<ol>
<li>yale (gothic structures give it a unique look)</li>
<li>columbia - low library, low plaza, and the alma mater give it its beauty</li>
<li>cornell - beautiful</li>
<li>princeton</li>
<li>brown</li>
<li>harvard</li>
<li>dartmouth</li>
<li>penn</li>
</ol>
<p>The notion that the Gothic Revival architecture at Princeton is somehow more genuine or legitimate than the Gothic Revival architecture at Yale is perplexing to say the least. That said, the two are my favorite Ivy League campuses, with Dartmouth also appealing. And I like the grandness at Columbia. Oops, almost a list already.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/dartmouth-college/913814-rank-8-ivys-terms-campus-beauty.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/dartmouth-college/913814-rank-8-ivys-terms-campus-beauty.html</a></p>
<p>yeah, iono why everyone hates penn so much, from what i see it looks really really nice :O</p>
<p>It’s not that the pseudo-Gothic architecture at Princeton is more genuine or legitimate than the pseudo-Gothic architecture at Yale. It’s that there’s less of it, and it’s more restrained and a little less oppressive, in part because of the pretty flowers and green grass all around it on the outside as well as in the courtyards.</p>
<p>[15</a> Worst College Crime Areas - WalletPop](<a href=“http://www.walletpop.com/insurance/article/15-worst-college-crime-areas/875986/]15”>http://www.walletpop.com/insurance/article/15-worst-college-crime-areas/875986/)</p>
<p>Its the landscaping at Princeton that destroys Yale, in my opinion. The architecture is very similar, but Princeton has the flowers and trees and lawns to blow the competition away.</p>
<p>Where would everyone put Stanford in comparison to the Ivies?</p>
<p>With Stanford,</p>
<p>Stanford
Princeton
Yale
Cornell
Dartmouth
Harvard
Brown
Penn
Columbia</p>
<p>Where would you put Duke?</p>
<p>Ugh, I basically really dislike the Stanford campus. It’s a golf course, suburban mall aesthetic: everything color-coordinated, everything groomed, a bunch of fairways leading up to “greens” (buildings). And completely set off from the real world by the eucalyptus forest and Memorial Drive. The old quad and Mem Chu are cool, though. And the foothills in the background framing everything . . . that’s sensational.</p>
<p>I do think that Stanford and Princeton are fundamentally similar, but where they differ I like what Princeton has and dislike what Stanford has (except those foothills!).</p>
<p>the problem I have with Stanford is this mission type architecture that is seen all over California…If you grew up in California, then it would be nothing special.</p>
<p>^And to us foreigners, it is eerily reminiscent of a Taco Bell.</p>
<p>The streets all over Stanford uglify it.</p>
<p>This is one of the most ridiculous threads I’ve seen in the history of College Confidential. There is no way Penn is last in this list, and it probably is in the top tier.</p>
<p>
It is ridiculous because it doesn’t glorify your alma mater?</p>
<p>Yale and UPenn are hideous, in my opinion. They’re both so well integrated with the surrounding city area, which detracts a lot from their campus appearance (regardless of cool architecture and whatnot). Princeton is absolutely gorgeous–it really can’t be beat. I have never visited Cornell, Dartmouth, or Harvard, so I can’t speak for them (although, a lot of my friends think Cornell is quite lovely). Brown is alright, Providence is a much nicer city to be integrated in than either New Haven or Philadelphia. Columbia is decent too. For the schools I’ve visited, my rank would go</p>
<ol>
<li>Princeton</li>
<li>Columbia</li>
<li>Brown</li>
<li>Yale</li>
<li>UPenn </li>
</ol>
<p>Then again, the appearance of a school doesn’t really rank high on my list of “important aspects” when considering whether to attend one or the other.</p>
<p>I visited HYPS and Penn. Now, this was how I would have ranked the schools before I decided to attend Wharton, so hopefully there is no bias here.</p>
<ol>
<li>Princeton (MILES nicer than the other schools)</li>
<li>Penn</li>
<li>Stanford</li>
<li>Harvard</li>
<li>Yale (MILES worse than the others…I just hated the area sooo much. I am sure I would have loved the school had it been in the Princeton suburbs)</li>
</ol>
<p>Princeton
Yale
Cornell
Columbia
Dartmouth
Harvard
Penn
Brown</p>
<p>Have I mentioned Duke’s campus? AMAZING. :)</p>
<p>Hey anonymous,</p>
<p>Just wondering…what caused you to pick Duke over Princeton (or HYP in general)?</p>
<p>You don’t have to live in California to see Stanford architecture. Drive past your local Taco Bell. (Just joking, mostly; Stanford is beautiful, if a bit sterile.)</p>
