The following link takes you to a Googlemaps map of where the top 100 colleges in the US are located. Admittedly, a handful of them are arguably regional safety schools but the map should help you at least see where top colleges are located relative to one another and major US cities
https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=zd9k0NlQAxC4.ktgSxKZ9cvQQ&usp=sharing
Where is University of Washington?
GWU and American but no W&L? Iowa and Indiana but no Miami or Washington? SUNY Bing but no USC? I’m noticing some odd exclusions. What are your criteria for the “top 100” colleges?
That said, this is an interesting map and potentially very useful.
By their criteria, New York and Massachusetts appear to have the most inclusions, at twelve each.
USC is there[ Southern Calif, that is…]
But not having U of Washington shown means that this is still a work in progress…
U of IA is there and not U of MN?
The map uses the word “selective”, so that would be everything under 33% or so. Apparently, that would include such notables as Spalding University, Fort Valley State University and Southwestern Assemblies of God for 2013.
Where are the rest of the UCs?
On a recount (the map requires significant expansion on my device), New York appears to have the most inclusions at fourteen, followed by Massachusetts at thirteen.
I will take another look at U.Washington, W&L, and U.Minnessota. Not sure which other UCs would be of interest to students across the country. I have excluded selective niche schools because they would not appeal to a broader audience. I guess the point of the map would be for students to know where colleges are located and for parents to plan visits. Isn’t it kind of odd that there isn’t a wall size map of colleges somewhere? Googlemaps is pretty powerful and free. I’m from the Midwest so there is admittedly a regional bias but I grew up in California and Berkeley, USC and UCLA were the UCs kids targeted. I’m not biased towards NY or MA, that just happens to be where a lot of top colleges are located
USC isn’t part of the UC system. It’s private.
So who actually decided what was part of the Top 100?
I did by paring down the Princeton Reviews longer list. Criteria was primarily selectivity at the high end and the larger state flagships. Some omissions and quirks but largely on target
Surprised Northeastern isnt on this list since it has higher SAT scores and higher admit stats than some of the private schools listed (BC, USC, Lafayette, RPI, Bucknell, American to name a few). I think Forbes had it pegged around 35th for average SAT scores
So CU Boulder was on the list, but most of the UCs were not? Interesting idea, terrible execution.
A more objective map, at least based on selectivity, could be created from any of these sources:
Business Insider’s “600 Smartest Colleges”
Barron’s “most competitive” colleges
USNWR’s “most selective” colleges
The first source could produce an even 100 schools. The others would produce different cut-offs, but would be less arbitrary.
@tk21769 created an online list which could also credibly serve as a base source.
Why not Emory?
@DrDrizzy: If you expand the map, you will see that Emory is included.
Yeah, lots of flaws here in the rankings. Cool idea and I think the geographical picture is still there, but the selected schools are pretty flawed overall. I see at least 10 omissions from a quick glance.
Claremont McKenna? Harvey Mudd?