Most Beautiful Campus in the Big Ten

Submitted by mikoyan on

So yesterday, I took myself and my camera up to Lansing to go to the Potter Park Zoo.  The Zoo was a bit on the small side but pretty nice nonetheless.  My travels then took me up Pennsylvania Avenue and over on Michigan Avenue to the Capitol Building.  I love the looks of our Capitol Building...shame the dome isn't copper coated or something. 

Then I decided to wander over to Michigan State's campus.  I will admit that the last time I was there was to see an EMU game, so it was only to the stadium.  Anyways, I decided that I was going to take pictures and the only thing I could see of worth was the Beaumont Tower.  I will admit, I had no clue where I was going and could have planned better but too many of the classroom buildings looked like they were built post WWII and didn't really have any classic look to them.  So the Beaumont Tower went on my blog.

So anyways, I've often heard that Michigan State has a beautiful campus and I guess with the Red Cedar flowing through it is pretty nice.  But who do you guys think has the most beautiful?  And was I not looking hard enough?

justingoblue

June 19th, 2011 at 10:33 PM ^

  1. IU
  2. Michigan
  3. The land Northwestern sits on.
  4. ?
  5. ?
  6. ?
  7. ?
  8. ?
  9. ?
  10. ?
  11. MSU
  12. Purdue

OSU and PSU are too spread out for me to give a good opinion, but I'll also say that I do not like PSU at all.

Deep Under Cover

June 19th, 2011 at 10:41 PM ^

For the most part OSU has a very compact campus, at least it has felt that way compared to even IU (which I would also rate as the number one from the few B1G campuses I have seen).  OSU is set up in a pretty tight grid, that is until you wanna talk about the land-hungry departments, like agriculture. That's on the other side of the river I believe.

justingoblue

June 19th, 2011 at 11:34 PM ^

Maybe it was just the part I was on when I was there (High Street and the law school) but it seemed the opposite. I'll revert OSU to a "?" in that case.

Edited to add that while UChicago is no longer in the Big Ten, they are in the CIC, so I want to edit my ranking to put Chicago right after Michigan. The campus itself is much nicer, IMO, but A2 beats out Hyde Park by a mile.

BlueDragon

June 19th, 2011 at 11:50 PM ^

I beg to differ.  The main problem is that all of the biological sciences classes take place in Central or Medical campus, which is a bloody long way to walk from North Campus 3 times a day, 5 days a week, unless you're willing to trust the buses (which for the most part are good during normal school hours, but waits approach half-hours in evenings--not convenient for people with classes that start after 6:00 PM).  Physics, Chemistry, Architecture, and many other science/engineering courses take place on North Campus.

Ironically, the current contstruction project closing the main road going past University Hall (the first building to be erected on OSU's campus) has improved the normal North Campus bus routes considerably.  There has been a temporary bus stop created at the entrance to the Newman & Wolfrom lab, which is great for people who have to take any sort of chemistry course, and is also closer to the SEL than any other bus stop.  There was a lot more congestion at first, but foot traffic eventually adjusted to the new traffic patterns.

Ag Campus is another story, though.  Crews have actually been tearing down one of the older buildings on Ag Campus lately.  I don't know what they're planning to put there but they have all the land between the Olentangy, Lane Avenue, and John Herrick Drive, as well as farmland/research buildings north of Lane and west of the highway.

Deep Under Cover

June 20th, 2011 at 12:03 AM ^

I guess I was talking more about in terms of undergrad classes. I was a business (MIS) major, so most of my classes spanned between central classrooms and the business school, but even then all of my GECs were within reasonable walking distance.

At IU I can remember at least 2 classes that had at least a 30 minute walk.

sheepman

June 19th, 2011 at 10:34 PM ^

Only been to -

Purdue - seemed very concrete and sterile to me (lots of construction though, may have colored my view)

Ohio State - Very nice for the most part from what I remember

Penn State - Great area - love state college, campus was nice.

MSU - only saw about half, must have missed the beautiful part.

