# The most aesthetically pleasing university campus **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 27, 2005, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-aesthetically-pleasing-university-campus/292184 "2005-02-27T21:10:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2005, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-aesthetically-pleasing-university-campus/292184/41 "2005-02-28T21:27:13Z")
My brother-in-law teaches at Duke, so maybe I am biased, but the Duke campus is gorgeous. ---
**Author:** ![alterego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6bbea6/32.png) [@alterego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alterego)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2005, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-aesthetically-pleasing-university-campus/292184/42 "2005-02-28T22:05:13Z")
i’m attending [deleted on request]…it’s so beautiful that I can’t help but choose a window seat in all my classes and just sort of gaze endlessly… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2005, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-aesthetically-pleasing-university-campus/292184/43 "2005-02-28T22:33:09Z")
> [@Lamar Mundane](#): > > Another one is the U.S. Air Force Academy. Yikes, are you serious? Every single building is a glass/aluminum rectangle! The base itself is gorgeous, as is pretty much every open area in that area. But the cadet area? Ugh. I think they were going for ‘slick and modern’, and ended up with a bleak early-60’s disaster (IMO, YMMV, etc). > [@alterego](#): > > i’m attending [deleted on request]…it’s so beautiful that I can’t help but choose a window seat in all my classes and just sort of gaze endlessly… Isn’t that one of the problems with going to school in such a nice place? You just want to sit and look…(I personally use it for inspiration - whenever I ask why, exactly, I’m racking up such intense debt for a heaping plateful of stress, communal bathrooms, and cafeteria food, I look up at the mountains, or the sunset, or the night sky… ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2005, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-aesthetically-pleasing-university-campus/292184/44 "2005-03-01T03:52:54Z")
> [@DaphneBlack](#): > > Here in Oxford, I think it really depends on the college. Some are beautiful (like mine!) and some are garish, and some are 60’s-functional. > > Daphne Which one’s that? ---
**Author:** ![alterego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6bbea6/32.png) [@alterego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alterego)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2005, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-aesthetically-pleasing-university-campus/292184/45 "2005-03-01T06:08:39Z")
```auto You just want to sit and look... ``` Hardly a problem…🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ccwaterback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@ccwaterback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ccwaterback)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2005, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-aesthetically-pleasing-university-campus/292184/46 "2005-03-01T06:23:30Z")
Chicago [http://www.uchicago.edu/docs/universitymovies/university.html](http://www.uchicago.edu/docs/universitymovies/university.html) ---
**Author:** ![Ooner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/c67d28/32.png) [@Ooner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ooner)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2005, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-aesthetically-pleasing-university-campus/292184/47 "2005-03-01T06:39:45Z")
I can tell you a college that’s never going to be anywhere near this list. Mine. I’m pretty sure [this](http://www.unlv.edu/committees/csc/unlv%20campus.jpg) is the prettiest spot on the entire campus. Woo, a little patch of grass. ---
**Author:** ![Ooner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/c67d28/32.png) [@Ooner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ooner)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2005, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-aesthetically-pleasing-university-campus/292184/48 "2005-03-01T06:40:51Z")
That’s the University of Nevada, Las Vegas by the way. ---
**Author:** ![Carm6773](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/2bfe46/32.png) [@Carm6773](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carm6773)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2005, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-aesthetically-pleasing-university-campus/292184/49 "2005-03-01T11:06:17Z")
I’m a little prejudiced, but I love the look of [Florida Southern College](http://www.flsouthern.edu) in Lakeland. Most of it was designed but Frank Lloyd Wright. My favorite building is [Danforth Chapel](http://www.flsouthern.edu/fllwctr/fdanforth.htm). Our rival, [University of Tampa](http://www.utampa.edu/), is beautiful as well. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2005, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-aesthetically-pleasing-university-campus/292184/50 "2005-03-01T15:50:14Z")
A while back, someone started a whole thread just to say how ugly he felt the Texas Tech campus was. I’m sure it’s not the best, but I think it’s kinda nice. It’s just spread out, is all. ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2005, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-aesthetically-pleasing-university-campus/292184/51 "2005-03-01T16:25:44Z")
> [@NinjaChick](#): > > Yikes, are you serious? Every single building is a glass/aluminum rectangle! The base itself is gorgeous, as is pretty much every open area in that area. But the cadet area? Ugh. I think they were going for ‘slick and modern’, and ended up with a bleak early-60’s disaster (IMO, YMMV, etc). It does have the [chapel](http://www.usafa.af.mil/hc/). I was referring to the natural setting for the most part. My Alma Mater, who I also nominated, Wisconsin, has several examples of 1960’s “big dump o’ concrete” architecture on several significant campus buildings. [H.C. White Library](http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://photos.news.wisc.edu/photos/HC_White_Library97_1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://photos.news.wisc.edu/view.php%3Fid%3D181&h=400&w=600&sz=34&tbnid=CLKnHIKkIHsJ:&tbnh=88&tbnw=132&start=1&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dh.c.%2Bwhite%2Blibrary%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DN) ---
