Most beautiful campus

College Search & Selection
21

<p>Though I certainly haven’t been to as many colleges as Alexandre, I make it a point to stop by colleges when I’m on the road. Here are a few more schools I’d add to the list (apologies if these have already been mentioned)

  • Soka University of America (extremely distinct architecture)
  • CU Boulder
  • UC Santa Cruz
  • Willamette
  • Oxford College of Emory
  • St. John’s College (Santa Fe)
  • US Naval Academy</p>

<p>I don’t consider UCB or UCSB to be deserving of the most beautiful campus distinction. Much of UCSB looks like someone just poured concrete into a mold and then added windows, while many parts of Berkeley are just ugly. </p>

22

<p>Cambridge (UK) definitely – the “backs” along the winding Cam river bordering the individual colleges are beautiful, and it is amazing to see sheep or cow graze literally yards from the most beautiful fan-vaulting cathedral (at King’s College) in the Western World. Nothing conjures romance like Cambridge. The only thing that ruins it, as well as the ambiance of that other Cambridge college in Massachusetts, are the massive hordes of Chinese tourists thickening every sidewalk. Sadly, the Cambridge colleges now either close themselves off entirely to tourists or charge outrageous fees (up to $10) for anyone just to step in and have a look. I wonder whether fairly soon Harvard will have to do the same, as Harvard Yard is literally impassable some days with the crowds of tourists blanketing everything like bad volcano ash, while the students themselves have to elbow through. And those pictures of idyllic small classes cross-legged reading poetry wth a professor on the grass in Harvard Yard: long gone . . . .</p>

23

<p>Colgate. And that’s the official view.</p>

<p>Go 'gate!</p>

24

<p>Wellesley, Princeton, UVirginia, Stanford … Although with continued new construction Stanford is on the decline</p>

25

<p>I’m going to second @whenhen with Soka University of America. There’s just something incredibly beautiful about every picture I’ve ever seen of the campus, and even it’s academic philosophy is very distinctive (all students required to study abroad, big emphasis on foreign language). </p>

<p>And if you’re a gymnastics junkie like me, you see that it’s in Aliso Viejo and you think “Hey, that’s where Kyla Ross is from!” Always a plus. :slight_smile: It would be on my list if it wasn’t so tiny and I wasn’t unsure of its affiliation with the Soka Gakkai.</p>

<p>Other beautiful campuses:
Stanford
Princeton
Wellesley
Pepperdine (more for the location than the architecture)</p>

26

<p>I’m mad at myself for omitting the Naval Academy in a previous post. </p>

27

<p>Princeton shocks me, the environment of the perimeter is just not beautiful. Maybe for the buildings or something.</p>

28

<p>UVA, Sewanee: The University of the South, Rhodes, Kenyon, Duke, Colgate, Elon, and Wellesley are among the most beautiful campuses I’ve seen. </p>

29

<p>My votes are Princeton and Wellesley. </p>

30

<p>Elon University in North Carolina is absolutely beautiful!</p>

31

<p>The perimeter of Princeton?? Nassau Street is charming - little shops and restaurants and the Nassau Inn, then the college on the other side. Is there a different perimeter you’re referring to? </p>

32

<p>@butterfreesnd‌ and don’t forget that McKayla Maroney is from the next city over!</p>

33

<p>Having walked a lot of campuses, I have found beauty in various forms. </p>

<p>Complete package (geography, architecture, campus grounds, and stunning views…): University of Colorado</p>

<p>Most surprised by beauty of campus and views from campus: Northwestern and Loyola Chicago Lakeshore Campus</p>

<p>Most impressive drive by (did not set foot on campus): Bennington followed by Princeton</p>

<p>Best view from campus but campus itself nothing special: Pepperdine</p>

<p>Generally recognized as beautiful but left me a little underwhelmed: University of Wisconsin and Notre Dame</p>

<p>Small but spectacular: Loyola Marymount University followed by Santa Clara University</p>

<p>Beautiful, but it is what I expected, no-more-no-less: Stanford</p>

34

<p>“Generally recognized as beautiful but left me a little underwhelmed: University of Wisconsin and Notre Dame.”</p>

<p>Totally agree with the above comment.</p>

35

<p>Mount Holyoke College. Designed by Olmsted. Clean. Lovingly maintained. More like a 5 star resort than a college campus. (MHC’s horses live better then most US undergrads)</p>

36

<p>I liked Yale and (seriously) Chico State.</p>

37

<p>bump</p>

38

<p>Florida Southern.</p>

39

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<p>Now there’s a surprise! :)</p>

<p>I agree about UW, though–haven’t seen Notre Dame.</p>

<p>Two more midwestern schools that have gorgeous campuses: Iowa State and St. Thomas (MN).</p>

40

<p>Cornell and Princeton win this one in my opinion, and Dartmouth isn’t too far behind. I love the area Northwestern is in–if only every building were as nice as University Hall! The University of Washington and Lewis and Clark College have really cool campuses as well. </p>