Browse the library or the Internet, and you’ll find dozens of “best college” rankings lists. But where do you find information about the worst colleges? Radar Magazine provides an annual list of the Worst Colleges in America. Keep in mind that these rankings are pretty subjective — but hey, aren’t all college rankings?
They explain the research behind their list – “Our annual college survey is an exhaustive, semiscientific guide to the most substandard schools in America, incorporating statistics on academics, graduation rates, and student life from a diverse array of sources, including the Princeton Review, U.S. News & World Report, and the U.S. Department of Education.”
According to Radar Magazine, here are the worst colleges in America:
University of Bridgeport is America's Worst College.
The Worst College in America: University of Bridgeport
Worst of the Big Ten: Michigan State University
Worst Trust-Fund-Baby College: Bennington College
Worst Ivy League School: Cornell University
Worst Christian School: Liberty University
Worst Party School (tie): San Diego State University and California State University, Chico
Worst Military Academy: Virginia Military Institute
Worst Women’s School: Texas Woman’s University
posted on February 2nd, 2009 by Naomi
Tags: college rankings, university of bridgeport, worst colleges
Posted in Colleges | 51 Comments »
May 22nd, 2009 at 10:15 am
I goes to bridgeport and i think bridgeport is the beast! Go to pridgeport, this site is lying! Dont trust them its a lie
May 29th, 2009 at 2:57 pm
i can see u go to bridgeport i can see u GO there not goes
June 1st, 2009 at 2:41 pm
Wow! With quality students like the one above, it’s a wonder that Bridgeport made this list. If you “goes” to Bridgeport and think “its” the “beast”, then that really says a lot about their academic standards.
June 2nd, 2009 at 8:22 am
Kate, it’s a joke…he’s kidding.
The fact that you didn’t pick up on that says more about your lack of brain power than Josh’s.
June 10th, 2009 at 11:55 pm
hE’s NoT jOkInG. i Go ThEreS tWo!!!!!
iz the bestttttttttt<3
June 12th, 2009 at 12:08 am
He aint LyIn! Dis Skool iz da BeSt! I go DeR 2 & i Luvs it! Dont H8 on Brigeport cuz it da bomb!<3
June 28th, 2009 at 5:30 pm
I goes to bridgeport two and i thinks bridgep[ort is the beastest twooo!!!
June 28th, 2009 at 10:13 pm
Ay yo. I go to bridgepoint, fool I’m gettin’ a degree in economics, gotta stretch out that drug trade in DA BOOKS HOMIE. Fa sho it’s not the best, but hey yo, it’s COLLEGE, and they got a headshop right ’round the corner, just like home.
June 29th, 2009 at 4:31 pm
A Bridgeport degree = Toilet paper
June 29th, 2009 at 4:33 pm
Devon is a perfect example of the fake wannabe thug that goes Bridgeport. Good luck with your useless degree
July 15th, 2009 at 7:11 pm
What is wrong with Bridgeport ?
July 22nd, 2009 at 10:10 am
UB is far from the worst university in America. It definitely isn’t the best, but it has got its good points. I was an International Political Economy and Diplomacy major (IPED) in the International College. I had a great time, learned a lot, and was satisfied with the education I received. On top of that, I got a Fulbright Scholarship after I graduated, something that was made possible because of the fact that it is a small university and there is a low teacher-student ratio. Most people who criticize the university don’t know anything about it. They’re just religious bigots who don’t like the Unification Church…
July 24th, 2009 at 10:26 am
Ely Loew = fail.
July 31st, 2009 at 1:27 pm
Ely,
Thanks for your comment here on this site. I will be a freshman this fall working towards my degree in IPED. I’ve visited twice (I’m from about 200 miles away) and I absolutely love the campus, faculty, and students that I’ve had the pleasure of meeting. When I saw this rating as UB being the worst college in America I was stunned and completely thrown off, thinking that my perception of the university was simply the result of a facade put on just to make the college seem like more than it is.
Your comment assures me that the University of Bridgeport really is a great place to take advantage of opportunities while getting a quality education.
I am very excited to start my journey in a few weeks and to see what I can accomplish after I graduate.
August 1st, 2009 at 12:07 am
Ay yooo how yu not even no how 2 spel yo own college yo? you wick wack! ima beat yo ass if yu say 1 mo bad thing bout dis skoo yo! muh edukashon iz off da chartz!
August 1st, 2009 at 12:15 am
Ay yooo how yu not even no how 2 spell yo own skool? yu wick wack! ima beat yo if yu say 1 mo thing bout bridgeport…my edukashon is off da chartz!
August 20th, 2009 at 3:36 pm
I dare say, good chaps, Harvard is indeed the best University. Perchance I am an undergraduate of Crimson myself, blessed with fortune, intellect, and wasp good looks. It so vexes me to hear the besmirching of my Alma Matre’s good name. I must now have a spot of tea with my fellow Hasty Pudding thespians, but I bid you adieu and wish you well as my future employees. Good day!
