Search4Meaning

September 10th, 2010 at 3:42 PM ^

If you've read a few of the threads here you will quickly realize that MGoBlog is not the typical low-end, name-calling type of site.

We leave that to others.

Feel free to express your opinions, but name calling will typically generate a lot of neg banging - I see you have already noted that.

Just a suggestion... open debate goes a lot farther here.

Adrian

September 10th, 2010 at 2:56 PM ^

Looking at your points it proves that you have nothing good to contribute to this site but im going to reply to your post anyways. The only reason I wont transfer to MIchigan is because Im in an electrical engineering program at Kettering University which has a co-op program where I work for 3 months and go to school for 3 months. I have a great job that is pretty much gauranteed after graduation. If it wasnt for the program Id be at michigan right now.

MGlobules

September 10th, 2010 at 2:21 PM ^

and the Harvard campus any day, even if Cambridge is pleasant obviously, Boston adds another great layer, you cannot deny). Stanford's campus, to my mind, is more beautiful than either, but has no real connected urban setting near at hand (one reason Ann Arbor is so great). New Haven is downright barfburgers, and had a dark goth flave that in no way said stay here (slit yer wrists here, yes). Good to know about Sewanee and RISD, however. 

trublu4781

September 10th, 2010 at 2:23 PM ^

The combination of the city atmosphere and the college atmosphere are rather unique and quite wonderous.  It is both the quintessential college town and a solid city without the campus life.  I fully endorse that ranking. 

NateVolk

September 10th, 2010 at 2:32 PM ^

Michigan and City of Ann Arbor are so great together. Should always be in the top 10 of any list like this. UW is neat but is seperated from the heart of the city in Seattle. Michigan is better.

I am glad Austin wasn't on there. It seems to always get a lot of love from campus ianados. I found it dull and the architecture/topography bland. There is one cool street of bars. Every college town has that.

http://www.pepperdine.edu/ My nominee for a spot in the next top 10.

NateVolk

September 10th, 2010 at 6:23 PM ^

It is beautiful. Seattle is just a really cool area. I'd live there right now if I had to and not look back.  

Austin, Texas has great looking women. But southern women suck generally.  They might look good, but there whole life is about trolling for men who will let them hang out at the mall all day spending their money. Total bores.

California is where I found the best combination of looks and cool vibe if were talking women.  USC is awesome for that. I didn't get to UCLA but I heard that was even better.

But I am OTing this.  I have to add that I was at the Purdue game last year and the women in Ann Arbor looked pretty good on the whole. I was sober all day too.

wolverhorn

September 10th, 2010 at 3:07 PM ^

As a Michigan grad and current UT grad student, I'd have to say I agree for the most part that Austin's campus is sort of bland (especially compared to Michigan).  It's really tough to beat Michigan imo - it's got a great mix of nature and older designed buildings that sort of spread out into downtown.

UT-Austin is very different and hard to compare, but a lot depends on what you like.  Austin's buildings are more bland vs. Michigan, and overall there's just a lot more concrete between walking paths and buildings.  There's not a lot of color diversity with green grass or colorful flowers like Michigan.  It's also situated in a much larger city so you've got reasonably tall buildings nearby, lots more traffic, etc.  However, according to pretty much everyone, the living scenery (if you know what I mean) down here is much better.

I don't mind Austin's campus but if given a choice I take Michigan every time.  Just typing this makes me miss Ann Arbor.

SFBlue

September 10th, 2010 at 2:35 PM ^

Stanford's campus is a rather sterile, antiseptic environment.  It does not belong on this list, particularly as this list is from a putative "visitor's" perspective.  Palo Alto itself is somewhat less lame, but is similarly underwhelming. 

 

Campuses I've been to that are better but not on this list:

1.  Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison: more bars per capita than any campus I've been on, set between two scenic lakes, and you can buy beer in bucket-sized cups at the Student Union, which overlooks one of the lakes. 

2.  Univ. of Texas-Austin: appealing mix of geekiness, hispterdom, and cowboy culture.  A truly unique town, and sprawling beautiful campus. 

3.  Cornell: plenty of sweeping wooded hillside vistas, some classic college bars, and Ithaca is a great town to boot.  My personal favorite Ivy (probably because it more closely resembles Ann Arbor, I admit). 

4.  Univ. Oregon: scenic, weed-happy, sports-crazed place.  When I was there, you could play pick-up basketball at MacArthur Court, run laps at Prefontaine stadium, and a twenty minute drive later you could be hiking in the redwoods. 

5.  UNC-Chapel Hill: several great restaurants, classic college bars (He's Not There, Top Of The Hill, e.g.), hoops-crazed student body with pick-up games practically everywhere, quaint antebellum architecture. 

MadMonkey

September 10th, 2010 at 7:53 PM ^

I have also had the pleasure of visiting each of the campuses listed in the Top 10 (except RISD and Sewanee, although a close friend is a grad and tells me the campus is awesome).  

Obviously, opinions of this nature are subjective.  I attended business school at University of Chicago -- after eliminating Stanford after an extended visit to their campus.  I think Palo Alto is "OK", but the campus did not feel very vibrant.  I would definitely choose Cal-Berkeley on aesthetics and campus feel.  Duke and Georgetown are other schools that I prefer to Stanford.  Yep, been to those schools too.

As for the Air Force Academy, I think the natural setting is great, but I am not big on the architecture. It leaves me with the sense of a 20th century mass planned community. Just my personal taste.