Student Life

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Rankings

Let’s say you want it all – a competitive sports environment, easy access to natural areas, AND easy access to urban cultural centers. It’s rare to find these, especially the latter two, in the same school, but it does exist.

1. Northwestern University
2. University of California, Berkeley
3. Georgetown University
3. Boston College
3. University of Colorado, Boulder
6. University of Wisconsin, Madison
6. University of Washington, Seattle
8. University of California, Los Angeles
9. University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
10. Arizona St. University
11. Villanova University
12. University of Virginia, Charlottesville
12. Vanderbilt University
12. University of Texas, Austin
15. University of Arizona, Tucson
15. San Diego St. University
17. Syracuse University
18. Florida St. University
18. Georgia Institute of Technology
18. Ohio St. University
21. University of Pittsburgh
21. University of Louisville
23. University of South Carolina, Columbia
24. Rutgers University
25. University of Maryland, College Park
25. Pepperdine University
27. University of Portland
28. University of Georgia, Athens
28. Loyola Marymount University
30. Fordham University
31. Swarthmore College
31. Harvard University
33. University of California, Santa Cruz
34. Brown University
34. Haverford College
34. Rice University
34. University of California, San Diego
34. Pennsylvania St. University, University Park
39. Duke University
39. University of Nebraska, Lincoln
39. Boston University
39. University of California, Santa Barbara
43. University of California, Irvine
44. Bryn Mawr College
44. Stanford University
44. University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
44. University of Southern California
44. U.S. Naval Academy
49. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
49. University of Pennsylvania
49. Macalester College
49. George Washington University

All rankings are subjective, but this one is extraordinarily so. It’s equally weighted between three scores, each simply ascribed by me. The urban culture access score approximates the ease of access – primarily without a car – to diverse urban centers. The nature access score approximates the ease of access to aesthetic natural settings, and the sports score emphasizes major conference membership in football and basketball, as well as recent success in these sports. Northwestern is a clear winner here, as it’s in the Big Ten, is immediately on Lake Michigan (NU has two beaches on campus), and has a short safe walk to cheap public transportation that puts you downtown Chicago in under an hour. UC Berkeley, likewise, is a clear #2, with it’s Pac 12 membership, setting in the hills of Berkeley creating ample scenic hiking opportunities while also have a short safe walk to the BART that will get you to the heart of Oakland or San Francisco very quickly.

Yes, there are many weaknesses here, and yes, it’s very biased, but yes, all rankings are. Most importantly, it’s fun to think about these things.