As students ponder the idea of college, there are plenty of reasons one could fall in love with a specific university. Maybe your parents went there, or you toured a campus. You could want the biggest school, or a small local school. Maybe you compromise: a school with poor academics but great athletics, or a school with great academics, poor athletics. If you’re lucky you find everything you are looking for. As you may not be able to find all these aspects all together in one school, you may have to consider which college only has one of those aspects?
According to students, the main aspects of college that influence searches are academics, sports, Greek life and campus location/scenery. A survey of more than 50 seniors asked questions about these aspects, such as, “If you could pick one college based solely on academics, which college would you choose?”
The university students had said the best academics is Harvard. Harvard is one of the most prestigious universities in the world, and has an acceptance rate of 3.5%. The second highest answer was Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). “When people think of academics, I believe they think about Harvard the most. The university is always talked about when it comes to producing successful people,” senior Zach King said.
The survey next students asked: “What college would you pick solely off of campus?” The most common answer was the University of Maryland, College Park, not for beauty but for proximity. The second highest answer was The University of Washington. For students who had a response that was not based on proximity, the most common answer was Duke University. “The rustic architecture and beautiful campus has such an aesthetic,” senior Mia Coven said.
Students also have a preference for which college fan base they want to be a part of. Collegiate sports include spirit, crowd and facility. Students surveyed said they would go to two colleges solely based on athletics: the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, and the University of Maryland, College Park. Alabama is widely known for all their athletics as they are one of the top teams in the hardest conference, the South East Conference (SEC). The next highest answer was Louisiana State University. “UMD has the best athletics, and it would be close to home for my family to watch me play baseball,” senior Kai Schmelzer said
Another aspect of college is student life. Not every student answered the survey question about this, but the most common answer was Tulane University. Tulane is in New Orleans, LA, and they do not skimp on their holidays, especially Mardi Gras. The second highest answer was Arizona State University.
In the final survey question students were asked what the most well-rounded college is and the most common answer is the University of Michigan. Students said the university has it all, from great academics to terrific sports in the Big Ten, an outstanding Greek life as well. The second highest answer was University of Maryland College Park.