<p>@Rtgrove123 - (I took this from a message I sent someone asking the same question):</p>
<p>It’s really hard to explain because I’m sure it differs for people. For example, Harvard is universally respected and almost universally loved but I really did not enjoy my stay at Harvard and I almost didn’t apply there because I disliked it so much. I’ll try my best to explain to you my love for Duke though.</p>
<p>I don’t know if you’ve ever been in an experience where EVERYONE is absolutely brilliant and phenomenal academically. It’s a very unique situation and can be very stressful. A lot of smart people have to prove themselves around other smart people and intelligence is often paired with competitiveness. I felt none of that at Duke. When I visted, my host isolated a molecule that the body naturally creates to fight cancer. I didn’t know about this because she never mentioned it in the two days that I was there, but when I went home and looked her up, I found this out. People are so normal, but so smart. They don’t feel the need to tell you how smart they are and when people do find out about each other’s accomplishments, they’re extremely supportive. Because people at Duke concentrate in so many areas, there are endless opportunities and people rarely compete directly against each other. Even when they do, there’s a mutual respect for each other and no one disparages anyone at Duke. It’s a community that fosters cooperative academic and social growth, which is amazing considering how amazingly intelligent and successful the people at Duke are.</p>
<p>Secondly, it’s beautiful. I don’t know if you’ve ever visited, but Duke has one of the best campuses in my opinion. I personally think that it’s the prettiest campus, followed by Princeton and Stanford, but that’s just me. I like trees and warm weather. When I visited Duke Gardens, I fell in love. I could see myself studying under a tree or playing frisbee in the open courtyard. The gothic architecture didn’t do that much for me, but there’s enough of a modern mix to make it beautiful. I also love that East Campus is just for the freshman and I think it speaks volumes about Duke. By giving the freshman their own campus, they’re demonstrating how they want their students to create bonds with each other.</p>
<p>Thirdy, academics. I know that places like Princeton and Harvard are renowned for academics, but Duke follows closely. In fact, Harvard is not really the best place to be for undergrads, but Princeton is. On the other hand, I believe that once a school attains a certain level of academic excellence, the minute difference between a school like Harvard and Duke doesn’t really matter and other aspects of picking a college can compensate for the difference. In terms of academics, Duke professors are amazing teachers AND researchers. They aren’t one or the other. They have office hours that are sometimes at their houses so that students can get to know their professors. Research at Duke is a big deal, especially medical research, and since the hospital is so close to Duke, I can continue my medical research. Class sizes are small, and there are seminars that are capped at 18. So there’s a lot of individual attention and a lot of research and internship opportunities.</p>
<p>Sports. I’m not a sports fan, in fact, I don’t really know anything about basketball, but it’s more what sports do for Duke. Because their basketball team is so good, it gives the school a lot of pride. Duke students camp out to watch basketball from the beginning of the year, and it’s kind of tradition for people to set up tents and live in them. It’s things like that that bring the whole campus together that are unique to Duke and a few other schools. People who go to an Ivy or other schools talk about the perceived prestige and reputation, but the people who go to Duke talk endlessly about other things like the faculty or the school spirit or the people who go there. I think that’s a great indication of how great Duke is.</p>
<p>Sorry for the blabbing…</p>
<p>duke is amazing!!!</p>
<p>My opinion (not that it should matter to anyone else):</p>
<ol>
<li>Princeton (if Stanford is included, they would tie for first on my list, but they are very different styles)</li>
<li>Columbia</li>
<li>Harvard</li>
<li>Cornell</li>
<li>Dartmouth</li>
<li>Yale-New Haven=not the nicest city</li>
<li>Penn (the central part with Locust Walk is nice. the rest of the campus is always under construction and is basically just part of the city)</li>
<li>Brown</li>
</ol>