August 21st, 2009 at 2:33 am
get OFFF dis page barret hedgley. ur bigz wordz confuszes meh. we dunt cur bout harvard foo’ dats why wez hittin up bridgeport. it iz da beast! also, it huz a gr8 headshot round da corna
yall feel me? holla atcha gurrrrrrrrl
****STAY FLY ~N~ FRESH til death***
August 21st, 2009 at 7:59 am
[...] However, the point of this post is not to argue about who’s the best. It’s about The Worst Colleges in America. [...]
September 1st, 2009 at 12:17 pm
This is by far the most ignorant blog i ever read. I just wasted precious moments of the day read all these comments like a fool. This doesn’t make the college better but yet it belittles it to the utmost disgrace and humiliation. You all should be ashamed of yourselves. Good Day
September 2nd, 2009 at 3:37 pm
Steve: you do realize that just about all (if not all) the comments by “Bridgeport students” were jokes, right? (Except for the serious ones from Ely and Katelyn.)
September 16th, 2009 at 5:52 pm
Hey errbody reppin’ bridgeport class of ‘12 throw ya fists up.. I’m high as a muufucka right know, bout to hit class in a sec, lovin’ this Connecticut life bre..
Holla at a playa
September 20th, 2009 at 2:13 am
I almost never express my opinion in public or on the Internet, but when I saw this story about the University of Bridgeport on the web, I felt compelled, as a graduate of the University’s MBA program in 1983, to respond to it and to the subsequent comments written about it. But, before I start, I must provide a disclaimer. Although, most see me as an educated person of average or above average intelligence, I am not an exceptionally good writer, and am most certainly capable of making spelling and even more egregious writing errors. I am completely aware that within the realm of debate, on and off the Internet, there exists a well worn debate strategy of attempting to disqualify an opposing person’s augment by impeaching the person’s speaking or writing ability that has nothing to do with the central point being made. My lack of writing excellence is not, and should not, be viewed as reason to disqualify the validity of my statements and opinions.
As an impoverished child growing up on welfare in the inner city of some of the worst slums in America I dreamed. I dreamed of one day of escaping the inner city poverty, condemnation, and crippling low expectations that others of better circumstances of life were forcing on me. What I dared to dream, as a young child, was so much like that of the dreams of millions of other young idealist Americans that passionately believed in what the United States stood for. What I dared to dream was simply the American dream; of success through diligence, determination, integrity, and hard work. Throughout American history, this dream that was responsible, in large measure, for building America, was motivated out of desperation and a passion to succeed. This dream, I believe, is so basic to American existence that it is one of the most cherished and sacredly held values in America. Unfortunately, there are plenty of greedy, unscrupulous opportunistic individuals and organizations that attempt to exploit this sacred American dream by making false promises and selling false hopes, at exorbitantly high prices, to the poorest and most desperate of the American poor.
Long before the faculty at the University of Bridgeport went out of strike, there were indications of questionable practices at the university. UB’s willingness to exploit the hopes and dreams of young, vulnerable, and innocent people was reminiscent of the worst practices of many “for profit” proprietary schools that exploited the poorest of the poor in their quest for private profits. Back in the early 1980s, the University of Bridgeport engage in a high glitz ad campaign, taking out full page advertisements in the New York Times and other nationally know newspapers, comparing the education received at the University of Bridgeport to the quality of educational available at Ivy League Universities in the United States. It falsely exaggerated the earning power and career success of its graduates. Although, clearly hubris, false and misleading to the more knowledgeable, to the likes of this young person (at the time) and many like me, these very sophisticated and expensive advertisements were stunningly impressive. The photos and physical description of supposedly the school’s campus were equally false and misleading at the time. By looking at the photos used in their advertisement, one was left with the impression that the school was located at a beautiful pristine beach front community that was completely surrounded by a lush forested park.
Little, if anything, of the school’s advertising and recruiting literature was remotely close to reality. While I was a student in the early 1980s at the University of Bridgeport, the incident of crime, including violent crime was intolerably high. I was personally attacked three times on, or near the campus by residents from the low income housing projects that surround the perimeter of the school. During my second year at the school, a man was found shot dead about three blocks from the university campus. It was simply not safe to walk on, or near the campus most of the day. The fear was omnipresent. Adding insult to injury, the career marketability and opportunities claimed to exist for graduates of the school by the university was in, large measure, false. The career planning and placement office at the school was a joke and pitiful. I remember frequently walking into the office and finding no staff at all in the office. After completing my first year at the university, reality about my career prospects began to set in. Things really began to get scary. I remember walking down town Bridgeport and a passerby asking me what university I was attending, and me telling him I was a UB student and his dreadful response. He told me that he had graduated from the University of Bridgeport more than a year earlier and was completely unable to find work. This was unfortunately to be an omen in regards to my own future career prospects as a MBA graduate of good academic standings from the University of Bridgeport. I, like many other graduates of UB have graduated to unemployment and perpetual under employment. I had spent years on my career search after graduating from the University of Bridgeport, sending out many hundreds of resumes to no avail. Only after about twenty years was I able to finally pay off my more than $45,000 student loan used to pay for my education at UB. I feel that, as a young innocent and vulnerable person, my American dream was deliberately violated and exploited for the revenue seeking needs of the University of Bridgeport. The school is nothing more than a highly questionable diploma mill.
