NEWS: Olin Featured in The Princeton Review’s 2024 Guide to Green Schools
November 20, 2023
Olin College is one of the nation's most environmentally responsible colleges, according to The Princeton Review’s 2024 Guide to Green Schools.
The guide is based primarily on The Princeton Review’s surveys of administrators at 683 colleges in 2022–23 and its analyses of more than 25 survey data points. Schools that were selected all have exceptional programs, policies, and practices related to sustainability and the environment.
Olin is currently working toward the adoption of a climate action plan and increased focus on sustainability in engineering. Over the summer, the College broke ground on the installation of solar panels in Olin’s main parking lot. Several Olin students have worked with ENGIE, the College’s solar utility partner, as interns, working on collecting data, examining case studies, and attending meetings.
Image of Olin's Solar Project construction in Parking Lot A. Taken by Professor of Biology and Art and Michael E. Moody Professor, Helen Donis-Keller.
Rob Franek, The Princeton Review's Editor-in-Chief, noted that The Princeton Review has seen an increasing level of interest among students in attending green colleges. Of the more than 8,800 college applicants the company polled for its 2023 College Hopes & Worries Survey, 69% said having information about a college's commitment to the environment would affect their decision to apply to or attend a school.
The school profiles in The Princeton Review Guide to Green Colleges report on the colleges’ uses of renewable energy, their recycling and conservation programs, the availability of environmental studies in their academic offerings, and their career guidance for green jobs. The profiles also include information on the schools' admission requirements, cost, and financial aid.
In August, Olin was named one of the nation's best undergraduate institutions in the 2024 edition of the Princeton Review's “Best Lists." Olin consistently ranks high in many “Best Colleges” categories; in the 2024 report, Olin appears in the following lists:
- Students Study the Most – #1
- Best Classroom Experience – #2
- Best College Dorms – #2
- LGBTQ-Friendly – #2
- Top 20 Best Schools for Internships (Private Schools) – #2
- Their Students Love These Colleges – #3
- Friendliest Students – #3
- Professors Get High Marks – #4
- Best Career Services – #6
- Best Student Support and Counseling Services – #6
- Best College Library – #13
- Great Financial Aid – #13
- Most Accessible Professors – #14
- Best Quality of Life – #16
- Town-Gown Relations are Great – #18
- Most Active Student Government – #20