Which College Provides the Best "College Experience?"

College Search & Selection
21

<p><em>School (US News Ranking)</em> </p>

<p>Stanford (5), Duke (10), Notre Dame (19), Georgetown (22) USC (23), UCLA (25), </p>

<p>Wake Forest (25), Michigan (28), UNC (29), Boston College (31), Georgia Tech (36), </p>

<p>Miami (38), University of Washington (42), Wisconsin (42), Penn State (45), Illinois (45), UT (45),</p>

<p>Ohio State (55), Maryland (55), Texas A&M (58), Florida (58), Pittsburgh (58)</p>

<p>Purdue (62), SMU (62), Syracuse (62), Georgia (62), Clemson (68), Rutgers (68),</p>

<p>University Minnesota (68), Michigan State (71), Virginia Tech (71), Baylor (75), Indiana (75), Alabama (75)</p>

<p>All of the above schools are top 80 institutions (they are all moderately prestigious outside of Alabama) and have a huge amount of school spirit</p>

22

<p>IMO, in no particular order:</p>

<p>Harvard
Stanford
Duke
Univ of Michigan
Yale
USC
UCLA
Columbia
UNC Chapel Hill
Cal
Univ of Washington
NYU
Univ of Pennsylvania
Notre Dame
MIT</p>

<p>These schools all have merit of school spirit and good academics but NOT necessarily sports.</p>

23

<p>“These schools all have merit of school spirit and good academics but NOT necessarily sports.”</p>

<p>Michigan does well in all three areas. :-)</p>

24

<p>^NYU is not really the “Western/American” typical college experience… As in NYU has no campus, probably lacks school unity/spirit.</p>

25

<p>The OP is looking for passionate athletic school spirit and Harvard, Yale, Columbia, NYU, Penn, and MIT don’t have it. The other big limiting criteria is reasonable student to faculty ratio which knocks out every school left on the list except Stanford, Duke, and Notre Dame. However, Stanford doesn’t really have a lot of “school spirit” and certainly no where near as much as Duke or Notre Dame.</p>

<p>There you go, take your pick, the ultimate 2 American universities: Duke and Notre Dame.</p>

26

<p>Yeah you guys are right…</p>

<p>I still personally don’t think you need strong athletics though. Yet all those schools I listed still leave you with a fat grin on your face 5, 10, 50 years from now when you say, “I went to ____.” That’s how I measure it. </p>

<p>Me personally? I’m going to USC for grad school. :smiley: PhD. I’m so nervous.</p>

27

<p>“There you go, take your pick, the ultimate 2 American universities: Duke and Notre Dame.”</p>

<p>Another big limiting criteria knocks Duke and ND off of the list. They both are located in boring. decently unlively towns. Also Notre Dame’s international reputation is no where near that of Duke.</p>

28

<p>Durham, an unlively town? No way! It is one of the most educated, reasonably priced, and bustling metropolises in the country.</p>

<p>[Bull</a> City Rising: Bon Appetit calls Durham-CH “America’s Foodiest Small Town”](<a href=“Bull City Rising”>Bull City Rising: Bon Appetit calls Durham-CH "America's Foodiest Small Town")
[5</a>. Durham, N.C. | Forbes: America’s Top 10 Geekiest Cities | Comcast.net](<a href=“http://xfinity.comcast.net/slideshow/finance-americasgeekiestcities/durham-nc/]5”>http://xfinity.comcast.net/slideshow/finance-americasgeekiestcities/durham-nc/)
[Raleigh</a>, Durham ranked among best places for college students to live - Triangle Business Journal](<a href=“http://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/stories/2010/09/06/daily22.html]Raleigh”>http://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/stories/2010/09/06/daily22.html)
[4</a>. Durham-Chapel Hill, N.C.: The 10 Most Educated U.S. Cities - US News & World Report](<a href=“http://www.usnews.com/news/best-cities/slideshows/the-10-most-educated-us-cities/8]4”>http://www.usnews.com/news/best-cities/slideshows/the-10-most-educated-us-cities/8)
[25</a> Best Places to Retire - Durham, NC (1) - CNNMoney.com](<a href=“http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2010/real_estate/1009/gallery.best_places_retire.moneymag/index.html]25”>25 Best Places to Retire - Durham, NC (1) - CNNMoney.com)
[Duke</a> and Durham Rank Among the Best in the World | Duke & Durham](<a href=“Durham, Our Hometown - Duke Undergraduate Admissions”>Durham, Our Hometown - Duke Undergraduate Admissions)</p>

<p>The OP didn’t specify that he cared about international reputation in which case, yes, Notre Dame would not qualify.</p>

29

<p>“The OP didn’t specify that he cared about international reputation in which case, yes, Notre Dame would not qualify.”</p>

<p>Wrong again:</p>

<p>-National (or international) consensus of academic excellence and rigor. Rep/name recognition always a plus.</p>

30

<p>[Cary</a> shines in safest cities rankings; Durham doesn’t - Triangle Business Journal](<a href=“http://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/blog/2010/11/cary-again-ranks-among-safest-in-us.html]Cary”>http://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/blog/2010/11/cary-again-ranks-among-safest-in-us.html)</p>

<p>If the OP is looking for a safe area to attend college, Durham isn’t going to be on anyone’s list of top college towns.</p>

31

<p>

Well, given that the word used was “or,” rather than “and,” and that “international” was in parentheses as an alternative to national, I’d say ND still qualifies based on a strong national reputation. I’m not aware of ND’s level of international prestige (if any), given that the only rankings I know of are based on the academic reputation of graduate schools (ND specializes in undergrad).</p>

<p>

Perhaps the towns aren’t that great, but again, the criteria wasn’t very strict, and neither is “extremely rural,” “dead*,” or in a “horribly dangerous part of the city,” as far as I know (only have direct experience with ND).</p>

<p>*Okay, maybe South Bend is a little dead.</p>

<p>I wouldn’t narrow it down to just these two, though. Several others named (especially some of the big name publics) seem to fit the criteria well.</p>

32

<p>If I meet a Notre Dame grad, they normally tell me that during our first meeting. It is a part of their soul, especially if they were raised a Midwestern Catholic. I feel like Duke and Penn State have the same feelings. I think Bloomington (IU) is a less prestigious but still fun All-American college experience. I would also add Michigan and the Ohio State for equally happy alums.</p>

33

<p>Notre Dame has one of THE most jazzed to be an alum reputations out there. Good for them, I say.</p>

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<p>^^^^I suppose if the vast majority students at my school were made up of people just like myself, I’d be a bit “jazzed” up too. :-)</p>

35

<p>I did not read every post here but I have to mention Boston College. Just outside of one of the ultimate college towns - Boston! Highly active (and very proud- incredibly proud) alumi groups. Sports teams - football stadium is right on campus. If you go under grad and then to a grad program you can proudly refer to yourself as a “double eagle”!</p>

36

<p>Michigan, Wisconsin, Texas, UNC, Uva, PSU.</p>

37

<p>I think everyone’s ignoring the student to faculty ratio request by the OP.</p>

38

<p>

The vast majority of students are not like me, and I’m still very happy at Notre Dame.</p>

39

<p>Yeah, that’s pretty ridiculous.</p>

40

<p>I agree with barrons list.</p>