I remember when my peers and I were discussing where we would like to go to college, and what we were looking for in a college experience. No surprise, for many of us the party atmosphere was just as (if not more so) important as the institution's academic reputation. Guess what? In the 35 years since then, things haven't gotten much different.

Niche.com just released the results of their study on Illinois' top party schools, and I thought it might be beneficial for the parents out there (who are usually footing the bill) to see which schools are partying the hardest, so you can see why your kid is so keen to attend a certain institute of higher learning.

First, Niche's methodology:

Student opinions about the quality of the party scene at the college they currently or recently attend(ed). Includes 268,779 reviews and opinions from 141,536 unique students. Minimum 10 unique students required at each college. (75% weight), and a measure of both the proximity (per square mile) and the availability (per capita) of Bars and similar establishments. (25% weight).

Let's get to the top ten Illinois party schools (with descriptions by Natalie Crawford at Reboot Illinois):

1) University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Champaign, Illinois): parents gave its party scene a 4.0 out of 5, and Niche gave it an A on bar access. So what makes this university such a party school to make it the best in Illinois? For starters, every St. Patrick’s Day, possibly the country’s largest college party takes place on this campus. It’s said that since 1996, students have flocked to Urbana-Champaign to partake in this party that starts early and tends to last a full two days. Despite local government efforts, the party still takes place every year. Rage on Urbana-Champaign. Rage on.

2) DePaul University (Chicago, Illinois): Students gave its party scene a 3.7 out of 5, and Niche gave it an A+ on bar access.

3) Southern Illinois University-Carbondale (Carbondale, Illinois): Students gave its party scene a 3.7 out of 5, and Niche gave it an A- on bar access.

4) Western Illinois University (Macomb, Illinois): Students gave its party scene a 3.8 out of 5, and Niche gave it a B- on bar access.

5) Columbia College Chicago (Chicago, Illinois): Students gave its party scene a 3.6 out of 5, and Niche gave it an A+ on bar access.

6) Illinois State University (Normal, Illinois): Students gave its party scene a 3.7 out of 5, and Niche gave it a C+ on bar access. The city might be called Normal, but this college party scene is far from it. Besides, C’s get degrees.

7) Eastern Illinois University (Charleston, Illinois): Students gave its party scene a 3.6 out of 5, and Niche gave it a B+ on bar access.

8) Augustana College (Rock Island, Illinois): Students gave its party scene a 3.5 out of 5, and Niche gave it an A- on bar access.

9) University of Illinois at Chicago (Chicago, Illinois): students gave its party scene a 3.4 out of 5, and Niche gave it an A+ on bar access.

10) Roosevelt University (Chicago, Illinois): Students gave its party scene a 3.4 out of 5, and Niche gave it an A+ on bar access. If you’ve been to Chicago, you’ve probably seen its beautiful blue glass Wabash building.

Remember, it's all about the grade point average:

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