To those who think that “reefer madness” and improved academics can’t go hand in hand, the Princeton Review has something something different to say.

The Princeton Review’s The Best 357 Colleges is one of the most anticipated College ranking guides, along with the U.S. News and World Reports’ America’s Best Colleges.

U.S. News and World Report divides its ranking system between liberal arts colleges and universities, ranking schools in 15 academic areas. Liberal arts colleges are defined as colleges which award at least 50 percent of their degrees in the liberal arts.

In this year’s rankings, Oberlin College was placed at number 23 between Bates College and Mount Holyoke College on the list of best liberal arts colleges, an increase of one rank. Williams College was ranked first.

The Princeton Review takes a more colorful approach, basing its system of 64 separate, often non-academic ranking categories primarily upon student feedback.

This year, Oberlin ranked highly in a variety of categories including #10 on “Great College Library,” #12 on “Great College Theatre,” #19 on “Great College Radio” as well as #11 on the “Reefer Madness” list.

A brief survey of student’s on the Oberlin College campus found that most students doubted the purpose of the ranking systems.

“This is probably very unimportant to most incoming students, but it seems to be important to the administrations,” said College senior Bruce Comins. “It seems to be something the school’s desire and not necessarily the student bodies.”

It is an important question as to whether incoming students focus on the ranking systems in their educational decision-making process.

First-year students at Oberlin College appeared to have placed little concern on these rating systems when choosing to attend Oberlin.

“I never read any of these things and they didn’t affect my decision to come here at all. I don’t really get the purpose of it,” said College first-year Jake Waldman.

Most students on campus were more interested in Oberlin’s place in the Princeton Review’s ranking category of party schools.

The #11 ranking in the “Reefer Madness” category reaffirmed the dismissive feelings toward the ranking system as a whole.

“I think that if the Princeton Review is rating colleges and the amount that they use illegal substances, that’s ridiculous ... What’s that about giggle factor?” said, College first-year Louis Grube.