 

Really want to see -

Wisonsin - heard it is amazing

 

In short - nothing compares to AA and UM. even the ones I have never seen. How's that for obtuse?

redhousewolverine

June 20th, 2011 at 9:44 AM ^

Ive heard similar things about Purdue.

My friend was visiting Wisconsin and said parts of the campus lived up to the hype (beautiful lake etc) and then said other parts weren't to spectaculor. Overall he said it was pretty good and if he didn't love UofM/Ann Arbor he would probably think they have the best campus. Their student union apparently also serves beer which is cool.

I've visited friends at MSU several times and have never really been impressed. Then again I can't say I have been in the actual heart of campus. Everything is too spread out and we always have had to walk 20-30 to get anywhere. I studied at their sports library (I think) freshman year and it was nice, walking past the river, but all in all I never felt comfortable or overly impressed.

Visited Minnesota, which some people told me was the best campus. St. Paul and Minneapolis are two cool cities, but I wasn't overly impressed with the campus. I didn't see much beyond driving past the campus to the law school, but it was okay and the downtown area right there was solid. Nothing spectaculor.

UofM is awesome. I visited Harvard with a friend once and they have a great campus, but I still remember walking through their quad and finding it kind of barren compared to the Diag. Lacked trees and grass and was empty.

redhousewolverine

June 20th, 2011 at 9:55 AM ^

Also, apparently Iowa is pretty cool too. My friends family (same friend who visited Wisconsin) moved to Iowa right by the university. Besides hating Iowa (which he says mainly cause he moved from Traverse City and has no friends in Iowa and its Iowa) he says the campus for Iowa is pretty cool and probably the nicest place he has seen in Iowa. He also respects their fans.

los

June 19th, 2011 at 10:43 PM ^

I've seen Wisconsin's, Michigan State's and Purdue's and I think Michigan's is better looking but not by much. They all have pretty nice campuses. Notre Dame's (not big ten I know) campus is very nice but the town its in sucks so bad it kind of has to be and it still doesnt compensate in my opinion.

South Bend Wolverine

June 20th, 2011 at 1:45 AM ^

Having lived there, I can definitely attest to the suckiness of South Bend.  However, I can also attest to the beauty of ND's campus.  It is just plain gorgeous, nicely laid out, lots of open grassy areas, trees, etc., the buildings (with one or two exceptions) are nice.  Also, if you're a Catholic or appreciate traditional Catholic art, the sculptures around campus & the artwork inside the Basilica of the Sacred Heart are really something.

redhousewolverine

June 20th, 2011 at 9:49 AM ^

Was there for a soccer tournament when I was younger. South Bend does suck and my friends from Notre Dame agree and agree Ann Arbor is better than South Bend. Notre Dame's campus is cool and well put together. My only problem is Notre Dame is isolated in a vaccum. Students have to cab or drive to restaurants. Few actual bars. Best noncafeteria options are the 2-4 random fast food options on campus. Plus I have been told the off-campus housing is not great with many if not most students opting to live in the dorms for 4 years.

acnumber1

June 19th, 2011 at 10:37 PM ^

To be fair, MSU can be quite pretty in the fall along the Red Cedar...but then there are the Moo U fields to counter the Red Cedar tranquility.

Chippewa Blue

June 19th, 2011 at 10:42 PM ^

MSU isn't that bad, don't love it but it's better than a lot here give it credit for. Haven't seen too many in the Big Ten but Michigan is the best of them from my (obviously semi-biased) prespective

readyourguard

June 19th, 2011 at 10:43 PM ^

Michigan has that "feel" so it's hard for me to believe than any other B10 campus could compare.

State does nothing for me.  Stale and rural are the only words that pop in my head.

IU . meh.  Corn.

Think of OSU and the people you associate with that school.  The campus falls into the same dreary category.  It's a shithole.

I've never been to Iowa, Wisconsin, or Penn State but I'd like to see them one day.

