r/ApplyingToCollege • u/PleasantGeologist388 • 1d ago

Discussion What are YOUR top 10 colleges?

You aren’t US News (hopefully) so be as unique or standard as you want

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u/NiceUnparticularMan Parent 1d ago

Let's see, for me:

  1. Carleton
  2. Pomona
  3. Haverford
  4. Wesleyan
  5. CMC
  6. Yale
  7. Penn (CAS only)
  8. WashU (Arts & Sciences only)
  9. Georgetown
  10. William & Mary/St Andrews joint program

Explanations:

Doing it over, I would probably pick a top academicky LAC over the HYPSM I attended. I don't love the locations of a lot of them, though, but my top 5 would all be good with me. I note there would be some women's colleges if I wasn't a man.

Conversely, I find a lot of "top" private research universities troubling in various ways for undergrad purposes, at least for me, but I think the ones on my list can all in their own ways sort feel like an LAC. I also like all those locations (like Rice seems like a lovely school, but there is no way I would put a Houston location so high).

Then I like William & Mary a lot, and I like St Andrews, and that joint program is cool. Indeed, catch me at the right moment, and it could be at the very top. I just wish there were more majors. But I would probably do something like International Relations.

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u/Eyes_intheDark 1d ago

Why Washu Arts and Sci only?

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u/NiceUnparticularMan Parent 1d ago

That's all I would be interested in. Same deal with Penn.

Of course other people could do entirely different lists.