<p>Best for intellectual atmosphere and overall quality of undergraduate education, with small classes (more than 60% < 20, less than 5% >= 50), few distractions (understated Greek & D1 sports scene), selective admissions (75th percentile M+CR >= 1500), and strong academic outcomes (PhD production, medical and law admissions): </p>
<p>Amherst, Carleton, Chicago, Harvey Mudd, Pomona, Swarthmore, Williams</p>
<p>Small miss on one of the above criteria:</p>
<p>Caltech, Grinnell, Haverford, MIT, Oberlin, Reed, Rice, Wellesley</p>
<p>Many other schools are similar to some of these. They offer essentially the same kind of undergraduate experience and would be worth choosing over the above schools if you could attend at a significantly lower net cost (or had any other good basis for personal preference). There isn’t any “true” top 15; it all depends on your preference criteria (though of course some criteria are more compelling than others).</p>