 

Zone Left

June 20th, 2011 at 12:09 AM ^

I haven't been to Vance Hall, but the Ross building is really impressive. It shows just what you can do with $100 million. I'll never forget when I visited. I was seriously jet-lagged, found a coffee at the cafeteria, pounded it, and threw it away in the trash can. The tour guide, on cue, said they basically recycle everything and that even the columns were made of recycled material. I was embarrassed...

This virtual tour doesn't do it justice, but it's still okay.

Waters Demos

June 20th, 2011 at 12:43 AM ^

Even assuming that's true (and I don't think you intend it to be, you're just engaging in everyday ribbing, which I can embrace*), farmers feed the world.  The inner cities, with all their sophisticated folk, would starve without the "farmers" who are mocked in your picture.

Rousseau said that in order to know the true implications of law and public policy, one must talk to the people outside the cities, the food-producers, etc...  Presumably he said this because these people determine life in the cities, and, therefore, everything else (and everyone else's opinions) is/are bullshit. 

Think of the tag line for Mike Rowe's "Dirty Jobs" ("salute to those who make civilized life possible for the rest of us").

So even if what you're* saying was true, that would only serve as a compliment.  You'd* all starve without the class of people you* condescendingly use the phrase "Moo U" to represent. 

And people on here have told me in the past that I'm condescending, pretentious, etc. . . .

---

*"You" does not refer to Captain or others engaging in benign ribbing.  My post is not really a response to Captain or ZL (both of whom I respect), but instead to others who sincerely think that their ignorant condescension is somehow justified.  There may be none of such people here.  Or many.  I don't know.

wresler120

June 19th, 2011 at 10:42 PM ^

I haven't been to many campuses ... MSU, Illinois,Northwestern and U of M. U of M was the tops hands down of my small lists of campuses visited

Bb011

June 19th, 2011 at 10:43 PM ^

I've been to all of them and have to say that U of M easily has one of the most beautiful. IU's was very nice and Northwestern being on the water was also very nice. I never thought of MSU's campus as very nice. Its just too damn big, and it never has felt "beautiful" to me.

ronakpat

June 19th, 2011 at 10:48 PM ^

I haven't been to any except Michigan and MSU. MSU has nice greenery I guess but nothing beats Ann Arbor so far.

Anyways, you have some great pictures on your site! I've spent the a lot of time browsing through them. I especially like the ones from Lansing Zoo and ofcourse, Ann Arbor!

chris16w

June 19th, 2011 at 10:48 PM ^

Love A2 (sentimental reasons help) and of other campuses, I've been impressed with Iowa and Northwestern's. Northwestern is impressive for the landscaping and location, and Iowa feels a lot like Ann Arbor except with a bigger river and smaller town. Campuses I have disliked include Illinois and Minnesota, and Wisconsin's campus is not as cool as Madison the city, imo. Haven't been to Cbus and don't plan on going anytime soon.

Having an awesome town is crucial since there really isn't all that much to do on campuses. I think Ann Arbor & Madison are my favorite big ten cities/towns. I live in Chicago and it seems as though most fun-seeking Northwestern students move out of Evanston as soon as they can.

NateVolk

June 19th, 2011 at 10:48 PM ^

Michigan State in that area around Beaumont Tower is awesome. There are classic architecture buildings all the way around the area, with a gentle slop of contured land. The area is so flat otherwise, so that hill effect makes it cool. Plus it is insulated soundwise from the high vehicle traffic areas that surround the campus. Go west you gradually go downhill and get a premium high vantage point view of the baseball field and Jennison Fieldhouse. Go east and you get more classic buildings. 

Basically north of the river is nice, south of it is flat and sterile.

Doesn't touch Michigan overall.

MaizeAndBlueWahoo

June 19th, 2011 at 10:53 PM ^

I dunno why people are bagging on Purdue.  I like it better than some I've seen.  In the Big Ten I've seen U-M, PSU, Purdue, and Minny and I'd put Minny at the bottom easily.  Except for the main mall area and a couple of stretches outside it, I didn't care for it much at all.  Too urban for me, too many ugly modern buildings, and the "college town" section near it (what little there is) seemed forced and over-planned.

