Why I Picked Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, Massachusetts)
Yiping Xing, 2015 graduate
When I first visited MIT, I fell in love with the innovative spirit that permeates the campus.
MIT doesn’t simply teach you science or knowledge; it trains you to be a scientist and problem-solver, giving you many opportunities to apply what you learn. As a biology student interested in health care, I was able to work in a drug delivery lab tasked with developing more effective cancer therapies. As I head to medical school, I am confident that MIT has equipped me with the skills I need to thrive.
Why I Picked Cooper Union (New York City)
Nick Pacula, 2015 graduate
I chose to attend the Cooper Union because of its reputation for having one of the most innovative architecture programs in the country, its ability to take advantage of New York City’s world-class cultural and professional offerings, and its strong support of student-led research projects.
Through a school fellowship, I was able to fund a trip to Beirut, where I spent two weeks living and working in a Palestinian refugee camp. My colleagues and I imagined new infrastructures that could be developed to more easily circulate clean drinking water throughout the camp. This project was just one of the ways the school helped me better understand the critical role architects can play in improving the lives of others.
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Why I Picked the University of Illinois — Urbana-Champaign (Champaign, Illinois)
Matthew Hill, 2015 graduate
My high school prided itself on enrolling the highest number of students at the University of Illinois, and I didn’t want to get lost in that number. However, during my campus visit, I was impressed by how engaged everyone was.
Initially I thought the school was too big for me to become a leader, but I embraced the challenge and became student body vice president. My role let me cultivate my own passion: using communication strategies to catalyze change. I helped bring the ” It’s On Us” campaign to campus, the national effort to stop college sexual assaults.
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Why I Picked Wake Forest University (Winston-Salem, North Carolina)
Harsh Patolia, senior
It took only one visit for me to fall in love with Wake Forest. As a researcher at the school’s Institute for Regenerative Medicine, I have worked in a lab to process 3-D images of organs, which allowed me to see some of the cutting-edge advances that technology is bringing to medicine. I am a biophysics major but have thrived by taking advantage of the diverse experiences Wake offers. Two of my favorite classes have included one on Latin American literature and a survey of Slavic literature.
Wake Forest also encourages students to take advantage of study abroad opportunities. It is this combination of classroom, research and service experience that has prepared me well for a medical career and developed my interest in public policy.
Why I Picked the University of Notre Dame (Notre Dame, Indiana)
Lesley Stevenson, senior
For college, I wanted more than great academics; I wanted a community. Notre Dame gave me both. I discovered my passion for media studies with the help of my first-year adviser and my advisers in Film, Television and Theatre and American studies. My FTT adviser agreed to direct my senior thesis on the “Harry Potter” films, for which I received funding to do research in London.
This student body that lives and learns together continually challenges me to think beyond my homework, too. I spent two months in rural Peru teaching English through a Notre Dame-sponsored service-learning program. The school’s religious identity encourages the belief that knowledge can be used as a force for good.
Why I Picked the University of California –Santa Barbara (Santa Barbara, California)
Amy Levitt, 2015 graduate
I chose the University of California–Santa Barbara because of its beautiful surroundings overlooking the Pacific, its supportive community and its reputation as a top academic institution. As a freshman, I knew I wanted to study political science, but I didn’t realize how hugely supportive the faculty would be, as when they encouraged me to intern with my local congresswoman and to seize the opportunity to spend six months in Ireland studying international relations and law at Trinity College Dublin.
The professors at UCSB are extremely friendly and accessible. They have always answered my questions and given me great advice so that I now find myself headed to law school and a career in international law.
Why I Picked New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (Socorro, New Mexico)
Austin DeHart, 2015 graduate
New Mexico Tech is a comfortably small state technical school set an hour outside Albuquerque that focuses almost exclusively on science and engineering. I decided to go to NMT because it was easy to get into (a one-page application form!), affordable and offers a specialization in astrophysics — my focus.
The math and science courses are extremely tough, but professors are always eager to help. NMT encourages students to do as much hands-on research as possible; it even has its own explosives facility, where students frequently detonate experiments. The school has given me a rigorous, quality education that has enabled me to head debt-free to grad school.
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Why I Picked Villanova University (Villanova, Pennsylvania)
Margaret Lamb, senior
Villanova was the first place I visited because my parents met and married at the university and loved it. Villanova reflects the spirit of St. Augustine, who once said, “The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.”
I found a home in the Villanova honors program, where I took part in the two-year Global Scholars: Politics, Philosophy, and Economics program that culminated in a semester abroad in London. I found another home in Campus Ministry, which I joined on three service trips. I found a home in my majors, especially Global Interdisciplinary Studies, where I had the chance to craft my own understanding of Augustine’s quote — to become a global citizen aware of the world’s complexities.
Why I Picked the University of Denver (Denver, Colorado)
Anna Gauldin, 2015 graduate
As soon as I visited the campus, I knew DU would be a great fit for me. Not only is it beautiful — a mix of historic buildings and modern architecture just 15 minutes from downtown Denver — but it also boasts one of the top study abroad programs in the country. My junior year, I spent four months living in Cork, Ireland.
DU also has six living-and-learning communities that bring like-minded students together. Beyond academics, DU is ideally situated for outdoor adventurers with its proximity to ski resorts and 14,000-foot mountain peaks for hiking enthusiasts.
This story is excerpted from the U.S. News “Best Colleges 2016” guidebook, which features in-depth articles, rankings and data.
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