Playboy's top party schools

or mere than 20 years playboy'« list of top party schools has fueled debate on cam­puses across the country. It has also

C__U spawned two myths we will now dispel. The

lirst is that we put out a list oi party schools every year. Not true—until now. Going forward, this will be an annual event. The second myth was propagated by your friends who bragged that their school was number one. Unless they matriculated at Chico State {in 1987). Arizona State (2002) or Wisconsin (2006). they were dead wrong. If they are currently at the University of Miami, however, visit them immediately. Vou can read the rest of this on the road trip.

PLAYBOY'S 2009

TOP 10

BIKINI

SEX

CAMPUS SPORTS

BRAINS

1 UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI

TOTAL

2 UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN 15 13 19 16 16 79

3 SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY 19 17 20 8 14 78

4 UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 14 17 7 20 18 76

5 UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 15 18 12 12 14 71

6 UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN 12 17 10 10 18 67

7 UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA 13 18 6 13 16 66

8 LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY 13 13 6 16 14 62

9 UNIVERSITY OF IOWA 11 19 4 10 16 60

10 WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY 9 20 4 11 13 57

THE CRITERIA

We had an internal struggle trying to compare apples and keggers. How should we rank a Bowling Green bar crawl against a Rhode Island ripper? An event is what one makes of it. Our parties are covered by international media, but some of our favorite nights are spent with close friends and girl­friends. So we polled our models, staffers, campus reps, photographers and you (the traffic to our online poll almost crashed the server) about which schools get down. Then we determined the five categories crucial to the college experience. Even if you aren't an applied-science major, col­lege is indeed the time to experiment. You should also check out the scenery (the Bikini index), get involved in activi­ties (Campus Life), go crazy in fandom (Sports), leam (Brains) and put a few notches on your dorm bedpost (Sex).

From these categories we devel­oped algorithms to decide the rank­ings. Think of this as a BCS rating, but unlike the BCS we welcome your input. If, say, you feel skiing schools were treated unfairly by the Bikini index, noise from you may change next year's calculations. Here's how our research staff ran the numbers: Each category was weighted so the school with the highest score in the category would receive 20 points. BIKINI: We took the highest average temperature on campus in May + the number of days of sunshine + the num­ber of tanning salons near campus + the number of cosmetic surgeons and multiplied that by the girl percentage from the guy-to-girl ratio, then added the number of nursing majors and our rank of their cheerleaders.

SEX: To get this figure we used the ranking from the Trojan Sexual Health Report Card (if none was given, the median was used) + the number of empty study rooms at a random hour in the library (the best place to have sex on campus if your roommate is home) + the numerical value of the College Prowler Strictness Score (A+=98, A=95, A-=92, etc). CAMPUS LIFE: A beer is only as good as the company you drink it with, so we used these formu­las: 2 x (the number of bars + the number of liquor stores + the gallons of beer consumed in the state each year) = N. Enrollment / (the number of clubs + the number of Greek organizations) = Q. Each school's Q was then subtracted from the highest Q in the set to get Z. 100 / N + 100 / Z gave us our number. SPORTS: We counted only the past four years, since current seniors started. (Note: The 2009 NCAA Basketball Tournament occurred after we went to press.) We took the capacity of the largest stadium - enrollment + (the number of times men's basketball or football made a bowl game or NCAA Division I Tour­ney x 1,000) + (the number of times either men's basketball or football won its conference x 5,000) + (the number of times men's basketball or football won a national champi­onship x 10,000).

BRAINS: We took the average GPA (if none was reported, we used the aver­age of all the schools) + (the freshman retention rate / the number of students for each professor) + (the Princeton Review academic rating / 10).

#1 UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI

When you combine weather and women, no city in the country is hotter than Miami. That's why the U garnered our highest Bikini index score. Although Nikki Beach is the most beautiful topless seashore in the country, a recent grad raves about "hard-bodied coeds laying out on the campus lake between classes." Frat parties rage, but you don't have to know a secret handshake to stay out late; some clubs and bars in South Beach are permitted to stay open 24 hours a day. The University of Miami is the only private school to crack our top 10, and while its academics are in no way close to those of the Ivy League, you can get a great education here without skimping on fun. In the future Miami's number will rise in the sports category, thanks to Randy Shannon. One simple statement solidifies the University of Miami as

number one Playboy Party School: Other colleges come to its city for spring break. Nuff said.

#2 UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN

Everything is actually bigger in Texas: Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, parties, cup sizes, etc. Before metal bands threw up the "rock-on" hand ges­ture, Texas students were signaling their undying love for the Long-horns. That same gesture could now symbolize "Number two on the Playboy Party Schools list!" The city of Austin has become a mecca for forward-thinking people, as well as a hot music scene, thanks to the South by Southwest festival. The students also like to party, whether on Sixth Street or at an off-campus apartment. Sam, a physics major, has a hazy memory of one baccha­nal at West Campus: "Twenty kegs and 13 jugs of trash-can punch... what was a bikini party morphed into women dancing half naked. Didn't end till four in the morning." Austin, we raise a Texas toast to you. Steers and cheers.

