134 Noteworthy Colleges

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Just in case you are still looking for colleges or universities in the United States to apply to this fall, I have compiled a list of 134 colleges that are repeatedly mentioned in college guidebooks that attempt to mention colleges that are particularly interesting, good, or selective. </p>

<p>I used seven widely available guidebooks to compile this list. Most have gone through several editions and are part of series have been in print for more than a decade. Note that the U.S. News guide was NOT consulted in building this list, although it may have influenced one or two of my sources. My sources are </p>

<p>1) a guidebook to the "best" colleges by a publisher of test-prep materials, which says, "The initial list was build through consultation with a variety of expert sources, including 50 independent educational consultants from across the nation. From that point, new institutions have been added annually; a few have been dropped. A careful review of the guide will reveal a wide representation of colleges, with regard to geography and enrollment size."</p>

<p>2) a guidebook to colleges for top students by a publisher of college directories, which says, "We make only one assumption in this guide. This is that the most influential factor in determining your experience on campus is the other students you will find there. In selecting colleges for inclusion in this book, we measure the competitiveness of the admission environment at colleges." </p>

<p>3) a guide to colleges by a former journalist, who writes, "The selection was done with several broad principles in mind, beginning with academic quality. Depending on how you define the term, there are about 175 'selective' colleges and universities in the nation, and by and large these constitute the best institutions academically. . . . In addition, an effort was made to achieve geographic diversity and a balance of public and private schools."</p>

<p>4) a guide to colleges by a campus newspaper, whose editors write, "From more than 2,900 four-year institutions nationwide, we cover only 323 colleges. We examine a number of criteria in deciding which colleges to select, but our first priority is always the quality of the academics offered by the institution. Another key factor in our decisions is the desire to offer a diversity of options."</p>

<p>5) a special issue of a magazine, co-published by the magazine company and a test-prep materials company, which describe the listed colleges as the "most interesting" colleges in America, while noting that many good schools are not included. </p>

<p>6) a guide to choosing the right college, the editors of which write, "In selecting the 134 schools to be profiled in this guide, we have been careful to include those institutions generally considered to be 'America's top schools.' . . . We have then chosen 59 more schools from different regions of the country that have special emphases, unique virtues, or distinctive missions."</p>

<p>7) a guide to the most competitive colleges, published a test-prep materials company which also publishes college guidebooks, the editors of which write, ""A school's inclusion is based in the standards of Barron's Selector Ratings in the comprehensive Profiles of American Colleges. These schools accept only the best and brightest students."</p>

<p>The last two sources did the most to pare down my list from the 595 colleges that were mentioned on at least one list to the 134 colleges shown here, all of which were mentioned by six out of my seven sources. This is a good list of colleges to consider adding to your application list, if you are still looking for colleges to apply to this year. </p>

<p>Amherst College 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)
Auburn University 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)
Bard College 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)
Barnard College 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)
Bates College 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)
Baylor University 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)
Boston College 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)
Boston University 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)
Bowdoin College 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)
Brandeis University 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)
Brigham Young University (UT) 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)
Brown University 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)
Bryn Mawr College 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)
Bucknell University 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)
California Institute of Technology 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)
Calvin College 1) 2) 3) 5) 6)
Carleton College 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)
Carnegie Mellon University 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)
Case Western Reserve University 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 7)
Catholic University of America 1) 3) 4) 5) 6)
Centre College 1) 2) 3) 4) Axe This
Claremont McKenna College 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)
Clark University 1) 2) 3) 4) Axe This
Clemson University 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)
Colby College 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)
Colgate University 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)
College of New Jersey 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 7)
College of the Holy Cross 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)
College of William and Mary 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)
Colorado College 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)
Columbia University 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)
Connecticut College 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)
Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)
Cornell University 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)
Dartmouth College 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)
Davidson College 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)
Duke University 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)
Emory University 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)
Furman University 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)
George Mason University 1) 3) 4) 5) 6)
George Washington University 1) 3) 4) 5) 7)
Georgetown University 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)
Georgia Institute of Technology 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)
Grinnell College 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)
Hamilton College 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)
Hampden-Sydney College 1) 3) 4) 5) 6)
Harvard University 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)
Harvey Mudd College 1) 2) 3) 4) 6) 7)
Haverford College 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)
Indiana University Bloomington 1) 3) 4) 5) 6)
Johns Hopkins University 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)
Kenyon College 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)
Lafayette College 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)
Louisiana State University 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)
Macalester College 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)
Marlboro College 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 7)
Miami University 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)
Michigan State University 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)
Middlebury College 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 7)
Morehouse College 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)
Mount Holyoke College 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)
New College of Florida 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)
New York University 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)
Northwestern University 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)
Oberlin College 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)
Occidental College 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 7)
Ohio State University: Columbus Campus 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)
Penn State University Park 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)
Pepperdine University 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)
Pitzer College 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)
Pomona College 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)
Princeton University 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)
Purdue University 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)
Reed College 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)
Rhodes College 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)
Rice University 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)
Rollins College 1) 2) 3) 4) Axe This
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)
Scripps College 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)
Smith College 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)
Southern Methodist University 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)
St. John's College (MD) 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)
St. John's College (NM) 1) 2) 3) 4) 6)
St. Olaf College 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)
Stanford University 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)
State University of New York at Binghamton 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)
Swarthmore College 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)
Texas A and M University 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)
Tufts University 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)
Tulane University 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)
United States Naval Academy 1) 2) 4) 5) 6) 7)
University of Arizona 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)
University of California: Berkeley 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)
University of California: Davis 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)
University of California: Los Angeles 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)
University of California: Santa Barbara 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)
University of Chicago 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)
University of Colorado at Boulder 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)
University of Connecticut 1) 3) 4) 5) 6)
University of Dallas 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)
University of Florida 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)
University of Georgia 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)
University of Iowa 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)
University of Kansas 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)
University of Miami 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 7)
University of Michigan 1) 2) 3) 4) 6)
University of Minnesota--Twin Cities 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)
University of Notre Dame 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)
University of Pennsylvania 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)
University of Richmond 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 7)
University of Rochester 2) 3) 4) 5) 7)
University of Southern California 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)
University of Texas at Austin 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)
University of the South 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)
University of Virginia 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)
University of Washington 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)
University of Wisconsin--Madison 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)
Vanderbilt University 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)
Vassar College 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)
Villanova University 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)
Wabash College 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)
Wake Forest University 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)
Washington and Lee University 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)
Washington University in St. Louis 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)
Wellesley College 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)
Wesleyan University 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)
Wheaton College (IL) 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)
Whitman College 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)
Williams College 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)
Wofford College 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)
Yale University 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) </p>