September 21st, 2009 at 9:34 am
Just graduated from UB 3 yrs ago, now clearing 400 K a year, probably more than most of you will make by the age of 35!
You really think because you graduated from another school means you will be more successful than anyone else, not only are you ignorant but also naive!
Best of luck to everyone!
Thanks UB.
September 21st, 2009 at 10:33 pm
Ima haveta say that johns st8ry t8k 4eva to read, but i feel sory for ya
damn johhny you make lots of money
September 27th, 2009 at 2:23 am
Lols at Johnny. While going to a good school does not necessarily mean that you’ll be successful, it really does increase your chances and it says something about yourself. Also, there is a reason that UB is rated as the worst school, and that’s probably because most of its students fail at life. If you really are earning 400 K a year, then good for you, but you were probably just an exception or lucky.
I also want to take a moment to call you ignorant and naive as well for believing that everyone else believes that attending a good college means being guaranteed a successful life.
October 20th, 2009 at 5:11 pm
I dink dese colages are da bes and i wanna go to all of dem you ppl need to no dat
October 20th, 2009 at 5:12 pm
Herro, Kim Jong il speaking. I brow you arr up with my big nucrear missres.
October 20th, 2009 at 5:13 pm
i dun no y u guyz hatin on mah colij
October 21st, 2009 at 12:13 pm
msu sucks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
October 21st, 2009 at 12:14 pm
jk notre dame sucks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
October 21st, 2009 at 12:15 pm
they both suck go mizzou!!!!!!!!!!!!!
October 21st, 2009 at 12:15 pm
NO!!!!! MSU SUCKS SOO MUCH!!!!! NOTRE DAME IS THE BEST!!!
October 24th, 2009 at 2:17 pm
Both my parents graduated from Bridgeport, I live in a nice house, go on two vacations every summmer, and I have two other siblings looking at rather expensive ($35,000/year) colleges. And my parents have no trouble affording any of it. This makes no sense.
October 28th, 2009 at 10:02 am
they must be drug dealers
November 2nd, 2009 at 6:37 pm
How could Everest College be left out? Read online all the stuff people say about this school. There can’t be any worse.
November 22nd, 2009 at 11:29 am
[...] some bad blogs from equally bad colleges, and found that Radar Magazine does an annual list of the worst colleges in America. Perfect. They describe their list as “an exhaustive, semiscientific guide to the most [...]
November 24th, 2009 at 4:13 pm
I went to UB for undergraduate school and Michigan State for my MBA. While it has been a number of years since I attended UB, I enjoyed my four years there. In terms of Michigan State, it is part of the Big Ten which has 11 quality schools. Check the ratings of MSU’s Business School (typically a top 25 school) and you will quickly realize that you will get a quality education at this university. In addition, it is fun to watch the MSU football team and basketball team on tv each weekend! I would not hestitate recommending MSU to any High School Senior.
November 25th, 2009 at 2:49 pm
Anyone looking for a way to nurture depression should start with this page, realizing that the posters are citizens, voters, yelpers, and Web site movie raters! What could God have been thinking?
November 27th, 2009 at 4:11 pm
Competitive academics is only part of the mission of many colleges. Some provide an opportunity to obtain an education for those who will not be accepted at the best universities. I Illinois, Southern Illinois has a really low academic standard and a reputation as an easy party school, but it also allows those with low high school grades and test scores a chance for a college degree. Besides that, SIU has great sports and is a fun campus.
November 29th, 2009 at 7:01 pm
How can University of Phoenix, Penn Foster or any of those online diploma mills be better?
November 30th, 2009 at 10:46 am
@Buddy Umm… could you define “diploma mill?” How does Penn Foster fit that definition? If they are a diploma mill why don’t we close ‘em down. Penn Foster operates in all 50 states and Canada. I think one or two states have very tough laws against diploma mills [Oregon]. We should also close down Princeton Review since they own the Penn Foster diploma mill.
Opinions are like “belly buttons” everyone has one! Doesn’t make it the truth.
December 1st, 2009 at 1:57 am
@Buddy Define a “diploma mill.” And how is Penn Foster a diploma mill?
