By Kortni Robinson
Texas Tech University often appears on lists of top party schools in the country, ranking number 89 out of 1,475 party schools on the college ranking website Niche. But should this ranking be taken seriously?
Talia Quigley, a freshman advertising major, said she heard about Texas Tech’s reputation before she even attended the university.
“When I decided to come to Tech from high school, someone asked me why I was even bothering going there because it’s such a party school that I’ll never get a job after,” Quigley said.
Bill Dean, executive vice president of the Texas Tech Alumni Association and associate professor in the College of Media & Communication, believes these surveys are a waste of time and can apply to most schools.
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“Let’s face it,” Dean said. “Most of the students attending Texas schools are between the ages of 19 and 22. A good number like to have a good time and party. Texas Tech is no exception. I would not put much stock in these surveys.”
Other students, like sophomore public relations major Shelby Strickland, said they believe in these rankings and have friends at other schools who do as well.
“I’ve had friends visit Tech from Texas A&M and say that they couldn’t keep up with what people do here and probably won’t come visit again,” Strickland said.
Patrick Durman, a senior energy commerce major, blames the party school reputation on the fact that Lubbock is so far away from everything.
“We have that reputation because we’re out here on this island with nothing to do but booze,” Durman said. “Everyone’s got the same mindset, so it works.”
Chris Cook, managing director of the Office of Communication and Marketing, said he has seen polls over the years where Tech has been ranked as a party school as well as polls where it has not.
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“It’s definitely a perception that exists, at the very least, with some of our student body,” Cook said. “The focus and mission of the university is education. What students do in their time away from classes and study is personal, but the university does encourage practicing safety and security when partaking of activities that may lend to the party school definition.”
Ben Sharp, the incoming student body president, said he resents Texas Tech’s reputation of being a party school because it can devalue the educational programs offered at the university.
“I think the success of TTU graduates as well as the research prestige of our Tier-One university make clear that Tech is by no means just a party school,” Sharp said. “In addition to having a good time, Red Raiders are doing groundbreaking research, writing plays, interning in D.C. and traveling the world. So while we can have a good time with the best of them, we are by no means just a party school.”
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About JOUR 4350
Easy for “ttuhub.net” to say. (To everyone sharing on my Facebook feed)
#hookemsicemgigemfrogs all do it much better than a pretty much irrelevant desert hub town.
The Greeks give Tech a bad reputation while everyone else just goes to class and takes their studies seriously. It’s a shame.