<p>Enjoy! All comments and thoughtful debate welcomed.</p>

2

<p>thanks for the list.</p>

3

<p>very good list. some schools i noticed that i think should be on there are lehigh university, college of wooster, loyola marymount university, trinity college and suny geneseo.</p>

4

<p>Patriot League is well represented with Holy Cross, Colgate, Bucknell, and Lafayette.</p>

5

<p>MIT is not one of "those institutions generally considered to be America's top schools"? (#6)</p>

6

<p>
[quote]
MIT is not one of "those institutions generally considered to be America's top schools"? (#6)

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Thanks for checking that. Source 6 does list MIT, so that must have been my transcription error. The line should read </p>

<p>Massachusetts Institute of Technology 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) </p>

<p>as most people would expect.</p>

7

<p>Rats! I was hoping to have some ammo to tease a loved one who's an alum!</p>

8

<p>You can well believe that I looked up the number of mentions for my alma mater (which is also my wife's), my dad's alma mater (which was also my grandmother's), and my grandfather's alma mater (which is also my great-uncle's). They all made the list. </p>

<p>;)</p>

9

<p>Well, I didn't see Webster University (St. Louis, MO) on the list, so I thought I would pass along this bit of news from yesterday:</p>

<p>Yesterday it was announced that former Ambassador George H. Walker III, cousin of President George Bush, and graduate of Yale Univ. and Harvard Law school, has donated $10 million to Webster University (St. Louis, MO) program in Business and Technology. He thinks very highly of the university, partly because it has branches world-wide and partly because its relatively low cost makes it accessible to students of moderate means.</p>

<p>He broke the news to his former schools before making the announcement that he was favoring Webster Univ. with this gift.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.webster.edu/news/releases/sbtgift_070833.shtml%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.webster.edu/news/releases/sbtgift_070833.shtml&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

10

<p>i live in st. louis and ive never heard of webster university.</p>

11

<p>^^^You are kidding!! I grew up in St. Louis when it was called Webster College. It has always had an active theater and arts programs. It is in Webster Groves.</p>

12

<p>i've heard of webster but never thought of it as a real school... something like u of phoenix</p>

13

<p>I'll double-check in a while, but I don't think Webster of St. Louis is named in any of my sources. Neither is Roosevelt University in Chicago, where some people I know attended a graduate program in music performance. There are a LOT of colleges in the United States not only largely unknown outside their towns, but partly unknown in their towns.</p>

14

<p>Mum...University of Michigan is not one of "the most competitive colleges"? (#7) Haha, Alexandre must be disappointed. :D</p>

15

<p>hard to argue most of those, i'd think about adding trinity (ct), lehigh, and dickinson.</p>

16

<p>Just a nit, but you did leave on your list a number of schools that only had 5/7 mentions rather than 6/7. These included the likes of UConn, UMich, Urochester, and Catholic U. This looks like a very good list. I would however comment on sources 5 and 6: ranking on "most interesting" is dubiously subjective; and in addition, referring to list 6 particularly, from your description it appears that 134-59 = 75 of the schools weren't required to meet any criteria at all, other than presumably being on someone else's list, whcih is kind of like double-booking (or piling on, depending on your perspective)</p>

17

<p>Interesting to note that UC Davis and Santa Barbara make the list, but not Irvine or San Diego. Also: UCLA in book 7, but not Berkeley?</p>

18

<p>tokenadult, I didn't mean to suggest that every small school that may hold appeal for somebody, somewhere, should appear on your list. No doubt there are hundreds that do not hold national appeal for a variety of reasons, often because a local or regional institution offers similar quality programs.</p>

<p>Thanks for taking the time to summarize a list of those schools that could be worth investigating. Many of us parents have at least heard of many of them, but often students' knowledge of the options is far less, understandably.</p>

19

<p>


</p>

<p>The editors sent information surveys out to the colleges, and commented that one eligible college didn't participate. That would have to be Berkeley, I think, based on what colleges were listed in the other sources.</p>

20

<p>Looks like a great lisr of the top schools, including leading Catholic schools like Georgetown, Holy Cross, and Notre Dame.</p>