# What are some of the most beautiful colleges and ... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 26, 2007, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-of-the-most-beautiful-colleges-and/405631 "2007-05-26T18:31:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [May 26, 2007, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-of-the-most-beautiful-colleges-and/405631/21 "2007-05-26T19:55:18Z")
[QUOTE=GuyNblueJeans] universities? I heard that Indiana University and Michigan State are both very beautiful. I suspect that Cambridge University in England is beautiful, as is, I’m sure, the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. I had a dream last night that I was at Stanford University and couldn’t believe how beautiful the student dorms (on campus) were. Way more beautiful than they ever could be in real life, made of beautiful inlaid stones and gorgeous stained glass and such. Anyway, the dream, it was the dream that got me thinking about this. 🙂 [/QUOTE] My job takes me to college campuses all over the country. For my vote, several California schools, some in the northeast, and Wisconsin and Colorado are the nicest. Virginia and Duke are up there, too. Indiana is nothing special. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2007, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-of-the-most-beautiful-colleges-and/405631/22 "2007-05-26T20:02:15Z")
I have to vote for the University of Toronto, where I was a student years ago. The campus itself was beautiful, with green spaces surrounding all kinds of old stone buildings. You can link to photos and information about the University’s buildings and grounds from [this site](http://www.greatpast.utoronto.ca/GalleryOfImages/InteractiveTour/CampusTour.stm), but unfortunately, they only show the exteriors of the most famous and historic buildings. [Here](http://www.harthouse.utoronto.ca/hh/page.php?id=VIRTU), at least, you can take a virtual tour of the interior of Hart House, the U of T’s student centre. It is a beautiful building, inside and out, and I will always stop by when I’m in town, just to see it again. ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2007, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-of-the-most-beautiful-colleges-and/405631/23 "2007-05-26T20:02:15Z")
Edinburgh’s hardly nice to look at, and certainly not in the same class as Cambridge or Oxford. Really, there’s only two decent buildings - the medicine and law buildings, the rest were either thrown up in the 60’s and 70’s or are currently being built. Incidentally, I was in Cambridge yesterday. I think Cambridge also edges out Oxford - [King’s College](http://www.kings.cam.ac.uk/) is a particularly impressive sight from the riverbank. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2007, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-of-the-most-beautiful-colleges-and/405631/24 "2007-05-26T20:21:22Z")
Swarthmore is an [arboretum.](http://www.scottarboretum.org/) ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2007, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-of-the-most-beautiful-colleges-and/405631/25 "2007-05-26T20:58:04Z")
The Princeton Review’s survey listed these schools as the most beautiful. Pepperdine University Princeton University Sweet Briar College Agnes Scott College Sewanee-University of the South Mount Holyoke College Scripps College Kenyon College Loyola Marymount University University of California-Santa Cruz A few years ago, they gave the top ranking to Brooklyn College, which is part of the City University of New York. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2007, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-of-the-most-beautiful-colleges-and/405631/26 "2007-05-26T21:00:46Z")
[Cornell](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Ithaca_Falls001.jpg)[University](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Ithaca_Hemlock_Gorge.JPG). [Old Buildings](http://www.cornell.edu/visiting/ithaca), [sure](http://www.plantations.cornell.edu/), [but](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Houston_Pond_of_F._R._Newman_Arboretrum.jpg) [check](http://www.plantations.cornell.edu/collections/natareas/Public/Beebe/Beebe.htm)[these](http://www.cornell.edu/tours/scene66d4.html) [nature](http://www.cornell.edu/tours/scene9d1c.html) [pics](http://www.cornell.edu/tours/scenea834.html) [out](http://www.cornell.edu/tours/scenefe94.html). ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2007, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-of-the-most-beautiful-colleges-and/405631/27 "2007-05-26T21:04:30Z")
[QUOTE=Capatalist Lion Tamer] Is there an ugly Ivy League school? I know Yale & Harvard both impressed me. [/QUOTE] My Alma Mater, [Cornell](http://www.cornell.edu/tours/scene780f.html), was pretty nice, especially because of the [gorges](http://www.cornell.edu/tours/scene9d1c.html) that run right through campus. [Here’s another.](http://www.cornell.edu/tours/scenefe94.html) The [University of Colorado](http://cache.eb.com/eb/image?id=66633&rendTypeId=4) at Boulder, where I went to grad school, has a pretty spectacular setting. (On editing, I see that Ludovic beat me to Cornell.) ---
**Author:** ![Carm6773](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/2bfe46/32.png) [@Carm6773](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carm6773)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2007, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-of-the-most-beautiful-colleges-and/405631/28 "2007-05-26T21:12:39Z")
I might be a bit biased, as I’m an alum, but [Florida Southern College](http://www.flsouthern.edu/gallery/index.htm) is beautiful. Even though it is FSC’s rival, [University of Tampa](http://www.ut.edu/gallery/) is pretty too. ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2007, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-of-the-most-beautiful-colleges-and/405631/29 "2007-05-26T21:23:22Z")
I’ll add a plug for _my_ alma mater [Williams College](http://www.williams.edu/home/WmsPix/index.html). \*It would be no small advantage if every college were thus located at the base of a mountain. — \*\*Henry David Thoreau \*\* \* ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2007, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-of-the-most-beautiful-colleges-and/405631/30 "2007-05-26T21:43:18Z")
A friend who’s been there tells me I should see the University of San Diego. I think it’s close to the Old Town section. ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2007, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-of-the-most-beautiful-colleges-and/405631/31 "2007-05-26T22:06:47Z")
Just one more [picture](http://www.williams.edu/admission/location.php) of Williams. Tell me that this is not one of the most gorgeous views anywhere. ---
