Most desirable colleges by state

While this is an interesting statistic to look at, it doesn't really evaluate a school as most desirable...I'm not really sure what I would even catagorize this as.

what, didn't they get the memo?

The problem with using total applications is that it doesn't factor in other factors as to why students don't apply to certain schools.  Applications cost money, the application process is much more involved in some schools, and things like tuition and travel expenses factor in.

Just because I didn't apply to schools like Harvard or MIT doesn't make them less desirable.  They just were too far away, too expensive, and a waste of my time when I had a good idea where I wanted to go.

Besides, this "map" would be much more interesting if broken down my county, like the fandom maps are.  There are areas of Michigan where MSU is the much more "desirable" (obtainable?) school to apply to.

Penn State is more desirable than Penn?  I don't think so; just way more students.

I am currently on the college search, and my list includes Tennessee, Kentucky, Clemson, South Carolina, Georgia, Miami (OH), and of course, Michigan.  Simply from visits, I am surprised about South Carolina over Clemson.  IMO, Clemson had such a better atmosphere. Much more green space, and in a nicer area than Columbia.  Can't say I'm surpised about Kentucky and Georgia, though.  I was a huge fan of both of their campuses.

I think people have the covered the bases nicely in this thread.  I think the biggest problem is people are automatically conflating "prestige" with "desirability."  And furthermore, how is one definiting the term "desire'? 

Who's the most desirable girl in the bar?  The hottest looking one that probably isn't going to give you the time of day?  Or the one who's average or possibly cute, but who you definitely have a shot at?

What were the most desireable cars in America in 2013?  Were they the most PURCHASED (Ford F-Series; Chevy Silverado; Toyota Camry; Honda Accord; Dodge Ram Pickup)?  Or would it be the list of most common answers of "if you could actually have for free the car you want the most, what would it be"? (Ferrari; Tesla; Porche; Mercedes-Benz; Bentley)

To me, it seems like when the smaller schools trump the larger schools of the state on that map, they are doing exceedingly well in one of two broad categories:

1) The covetous desire category--in which it really is a presteige thing driving the dynamic.  You get out of state applications overwhelming even the applications for the giant in-state juggernaut school.  These are the Ferraris, Teslas, and Bentleys.

2) The practial & accessible. These schools might have an affordable tuition, and possibly a large but diffuse student body.  Like commuter schools, kids who just try to pick up classes here & there while they work part time, etc.  These are the Hondas and Toyotas. 

Of course, there are schools that actually somewhat fit both categories like UCLA, Texas, and Michigan.  They've got the cachet of the academics, plus they are big enough in-state public schools to lure a ton of regular in-state applicants as well.  So I'd expect any schools with the hybrid approach like that to just crush the competition in most cases.

This from a Princeton University Web site:

 "Princeton University has offered admission to 1,939 students, or 7.28 percent of the near-record 26,641 applicants for the Class of 2018 in what is expected to be the most selective admission process in the University's history."

And this:

 "Of the applicants, 11,453 had a 4.0 grade point average, and 13,477 had scores of 2,100 or higher on the three sections of the SAT. Among the high schools that rank their students, 97 percent of the admitted applicants are in the top 10 percent of their class. The pool included more than 8,900 high schools from more than 146 countries around the world."

My point being that those >20,000 applications were largely, already self-selected. I mean, if you didn't have a or near a 4-point in core classes from a reputable school and a >2000 SAT, why bother applying? If everyone regardless of credentials who had the money --- or could get it --- and would like to go to Princeton applied for admission, the number of apps would grow dramatically.  

So ranking colleges on applications received has to be a rather dubious way of determining popularity.