So what universities (that are not LACs) have the most beautiful campuses, in your mind?
I’d put Yale pretty high up there; pretty hard to beat their Gothic architecture. Most people wouldn’t think of MIT’s campus as being conventionally beautiful, but I think it’s very interesting/cool architecturally. Stanford and Emory (as well as many other colleges in the South/CA) have beautiful campuses with more of a Mediterranean or Spanish feel. I also loved Georgetown’s campus.
Duke has a gorgeous campus, same with Vanderbilt
Boston College, Duke, Georgetown, University of Washington. MIT is definitely not beautiful.
Of those I’ve seen
Cornell: Flat-out beautiful.
When I was on the campus of the University of Montana in Missoula, the students I was traveling with raved about the setting. The hills that form its backdrop appear to be above treeline – this is either naturally beautiful or eerily other-worldly.
More generally, schools that are interesting architecturally, in ways similar to what Qwerty described, can sometimes offer more aesthetically than those that are simply conventionally pretty.
Thrillist has an online article, “The 25 Most Beautiful College Campuses in America,” but I prefer the first-hand accounts here.
As with so many college comparisons, it really depends on what you’re looking for.
If you want a spectacular natural setting, you might like Pepperdine’s ocean-front or UC Boulder’s mountain-side settings. If you’re more focused on historic architecture, you might like Yale or Princeton.
http://www.bestcollegereviews.org/features/most-beautiful-college-campuses/
Notre Dame not only lovely but the facilities are top notch.
Cornell and Dartmouth
In my opinion, MIT is the ugliest campus I’ve ever seen. My son loved it however. SMU is gorgeous! Notre Dame might be a pretty campus but please don’t tell my brother I said that. Still, I love college campuses! Even the “ugly” ones. There’s just something about a college campus….
No amount of fun academics could convince me to see the Stata Center very day. And the rest of MIT looks like an office park, the only nice(ish) parts are Killian Court and Lobby 7. The infinite corridor is as cold and impersonal as I’ve heard MIT’s faculty can be.
I also hold the unpopular opinion that Stanford is ridiculously boring. How don’t know how some people are so entranced by a few hundred near-identical office buildings that have beige stucco walls and red tile roofs in an attempt to look vaguely like the Spanish Mission style. If you stand in front of the memorial church and turn in a circle you’ll have seen everything Stanford has to offer.
Uh…that said UChicago is pretty nice. But I’m very biased. If you’re into architecture, Yale is by far the best. Every quad is in a different style, and pretty much every major European style is represented.
Hard to beat UVA, although UNC-Chapel Hill is also very pretty. I’ve heard that Miami of Ohio is very attractive. UC Santa Barbara’s architecture is bland and prosaic, but the setting is gorgeous. UC Santa Cruz has a lovely site.
Alabama is stunning. So is Northwestern. It’s right on Lake Michigan and is beautiful in the summer and fall. Pepperdine is also regarded as the most beautiful school in the country. It’s in Malibu.
SANTA CLARA UNIVERSITY!!!
Columbia University
Fordham University-Rose Hill Campus
UNC Chapel Hill
University of Virginia
Agree with many of the above. Add UC Santa Cruz if you like “different” ( I think of it as a cross between a farm and a summer camp) and one of my favorites, Rice.
Three favorites
Notre Dame
Michigan
Boston College
Agree with everyone above. Underrated --Western Washington U., it overlooks the San Juan Islands, I thought it was an Eco-resort.
Yale and Chico State (seriously).
Which universities have the most European feel to them in regards to the campus?
Univ of Georgia in Athens and Indiana Univ in Bloomington and of course, Princeton
European? Continental or island? Trinity in Hartford is Oxford-like, just on a different scale, but I’m breaking the non-LAC stricture.