**Author:** ![aktep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f0a364/32.png) [@aktep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aktep)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2007, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-of-the-most-beautiful-colleges-and/405631/32 "2007-05-26T22:20:03Z")
[Pepperdine](http://www.art.com/asp/sp-asp/_/pd--10084710/sp--A/Pepperdine_University.htm) is usually the run away winner. I was surprised at how gorgeous portions of [Texas Woman’s University](http://www.twu.edu/tour/). ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2007, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-of-the-most-beautiful-colleges-and/405631/33 "2007-05-26T22:23:19Z")
[QUOTE=vivalostwages] A friend who’s been there tells me I should see the University of San Diego. I think it’s close to the Old Town section. [/QUOTE] Just as long as you don’t confuse it with the incredibly ugly University of California at San Diego. One of the most unattractive campuses I’ve ever seen. Speaking of Southern California, how could I have forgotten the stunning views at [University of California Santa Barbara?](http://www.ucsb.edu/) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2007, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-of-the-most-beautiful-colleges-and/405631/34 "2007-05-26T22:45:12Z")
My current institutionn, Montana State University, is up there. The campus itself is unremarkable, but the setting is breathtaking. 15 minutes from the ski slopes, an hour or two from Yellowstone, and mountains all around. And I’ll back the local young ladies against any California girls in a heartbeat, but my tastes may be atypical there. And Williams was one of the places I looked at for undergrad, and I’ll wholeheartedly back **psychobunny** ’s recommendation, too. The mountains are nothing like out here, but it’s right smack dab in the middle of Oh-my-God-look-at-the-fall-foliage territory. ---
**Author:** ![Subterraneanus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Subterraneanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Subterraneanus)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2007, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-of-the-most-beautiful-colleges-and/405631/35 "2007-05-26T23:32:57Z")
[QUOTE=aktep] [Pepperdine](http://www.art.com/asp/sp-asp/_/pd--10084710/sp--A/Pepperdine_University.htm) is usually the run away winner. [/QUOTE] Frankly, I think Pepperdine looks like a theme-park, and the place gives me the creeps. It’s as antiseptic as a dentist’s office, and strikes me as an upscale summer camp for wealthy PTL viewers. IMO, better examples of oceanside schools are UC, Santa Cruz and UC, San Diego, although neither features particularly great architecture. I used to teach at the latter. ---
**Author:** ![Subterraneanus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Subterraneanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Subterraneanus)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2007, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-of-the-most-beautiful-colleges-and/405631/36 "2007-05-26T23:42:13Z")
[QUOTE=Chronos] My current institutionn, Montana State University, is up there. The campus itself is unremarkable, but the setting is breathtaking. 15 minutes from the ski slopes, an hour or two from Yellowstone, and mountains all around. And I’ll back the local young ladies against any California girls in a heartbeat, but my tastes may be atypical there. And Williams was one of the places I looked at for undergrad, and I’ll wholeheartedly back **psychobunny** ’s recommendation, too. The mountains are nothing like out here, but it’s right smack dab in the middle of Oh-my-God-look-at-the-fall-foliage territory. [/QUOTE] Yeah, the campus ain’t much, but the town/locale is great. I also like that Gibson’s acoustic guitars are made in Bozeman. And although the University of Montana looks a little like an overgrown high school, Missoula is a great place. I’d trade Los Angeles for Montana in a heartbeat if my four-year-old son weren’t African-American. Right now we need the ethnic diversity. \*I am in love with Montana … Montana seems to me to be what a small boy would think Texas is like from hearing Texans. \* — Norman Maclean ---
**Author:** ![Subterraneanus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Subterraneanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Subterraneanus)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2007, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-of-the-most-beautiful-colleges-and/405631/37 "2007-05-26T23:45:34Z")
[QUOTE=dalej42] Just as long as you don’t confuse it with the incredibly ugly University of California at San Diego. One of the most unattractive campuses I’ve ever seen. Speaking of Southern California, how could I have forgotten the stunning views at [University of California Santa Barbara?](http://www.ucsb.edu/) [/QUOTE] I agree that the architecture at UCSD sucks mightily, but with Torrey Pines State Park and the Pacific Ocean right across the street it’s pretty easy to ignore it. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_C](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Captain\_C](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_C)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2007, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-of-the-most-beautiful-colleges-and/405631/38 "2007-05-26T23:47:20Z")
Michigan State University currently has about half the roads covered in orange cones and construction equipment. I recommend not visiting until next year. ---
**Author:** ![Kilvert\_s\_Pagan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@Kilvert\_s\_Pagan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilvert_s_Pagan)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2007, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-of-the-most-beautiful-colleges-and/405631/39 "2007-05-26T23:57:22Z")
My alma mater Indiana’s central campus is very pretty, but a lot of the rest of it is sprawl. Oxford is beautiful, but in its own way I guess. Visiting it I was struck by the age and history, but not really by the beauty. And I have major ancestral ties to the university - I really wanted to like it more. What about Williams? ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2007, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-of-the-most-beautiful-colleges-and/405631/40 "2007-05-27T00:01:08Z")
[Here](http://www.iet.msu.edu/images/aerial_msu_small.jpg)’s Michigan State’s school of Integrated Toxicology. I went in looking for pictures of U of M’s campus, but found nothing that showed a chunk of campus. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-of-the-most-beautiful-colleges-and/405631.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-of-the-most-beautiful-colleges-and/405631.md?page=3)