**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2005, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-aesthetically-pleasing-university-campus/292184/52 "2005-03-01T19:24:53Z")
[The University of Texas at El Paso](http://www.utep.edu/tour/) has gorgeous architecture. Every building on campus is designed with the motifs of Bhutanese monastaries. So I think UTEP would definitely be a candidate for the title if it weren’t for its immediate proximity to a copper smelting plant and the worst slums of Juarez, Mexico. ---
**Author:** ![Improvisor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/50afbb/32.png) [@Improvisor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Improvisor)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2005, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-aesthetically-pleasing-university-campus/292184/53 "2005-03-02T00:03:00Z")
Then there is the ---
**Author:** ![Improvisor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/50afbb/32.png) [@Improvisor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Improvisor)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2005, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-aesthetically-pleasing-university-campus/292184/54 "2005-03-02T00:09:38Z")
Oops. Hit the wrong button. What I meant to say was… Then there is the [University of Washington](http://www.washington.edu/univrel/visitors/ctours.html#VTOURS) that has a wierd situation. When the university first started it was in the heart of what is now downtown Seattle. The university moved to a new campus north of the city in the 1890’s. At the time they couldn’t find anyone that would buy the original land at the appraised value, so they decided to just lease the land. The caveat was that all the money from leasing the land had to go to building improvements on the new university campus. And that hasn’t changed. So, here we are 100 years later and the UW still owns about 6 city blocks worth of prime land in downtown Seattle that they collect rent on. This land includes a Four Seasons Hotel and several skyscrapers. Because of it they have alot of gorgeous buildings and facilities. ---
**Author:** ![CBCD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@CBCD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CBCD)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2005, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-aesthetically-pleasing-university-campus/292184/55 "2005-03-02T01:03:22Z")
Look at these pictures of [Bard College](http://www.bard.edu/about/location/) The Bard campus and views of the Hudson River and the Catskills are jaw-dropping, eye-popping gorgeous. ---
**Author:** ![Ashes\_Ashes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/db5fbb/32.png) [@Ashes\_Ashes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashes_Ashes)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2005, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-aesthetically-pleasing-university-campus/292184/56 "2005-03-02T01:11:30Z")
UC Riverside is kinda pretty. Well, the plants and trees are. Really; people have their weddings there. And it can be foggy and remind people of Scotland. Maybe the buildings are okay depending upon your aesthetics. Ummm, go Highlanders! ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2005, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-aesthetically-pleasing-university-campus/292184/57 "2005-03-02T03:09:09Z")
Some have already mentioned Princeton. It is my wife’s favorite town – if we were rich, we would live there (and I would have a shorter commute), but we aren’t and it is impossibly expensive to buy a house in Princeton these days. A few years ago I took my wife along on a week-long business trip to Cambridge, UK. While I was working, she was shopping and walking about the various colleges. It was quite obvious to us that Princeton is just a pale imitation of the spendor of Cambridge or Oxford. Nevertheless, we still want to live there. ---
**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2005, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-aesthetically-pleasing-university-campus/292184/58 "2005-03-02T04:26:15Z")
> [@minor7flat5](#): > > Some have already mentioned Princeton. Funny that Princeton should be mentioned because The Princeton Review has what they call the [**Best 357 College Rankings**](http://www.princetonreview.com/college/research/rankings/rankings.asp). One category they use is “Beautiful Campus”. Here is what they say: [Quote] [ul]**[li]1 Wagner College [/li] [li]2 St. Mary’s College of Maryland [/li] [li]3 Williams College [/li] [li]4 The University of the South [/li] [li]5 Sweet Briar College**[/ul][/li][/Quote] I went to The University of the South. Here are all of the categories they in which they rated in the top 20. [Quote] [ul]**[li]#7 Professors Bring Material to Life (Academics)[/li] [li]#17 Professors Make Themselves Accessible ( Academics)[/li] [li]#13 Lots Of Hard Liquor (Parties)[/li] [li]#16 Major Frat And Sorority Scene (Parties)[/li] [li]#4 Beautiful Campus (Quality of Life)[/li] [li]#17 Happy Students (Quality of Life)**[/ul][/li][/Quote] ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2005, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-aesthetically-pleasing-university-campus/292184/59 "2005-03-02T05:09:30Z")
I can’t go without mentioning my alma mater, the University of California, Santa Cruz. (I looked up the virtual tour, and boy, does it suck. Who cares about pictures of professors with students?) The buildings aren’t particularly interesting but the setting is stunning. The school is built in a redwood forest on a hill overlooking the Monterey Bay. The campus is _gigantic_ and huge amounts of it are totally undeveloped. You can go off hiking in the forest and never leave school. A walk to class is almost always a hike through the forest and the bay or ocean are visible from most clearings or high places. It’s not pretty in the old “manicured campus and fancy buildings” way, though, and maneuvering the hilly terrain would be difficult in heels, so it’s not for everyone, I suppose. That Princeton Review list thingie has it as the #10 most beautiful campus. And man, we only made #16 on the list of Birkenstock-Wearing, Tree-Hugging, Clove-Smoking Vegetarians? What is the world coming to? ---
**Author:** ![ccwaterback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@ccwaterback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ccwaterback)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2005, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-aesthetically-pleasing-university-campus/292184/60 "2005-03-02T08:38:20Z")
> [@CBCD](#): > > Look at these pictures of [Bard College](http://www.bard.edu/about/location/) > > The Bard campus and views of the Hudson River and the Catskills are jaw-dropping, eye-popping gorgeous. Wow Wow Wow, I vote Bard #1. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-aesthetically-pleasing-university-campus/292184.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-aesthetically-pleasing-university-campus/292184.md?page=4)