If they are a nothing more than a mill why haven’t they been closed down?
Shouldn’t Princeton Review be closed down also since they own Penn Foster?
You know what they say about opinions… everybody has one. Doesn’t mean it’s right.
December 14th, 2009 at 10:28 am
yo i lern 2 reed gud wen i went 2 bridgepurt
December 15th, 2009 at 11:22 pm
dis skool teached me so much bout lyf nd how to bee smarts i dun no y u persons had to b drinkin dat h8rade pleez show sum respec
December 17th, 2009 at 11:46 am
As a current student of UB, I can honestly say that the school does have quite a shady reputation. This is not to say, however, that everything about the school is bad. I met lots of wonderful people (as well as some completely ingorant ones) and had a fantastic time learning about lots of different cultures and styles of thought. My degree is in Music Performance, and I must say that I am extremely happy with the music program at UB. However, other fields of study at the Unviersity are not always up to the same standard that my program has. I have some serious issues with the school, but I feel that the school is not beyond hope. As far as the “worst college in America” is concerned, that statement might be right right now. However, in the next few years, that will change.
December 21st, 2009 at 1:17 am
Any magazine can say whatever they want, but unfortunately the bigger the school, the more the student will be ignored. The smaller the school, the more opportunities and favoritism there will be.
I have a few questions that popped up into mind when I saw this crappy blog:
What is this research based off of? Also: Princeton is not GOD of college studies either. Not one single college can dominate any type of study, but they could be well-known but not number one with anything for no one will ever be number one at anything but being themselves. UB’s students are not surveyed on a regular basis as well for those who think that they are. I can’t seem to find the exact article of Radar Magazine where they claim the following things this blogger has said about colleges.
I also question if this blogger has ever been to the University of Bridgeport either. Yes, I am a proud student at the University of Bridgeport with a double major and a double minor because UB has those kinds of rare opportunities which is indeed a legitimate university with accreditation. I also bet that this blogger does not know what several colleges (include state universities) are going through with MANY budget cuts across the nation due to the large decrease in enrollment.
I say that this blog can be recognized by the extremely talented and diverse perspectives the University of Bridgeport has and this blogger should get his facts straight before posting up anything this controversial ever again in his life. I am pretty upset with how this blog was lacking so much research.
By the way…I made my point. This is a blog, not a friggin’ article (.com anyone?).
January 12th, 2010 at 10:12 pm
Ignorance is bliss, as people say, and I definitely think that ignoring Bridgeport will be “bliss.” Let me give you a hint of what kind of people go there. I’m not saying that everyone there is stupid or ignorant, there are quite a few exceptions. Maybe people chose Brideport over a better college because they were offered a full scholarship. I remember back in Jr. High, I used to be friends with a kid named Sean. Looking back into the past, I don’t even know why I even bothered to speak with him. He was your everyday class clown- also not very intelligent- and despised by most of the teachers. I was surprised when he told me that he made it into math honors, but my initial shock soon became disgust after he told me he dropped out because he had to learn harder subjects. Needless to say, he got into a VERY bad college (I won’t say the name because I don’t want to make that college seem worse than it already is). Nowadays, I see him wondering around NYC, dressed in dirty cloths, digging out of trash cans. But the sad part is, when people feels pity towards him and gives him a couple of dollars, he spends it on alcohol and cigarettes. Here’s a warning to the young people out there, if you plan on ruining your life, then go ahead and act like Sean, but if you want to actually succeed in something, put a little effort in your work and you might enter the college of your dreams. I went to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and let me tell you, getting in is NOT easy. They only have a 12% acceptance rate, and 97% of people enrolling have been in the top 10% of their Highschool class.
January 17th, 2010 at 5:15 am
I went to UB the greatest freakin school on earth. Even though all the other schools rejected me for my low SATs (290 – Math, 410- Critical Reading, 430 Writing) I made it with a scholarship. I may not be smart but I was good enough to get into COLLEGE. I first learned how to do algebra problems like “x + 1 = 2″ and then progressed to harder problems. I failed Algebra II one time and finally got that C-. I later got diagnosed as mentally retarded which helped to explain why I was such a slow reader and terrible at math. I’m now a proud UB graduate student in political science. I hope that one day I will be a great senator despite my reading deficiencies and lack of ability to do simple math problems.
I encourage everyone of my ability to apply to UB. I made it with a degree in political science. I was at the bottom of my high school but ended up at the top 5% of the graduating UB class. I might be mentally retarded but that didn’t stop me from achieving these dreams. I hope one day that I could enter into a phD program and then work my way up as a future senator. One step at a time.
February 14th, 2010 at 6:52 am
I personally went to Oxford.
February 18th, 2010 at 1:46 am
Ha it’s funny to see SIU mentioned in this posting….
GO DAWGS