<p>also, Florida DOES have some strong programs and is rising in the ranks of academia rapidly…some of that is the highly selective admissions standards, but a lot of it is academic programs as well, not just hot girls and parties. </p>
<p>To a great extent, picking between Georgia Tech, Clemson, Georgia, UTexas-Austin, UDub, Oregon, UCLA, Oregon, Wisconsin, Florida, UVa, Michigan, Colorado depends more on YOU than on the school. It depends on what YOU want out of a school experience, the strength of a particular program you want, the quality of life, the fun factor, things to do OFF campus, the music scene (hint: Seattle is TOP DRAWER for music, by the way). Its always a mistake to pick a school solely because of its ranking. That is absurd. You should go where you FIT in, or where you want to experience something DIFFERENT from you usual way of life (if you are an adventurous person who likes to see different cultures), or something solid. I would not put much emphasis on what people in California say about schools outside of California unless they ATTENDED that school or lived in that city before. Californians don’t like people judging them or making superficial generalizations (particularly if they are negative), nor do people from other parts of the country like being generalized or judged by people who dont really know what they are talking about. If you know what you want, then go after it and be content with your decision. If you end up at Oregon, that is fine. Its a fine school and if that is YOU, then you will be happy and thrive.</p>