Best College/University to go to? for undergraduate.

<p>By "best" I don't just mean academics. I'm also looking at the campus, atmosphere, weather, location, quality of life and the cost of living in that particular city/state.
I'm currently a junior in high school. (i'll be a senior next school year), and I just can't choose. One moment, I'm set on a university, and the next.. I'm not so sure.
if you're going to suggest a college/university, tell me why. and you can't just suggest it because it's well known, or your cousin's girlfriend's best friend's older brother went there, or that you visited it once without visiting other colleges to compare it to.
if you're going to suggest/compare two colleges/universities, I would really appreciate it if you listed the pros and cons of each college/university.
I hope i'm not asking for TOO much.
Thank you! :)</p>

<p>There is no definitive “best” college. There are way to many factors involved, and it’s highly subjective as well. You will see the term “fit” tossed around a lot on CC, and that’s an important factor that is completely subjective: how well does the university match you? You mention things like campus, weather, and location, but what you would consider the “best” for these categories probably doesn’t match everyone else’s definitions. The best school for you also depends on what you want to study, your career goals, and your financial situation.</p>

<p>What types of things are you looking for in a college? Have you tried using a college search to narrow down your options at all?</p>

<p>just put a map of the united states on the wall throw a dart at it and wherever it lands…google the area for the closest school and go to it. that will work probably as good as as anything else if you are so indecisive .</p>

<p>By “best” I actually meant, in your opinion.
Yes, it’s subjective. I wasn’t looking for anything specific. Just what people actually like based on their experiences.
I mean, if I put what I wanted there, then I might as well have taken a list of all the colleges in the us and do research on them. </p>

<p>And yes, I’ve done college search, but I didn’t want to list my choices. </p>

<p>Can’t help you because you’ve listed no preferences or interests whatsoever.</p>

<p>I do believe that you’re being a too vague. It’s like asking what’s the best car, house, place to live etc. It depends on a lot of factors many of which are singular to you. Harvard may be a great school but not if you’re a B student and hate the city and cold weather. Purdue is a great engineering school but not so great if you love warm weather and a truly urban environment and don’t want to be an engineer. US News rates colleges but the best college for you is likely not going to be one of their top colleges. Give us an understanding of what you want to study, what you think you might like as far as location, size, atomsphere (modern or classic, city, suburban or rural etc.) and maybe even grades and what you think your financial contraints are and people will be more likely to have suggestions. Good luck.</p>

<p>Okay, okay. I understand. I’m sorry. I’ll try to personalize my question some more.
I’m new here, please excuse my non-specific, unanswerable question. (Seriously xD)</p>

<p>Here,
3.8 gpa
Three years in my school’s health careers program.
Member of NHS, FEA, glee club, dance team
I’m in track and field
Rank 7 in my class (325 students expected to graduate)
So far, I have 190 community service hours.
I’ve taken 3 AP classes so far, and 6 honors classes. </p>

<p>My college choices at the moment are:
NYU
UCLA
UCSB
BU
U of Washington
U of virginia</p>

<p>I plan on taking four years of biochemistry for undergrad and then move on to med school. </p>

<p>I didn’t want to list my college choices, because I felt that people will base their suggestions on them. I’m a military brat. I can live anywhere.
I was hoping to see posts like “I love <em>example</em> university, it looks lovely during winter”</p>

<p>Or something like “this college has a nice, warm weather throughout the year”</p>

<p>I already said that I wasn’t looking for anything specific. I was looking for something for of a “base”. </p>

<p>I was looking for people’s opinions, about what they like about a certain college or something. </p>

<p>I didn’t mean to frustrate anyone. I came here, genuinely asking for help. Not to waste people’s time. </p>

<p>Since you are open to location, which is a good thing, maybe you could consider these questions:</p>

<p>How small or large would you like the school to be?
Do you want a religious affiliation?
Do you want to be in a large city or more of a suburb?
Do you want a school with a big football team?
Do you need financial aid? Merit aid?
Do you care about weather? For example, if you love running, maybe warm winters would help.
Do you want a party school or is that something you want to avoid?
How would you feel about a woman’s college (if you are a woman, that is)?
Do you want to live on campus all four years?
How concerned are you about safety (some campuses are safer than others)</p>

<p>Maybe that will help you to narrow things down a bit.</p>

<p>Well, I don’t really mind the size of the school.
But it would really be nice if I’m not going to sit at an auditorium with 200 some students listening to a mumbling professor on a microphone.
I like all types of weather. I don’t mind the rain, the heat or the cold.
I guess when I said “atmosphere” I should’ve been more specific. I like a laid back atmosphere and I mean the people.
I don’t know about the dorms… I was hoping people would give me advice on that.
I don’t care about parties.
I’m gay and I’m agnostic. </p>

<p>I’m not really worrying about financial aid or scholarships or grants at the moment, just thinking about a college to go to. </p>

<p>I just wanted to have opinions on certain colleges people might have. I was thinking of making a list for comparison, so I needed data. :P</p>

<p>I hope this helps, thanks for the people who actually tried to help and not just commented on my post to express their irritated mood :)</p>

<p>There is no ‘best’, even for one person, as every school has its issues. But perhaps Pitzer could prove to be a good fit for you? Check it out.</p>

<p>I know every college has it’s issues. Everyone and everything has flaw. That’s why I asked for what people think is the “best” not “perfect”. No “best” for anyone? I mean seriously, “pink suit me best” “Westpoint was the best choice for me”
Can’t anyone, anyone at all, understand that what I’m looking for is the “best” college pick that people went to. Something like “I picked UCLA over NYU- BEST decision I’ve ever made” I’m looking for opinions-reviews, rating</p>

<p>Online communication is so frustrating. xD this one little post is stressing me out. lol</p>

<p>Thank you, I will check that college out. </p>

<p>Tell me, how would you know a certain school would be the ‘best’ for you without sampling every school out there? I know that many people love their colleges and cannot see themselves anywhere else, but that’s not my point. In a nutshell, college is what you make of it, and I’m sure that person who who chose UCLA over NYU could have had the ‘best’ experience at NYU too.</p>

<p>Also, if you’re gay, why are you planning to apply to UVa? If I were you, I’d stay away from the south. I know it’s not that ‘bad’ but you could find a better fit than UVa for sure.</p>

<p>PS Check out Vassar as well. I would recommend Reed as well but it’s not “laid back”.</p>

<p>I just wanted people to suggest colleges and why, but I guess that’s too much to ask. </p>

<p>I’ve never been to any of the other states except for the one I live in. I honestly didn’t think that my sexual orientation would be a problem for choosing a college. </p>

<p>And I mean seriously? You’re going to keep challenging my “best” ? I was looking for definitive experiences. Not “might haves” or “what ifs”</p>

<p>If you don’t fully understand my question and you’re not even going to list a college and your reason, then please (I’m seriously begging xD) do NOT post anything at all.
I really don’t like arguing online. It feels stupid. </p>

<p>Never mind. I’m officially terminating this post xD
And yes, I’ve only been to one out of the fifty states in the US. Because my mother liked living in Europe.
I don’t know why I even have to clarify that. </p>

<p>Long on attitude, short on direction.</p>

<p>

Then you should be looking at LACs because at most Research U’s you’ll have auditorium classes.</p>

<p>“I just wanted people to suggest colleges and why, but I guess that’s too much to ask.”</p>

<p>Indeed it is. This is like asking who’s the best guy to marry. It’s a question that doesn’t even begin to have an answer. Knowledgeable people won’t waste our time or yours by telling you why our spouse is the best.</p>