additionally, community service shined with another top 10 ranking for the most engaged students. Last year, students completed graduation requirements and gave more than 55,000 community engagement hours to over 250 partners.

The Princeton Review also profiles each “best college” in the 2018 edition. “Professors at Warren Wilson earn mostly high praise from students,” the book’s author, Robert Franek, writes. “The faculty here is very involved and very accessible.”

Quoted students praise their instructors as being “great” in a variety of settings. The ability to deliver material in new and creative ways is also celebrated. The Work Program and a focus on community engagement is a significant aspect of the school for each student. Plus, students at Warren Wilson College are called “fantastically talented, hardworking and willing to think outside the box.”

Franek said, “We chose Warren Wilson College for this book because it offers outstanding academics. Our selections are primarily based on our surveys of administrators at several hundred four-year colleges. We also visit dozens of colleges each year and give considerable weight to opinions of our staff and our 24-member National College Counselor Advisory Board. Most importantly, we look at valuable feedback we get from each school’s customers – our surveys of students attending them. We also keep a wide representation of colleges in the book by region, size, selectivity and character.”

In the “Survey Says” sidebar in the book’s profile on Warren Wilson College, The Princeton Review lists topics that students surveyed for the book were in most agreement. Collectively, undergraduates agree that “class discussions [are] encouraged” and “students love Asheville, North Carolina.”

Another common understanding among the student body is the College’s commitment to the environment. In fact, The Princeton Review lauds the campus in its “Guide to 361 Green Colleges.” According to the 2016 publication, Warren Wilson College, at No. 36, is one of the top 50 most environmentally responsible colleges in the U.S.

Warren Wilson College is further recognized online in The Princeton Review’s website feature, “2018 Best Colleges: Region by Region – Northeast / Midwest / Southeast / West.” The site salutes 658 schools as outstanding in their regions.

“The Best 382 Colleges: 2018 Edition” is the 26th publication of The Princeton Review’s “Best Colleges” book. It is currently available in print and as an e-book Sept. 26.

For more information about The Princeton Review or to see the current list of the 382 “best colleges,” visit http://princetonreview.com.