The Prettiest College Campus

What is the prettiest college campus you’ve been to and why?

I liked the University of San Diego. The location and architecture are fabulous. My wife liked the University of Chicago for the architecture. Honorable mention to Furman. The fountains and landscaping are wonderful.

If you do a search, there’s a huge thread on this site on this topic. (That goes for 98% of things posted these days)

  1. Middlebury- Surrounded by gorgeous views of mountains all around, well-maintained matching gray stone buildings face one another across expanses of green lawn.
  2. Vassar- an arboretum with beautiful buildings, a lake, a Shakespeare garden, charming old-fashioned parlors with grand pianos... and a Gothic library that takes one’s breath away.
  3. Princeton- Gothic grandeur.

Bryn Mawr - beautiful campus and that beauty extends to the dorm interiors as well.

Honorable mention to Middlebury.

Emory. Love all the marble and greenery. Every building feels like you’re walking into a Ritz Carlton.

College of the Holy Cross -spectacular landscaping, floral plantings and Ivy covered buildings.
Swarthmore- grand main lawn, beautiful arboretum and outdoor amphitheater.
Colby- Beautiful well manicured and expansive lawns enveloped by the scent of pine trees.

University of San Diego–have to think the landscaping was huge part of appeal, but overall just beautiful to this midwesterner. On the other side of the country, I did not care for Middlebury. Visited in gray muddy early spring. So spare, austere, spread apart, just did not grab me (and this was for myself, quite a few years ago, when on paper it was my number one). Different strokes for different folks! I did like Hamilton (Kirkland College at that time for my twin sister) and Dartmouth for my brother. A tiny college in Virginia that is oh so pretty: Randolph (formerly Randolph Macon Women’s College).
Actually there are an awful lot of pretty campuses out there!

For architecture alone, my favorites include Yale and UChicago.

For the combination of campus architecture and natural setting, Middlebury College would be on my short list.

Colorado-Boulder also has a beautiful campus up against a spectacular setting.

Cornell, Yale, and Swarthmore come to mind. I regret that we did not visit Bryn Mawr.

Cornell and Lehigh.

Salve Regina… attend college in a Newport mansion overlooking the Atlantic Ocean

These articles include photos for some of the colleges that have been mentioned:

https://www.thrillist.com/travel/nation/the-25-most-beautiful-college-campuses-in-america

https://www.deseretnews.com/top/3086/0/The-35-most-beautiful-college-campuses-in-America.html

https://www.bestdegreeprograms.org/best-beautiful-small-college-campuses-america

@TheGreyKing LOL Princeton was one of our least favorite campuses - architecture all the same, way too traditional for us.
Here is a vote for Pepperdine - I was too busy staring at the views over the Pacific to even notice the buildings, though:).

Flagler College in Florida is pretty wow. It’s in a former luxury hotel on the ocean in a lovely city.

Loved University of Chicago–really stunning. A couple of other thumbs up for Boston College (didn’t like the actual college, but great campus) and UCLA.

Hard to beat the Sunken Garden at W&M. Also loved UVA, Lehigh, BC, UNC, Richmond and Wake Forest.

Case Western because to each their own.

Stanford University will be my favorite if Berry College in Georgia doesn’t exist.

Middlebury in July was amazing to see! Love Princeton and UNC too.