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On a more pleasant note: A most beautiful college campus list

momofthreeboysmomofthreeboys 16651 replies66 threads Senior Member
in Parents Forum
Unbelievable that I've seen all but a couple of these campuses and the list,in my opinion, a pretty darn good list.

http://www.greatvaluecolleges.net/40-most-beautiful-college-campuses-in-rural-areas/
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Replies to: On a more pleasant note: A most beautiful college campus list

  • FourthmomFourthmom 137 replies1 threads Junior Member
    I'm glad to see that St. Olaf is on that list. We toured it a year ago. It is absolutely stunning. My daughter didn't end up going there, but we absolutely loved the morning we spent visiting that school.
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  • PizzagirlPizzagirl 40174 replies320 threads Senior Member
    Wellesley at 12 is indeed gorgeous, but rural it ain't. It's upscale suburbia.
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  • JoblueJoblue 1354 replies25 threads Senior Member
    I visited Elon a few years ago with DD and while she didn't end up applying, we did think it was a stunning campus. I'm surprised it wasn't ranked higher.
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  • compmomcompmom 11889 replies82 threads Senior Member
    Surprised Bennington is only #38...
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  • CharlieschCharliesch 2046 replies70 threads Senior Member
    Some colleges are mainly beautiful because of their landscaping and trees (such as Penn State). Some are beautiful because of the architecture of their buildings. Others are mainly beautiful because of their settings, with mountains and lakes.
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  • Ruby789Ruby789 357 replies11 threads Member
    I would not describe Evergreen State College as rural by any stretch of the imagination. And I find the buildings to be quite ugly. It is true that it is close to the Olympics and Puget Sound, so the location is near beautiful areas. But the campus itself has a lot of sixties and seventies style concrete block.

    If Evergreen qualifies as rural, then I would replace it at #17 with Hope College in Holland, Michigan. Although there is a small town around it, the campus, and buildings are charming.
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  • twoinanddonetwoinanddone 24992 replies20 threads Senior Member
    Boulder is more 'rural' than Wellesley. I noticed they didn't show any of these schools in the 'mud' season or even in a blizzard. If only every day at St. Olaf's was a beautiful fall day.
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  • momofthreeboysmomofthreeboys 16651 replies66 threads Senior Member
    At the end they describe how they defined rural - if memory serves me it was a area with less than 50,000 people.
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  • panpacificpanpacific 1289 replies13 threads Senior Member
    "Most beautiful"? that gotta be very subjective ranking. Here's another one: http://www.bestcollegereviews.org/features/most-beautiful-college-campuses/
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  • fractalmstrfractalmstr 2269 replies14 threads Senior Member
    One vote for my own alma mater, Embry-Riddle Prescott. Great campus in a beautiful location!

    NAU is another one.
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  • carolinamom2boyscarolinamom2boys 6900 replies224 threads Senior Member
    2 of them are on my son's short list .
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  • crepescrepes 561 replies32 threads Member
    edited October 2015
    My daughter's school is very high on both of those lists. It has all the features @Charliesch mentions above: beautiful historic buildings and architecture, landscaping, and natural setting with lakes on campus and hills surrounding it. We visited last weekend and with the fall foliage it was gorgeous. :)
    edited October 2015
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  • PizzagirlPizzagirl 40174 replies320 threads Senior Member
    "At the end they describe how they defined rural - if memory serves me it was a area with less than 50,000 people."

    That's so stupid - practically every suburb of a city would be "rural" then.
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  • MiamiDAPMiamiDAP 16183 replies1 threads Senior Member
    I am happy that Miami made a list at #22. Pretty campus was one of D's reasons to attend there. Whatever makes them happy...she had great 4 years there. And our state of OH has few others, nice to know!
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  • OHMomof2OHMomof2 13237 replies247 threads Senior Member
    For http://www.greatvaluecolleges.net/40-most-beautiful-college-campuses-in-rural-areas/
    The point system we used in our ranking works as follows:

    -Awards and Recognition: International accolade (2 points), national accolade (1 point), appearance on the National Register of Historic Places (1 point)
    -Other Recognition: Inclusion on other noteworthy “most beautiful college campuses” list articles (1 point per list)
    -Notable Features: Features, such as significant architecture, famous buildings, outdoor activity centers, farms, botanical gardens, arboretums, historical relevance, etc. (1 point each, or 2 points if there are several types of one feature, such as gardens)
    -Location: If the location is of certain significance, such as part of a national park or forest, on a hilltop or mountain, forest, etc. (1 point)
    -Student Enjoyment: Full-time student retention rates, as reported by College Navigator, above 75% (1 point) and 90% and above (2 points)

    In cases where two or more schools have the same number of points, their rank order is determined by the schools’ affordability. The schools with lower net costs, as reported by the College Navigator Database, received the better ranking (lower net cost = lower number).

    whereas this list: http://www.bestcollegereviews.org/features/most-beautiful-college-campuses/
    Methodology

    To create this piece, nominations were selected based on 1.) inclusion in dozens of comparable “most beautiful college campuses” list articles, and 2.) an informal survey of friends and colleagues both in and out of academia.

    Picturesque natural features such as green spaces, bodies of water and arboretums were the key criteria, as was elegant architecture – and specific buildings and areas were then singled out for their outstanding looks. The ordering was selected simply on the basis of which, as a whole, seemed to be the most beautiful.

    Of course, MY kid's school is top ten on the second list and only top 20 on the first, so the second's methodology is clearly better :D
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  • northwestynorthwesty 3587 replies9 threads Senior Member
    "Of course, MY kid's school is top ten on the second list and only top 20 on the first, so the second's methodology is clearly better."

    Clearly list # 2 is right. Since UVA is #1 rather than a ridiculous #4 on the other list.
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  • donnaleighgdonnaleighg 1548 replies33 threads Senior Member
    funny, 4 schools in all in our family and all in the top 15. Guess that's what we value :)
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