Actually, of the four Big Ten campuses I've seen, if you put them in a vacuum I like Purdue's the best.  U-M needs Ann Arbor and then it shines bright, but the campus itself is underwhelming.

Monocle Smile

June 19th, 2011 at 10:51 PM ^

I'm a sucker for old buildings, especially churches covered in ivy. The view at the water is spectacular as well.

OSU has some really nice buildings...but next to factories that pump out black clouds. Shame.

Maybe I'm not the best guy to ask because aesthetics doesn't play much of a role in my thought process when I'm not specifically sight-seeing. When it's winter in Michigan, my friends are like "It's so pretty outside." I don't notice because I'm busy thinking "ITS FUCKING COLD. FUCK THIS STATE."

Snidely Doo Rash

June 19th, 2011 at 10:54 PM ^

Seen enough to judge.

1.  UM (biased but...I'd rather be in ANN ARBOR)

2.  Northwestern

3.  Wisconsin

4.  IU (biased from IN)

5.  Minny (twin cities rock)

   (insert ND about here, like the area but not the town)

6.  Penn State

7.  Purdue-Blockheads love this place.

Have been there and color me impressed.

Iowa (passing thru, saw the meat puppets)

Have been there and was dazed and or confused.

Michigan State (the women were memorably fine)

Ohio State--AC/DC was wrong...hell is a bad place to be.  

Have not been there...not sure if I want to go.

Nebraska-Illinois (tied for second to last)

 

 

dennisblundon

June 19th, 2011 at 10:58 PM ^

I have been to PSU, which is really easy to get lost on campus because a lot of the buildings look the same. Also they seem to have the market cornered on squirrels. Overall it was nice but not great.

OSU I walked through campus nothing jumped out at me to the point where I was like OMG where is my camera either. Overall not bad, I would rank it behind PSU.

 

hart20

June 19th, 2011 at 11:01 PM ^

1. IU 

2. Michigan

3. Notre Dame (The area around campus is shit though.)

4. Northwestern 

5. Wisconsin

6. Ohio St.

7. Purdue (The whole city smells like sewage.)

Haven't been to any others campuses so this all I can rank. And I will admit being biased because I go to IU but campus is amazing, especially in the fall. And to the person who said something about IU and corn, it's obvious you've never been in Bloomington. 

loosekanen

June 20th, 2011 at 4:53 AM ^

Having attended both UM and IU I cosign this. It's not, "Indiana... meh. corn." It's more like, "Indiana. Wow. Limestone and greenery." It's a gorgeous campus and it sees WAY more sunshine during the winter months than Ann Arbor. It's also ~10 degrees warmer October-March. There are a fair amount of hills on campus and that can get to be a bit of a bummer. Or good exercise depending on how you look at it.

Mi Sooner

June 20th, 2011 at 11:40 AM ^

I had the opportunity to see several campuses while I was testing a system. In one day I saw purdue Illinois and purdue. Indy might be the best in the big ten. I have to believe that purdue and Illinois have to be at the bottom.

The best on my trip might have been Miami -- NTM. The scenery was awesome and the campus great looking too.

chelseaanimal

June 19th, 2011 at 11:03 PM ^

, minus newcomer Nebraska. IU has a very nice central campus with a unified architectural quality that makes it the best in my opinion, when combined with the natural features and the bar/entertainment area. All the campuses in the Big10,11,-12, have something going for them. Madison's student union sitting on the edge of the lake and serving beer is nice, for instance. And I agree with the other posters that give credit to MSU, the older part of campus is pretty nice, but the stuff on the south and east end of campus is starkly hideous (prison architecture). I travel with friends to a different college campus every year for a game and in our 20+ years have seen some pretty good campus settings. Ironically, the place that always bottoms out when we re-rank the campuses after every trip is Purdue ... the destination for our first trip. Good thing we didn't let that stop us way back when. IU always gets a nod near the top, with Virginia, North Carolina, and Ole Miss. Oops, went outside parameters.