#3 SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY

SDSU has made every party school list we've compiled (that's four, by the way). Playboy U reps took their cam­eras to the university's Reggae Sun Splash last year, and when they asked why SDSU is a party school, one cutie eloquently replied, "Because we rage like it's our rucking job." Chris, a business major, informed us that SDSU's motto is "Study hard, party harder." Our researchers assure us the school's actual slogan is "Minds that move the world," but we suggest the administration adopt the former. Written in Latin, it would be harmless.

#4 UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA

After the Princeton Review put Gainesville at the top of its party school list, Stephanie, a journalism major with a 3.2 GPA, told us, "We're obsessed with defending

our titles, be it lor sports or party­ing. Our athletic teams are a con­stant cause for celebration—four national championships since the 2009 seniors stepped on campus. We somehow manage to kick ass in class despite our pounding hangovers. Furthermore, we live in the swamp, which means clothing is optional 10 months out of the year." The contingent you nomi­nated as the hottest girls on the Gainesville campus is the Daz-zlers, the dance team that once boasted Playboy.com's sexiest sideline reporter, Erin Andrews, as a member. Southern hospital­ity is our favorite aspect of the Gators. Ricky, a bio major, says, "You can go down any street near campus, and if the lights are on and people are going crazy, that's enough of an invitation."

#5 UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA

The Zona school that tradition­ally gets the love is ASU, and though we think Tempe is a great place to spend a three-day weekend, four years are better spent at U of A in Tucson.

Consider some of its party names: Natural Disaster, Heaven and Hell, Fubar, Jungle Party. Sounds wild. Leo, a senior, describes the biggest decision of his life thusly: "When I was applying to schools, it was between the University of Arizona and the University of Colorado at Boulder. Would I rather walk around in board shorts and sandals, looking at gorgeous girls in bikinis for eight months out of the year or shovel snow and freeze my nuts off in Boulder? I made the right decision."

#6 UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON

The top party school from our previous list makes it again as the northernmost representative. Negative: It's cold, no doubt. Positive: It has the coldest beer on any campus. The Badgers are rabid football and basketball fans no matter how their teams are doing (and that's good, considering how they've been doing lately). If we have any complaint about the fans, it's that the guys should keep their shirts on—leave the body paint to the girls at our Mansion events. Wisconsin cannot be denied its parties on State and Mifflin streets. Oh yeah, Madison is also a pretty good place to get an education.

#7 UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA

It's like a Southern party schools summit: When Georgia and Florida play each other in football every season, they hold the world's largest outdoor cocktail party. The Dawgs do it right in Athens, where Chad, a political-science major with a 3.6 GPA, claims, "We have more bars than Bourbon Street, and they are all within walk­ing distance of one another—the best nightlife and downtown bar scene anywhere." While that's open to debate, there is no question Georgia celebrates base­ball correctly, by yipping it up behind the outfield fence. Bonus: the hottest sorority girls in the country.

#8 LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY

It's Mardi Gras all the time. Even in a recession the going rate for a string of beads is one quick flash. From the sororities to the chemistry labs to the Golden Girls dance line, you can't hide from the hotties here. Super-senior Ariane assures us, "While the faculty is reportedly concerned about the party school label, the students are as proud as ever. Just because we have one of the best vet and business schools in the nation doesn't mean we don't know how to keep our partying heritage alive!"

#9 UNIVERSITY OF IOWA

At football games the Hawkeyes sing, "In heaven there is no beer; that's why we're drinkin' here," Iowa City being "here." It certainly isn't a vacation destination, but that may be because it isn't for lightweights or the faint of heart. From an ASU student: "Iowa's tarilgating scene is like nothing I've seen before. Case in point: the Magic School Bus. It's two school buses, one with a stage built on top and the other with keg after keg inside, with taps coming out the sides. There was an awesome blues band playing, and during the band's breaks girls would get on top of the bus, dance and, among other things, show us what they were working with. We missed the first half of the game because we were having so much fun." Also, you haven't lived if you haven't shared a roll in the hay with a com-f ed Midwestern girl.

#10

WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY

In Morgantown, the quintessential college town, the school is the only show around, and when the Mountain­eers do well (or ter­ribly) the students go nuts. Being in the Pit before a football game is like being in the Thunderdome. Anyone who flips a car because of a sporting event needs to rethink his life, but we won't let a few meatheads spoil the

fun for the rest of us. WVU doesn't need an excuse to party. Kati, a fashion major, explains: "No matter what day of the week or where—the bars, the frat houses or Grant Street— you can find a party." Frank, who is pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering, tells us, "Everyone who graduates from WVU has a minor in alcohol." When the party comes to an unfortunate close, Frank, we'd leave that off the resume.

Did your school not crack the top 10? The rest o/ the list is at playboyu.com/playboy-party-schools.

College Drinking Joints

State Street Brats: the best place to catch a Wisconsin game or a Badger coed. More of our favorite college bars are at playboyu.com;

WHEN YOU COMBINE WEATHER

AND WOMEN, NO CITY IN

THE COUNTRY IS HOTTER THAN

MIAMI. OTHER SCHOOLS COME

HERE FOR SPRING BREAK.

NUFF SAID.