College Desirability

I'm curious about how colleges rank in terms of desirability. Not necessarily by academics, but factors like location, student life, opportunities etc. Are there lists or surveys showing the 'most desirable' colleges by students?

Yes, there are several such rankings available but I would advise you to approach them critically, as each ranking methodology measures desirability differently and it may or may not align with your personal preferences. These rankings may consider factors like campus beauty, location, available amenities, extracurricular opportunities, quality of housing, food, and social life.

Princeton Review, for example, releases an annual student survey that ranks colleges in various categories, like "Best College Dorms", "Best College Library", "Best Food", "Best Quality of Life", and "Happiest Students". This can give you an idea of what student life is like at these institutions based on the views of actual students.

Niche.com also provides ratings for categories like "Best Student Life", "Best Campus", and "Best Location". These ratings are generated by student reviews and take into account a variety of factors, including student activities, sports, health and safety, and dining.

Another source could be "The Best 386 Colleges" book published by Princeton Review (the 2021 edition is the latest edition). This book provides student opinion-based rankings across several categories such as best quality of life, best location, best athletic facilities etc. It contains detailed profiles of these colleges, giving insights into academic and social experiences, student services, campus culture, and more.

But again, remember that these are averages and generalities—individual experiences can vary greatly. The best way to determine if a school is desirable for you is to visit it (if possible), speak with current students, and really imagine yourself there. You need to assess for yourself if the location, academics, student life, and extracurricular opportunities align with what you're seeking in a college experience.

As you build your own college list, you may find college search engines useful, like CollegeVine's, which allows you to filter schools based on your personal preferences in a range of areas, including location, size, majors offered, student/faculty ratio, admissions requirements, and so on. This tool can help you build a list of schools that are sure to be a good all-around fit for you, rather than just those that someone else has ranked as desirable. You can access the search engine here: https://www.collegevine.com/schools/hub

Good luck in your college search!