Californication

California is like the eutopia for many who live in the United States. Warm weather, beautiful ocean, and gorgeous women. Stanford University is located farther north in California and is one of the top universities in the nation. It is ranked as number 4 on the list of Top Colleges in America by USNews.com. It is a very prestigious school and is right up there with Harvard, Yale, and Princeton.

Stanford was found in 1885 and has no religious affiliation. It is located in a somewhat suburban setting, as is most of the western coast of California. The school is very selective and has a medium to large student body with about 6,422 undergraduate students. The tuition is quite pricey and is about $34,800. Room and board then costs an additional $10,808. Even though it is expensive, the student is definitely getting the bang for the buck.

At Stanford, about 90% of the students live in college-operated or college-affiliated housing. Another plus is that all college housing is equipped with wireless internet, which is like most colleges these days. I myself did not have the grades to get into Stanford, but if one dedicates himself, then Stanford is definitely a possibility.

Academia is definitely a huge part of Stanford. The school is known for its great curriculum and helps challenge the students. Stanford also has a great School of Medicine for those interested in pursuing that particular career path. If one is looking to excell in athletics as well, then Stanford has a great sports program. They are Division I NCAA and have a pretty good football team. They have many club and intramural sports in which students can participate in. Stanford is a great school where students will get a great education and will be in one of the most beautiful locations in the United States.

"Where the Women Flow Like The Salmon of Capastrano"

Imagine this...The sun in beaming down on a gorgeous day. Everyday is like this. A high of 75 degrees. Palm trees can be seen everywhere and the beach is across the street. Everywhere you look there are gorgeous people. There are tan girls everywhere. This is the life at University of California at Santa Barbara.

This school could be in one of the most enticing locations in the United States. California is amazing and many want to go there to visit the cliffs of Malibu, or the hills in Laguna Beach. Whatever the reason, there is one universal fact that California is gorgeous. UC Santa Barbara is a state school located north of Los Angeles. The school was founded in 1909 and has an extra large student body. In fact, there are about 18,212 undergraduate students. The school is highly selective and is located in a suburban area right across from the beach.

The cost of tuition is about $26, 964 for out of state students and $7,896 for students in state. Room and board costs are about $11, 000 so says USNews.com's America's Best Colleges of 2008. About %30 percent of the students live in college housing, which is very little compared to other universities. The school is really nice and has a pretty good education.

UC Santa Barbara was one of my first choices originally for colleges. I was determined to go to California for college and there was absolutely no way that I was going to go to college anywhere else. However, I changed my mind and all my schools now are on the east coast. I still wished that I was going to go to California for college, but it would just be too far from home. If you're looking for a great school, with great location, and gorgeous women, then UC Santa Barbara is the place for you.

The College of the Holy Cross

A couple of weeks ago I traveled up to Worcester, Massachusetts and visited the College of the Holy Cross. It is a Roman Catholic liberal arts school and has much to offer. It was first established on November 2, 1843. The school has about 2,900 undergraduate students and costs about $35,142 per year in tuition and board so says USNews.com's America's Best Colleges of 2008. The school is in a somewhat urban setting since it is right in Worcester, Massachusetts and his fairly selective in picking the students.

When I went there, I was very impressed at the campus. The campus is located on a very large hill with a fairly steep incline, but looks amazing. As I was driving up the main driveway, I looked around at the gorgeous buildings. I then learned that they were undergoing a multi-million dollar project and would have a new science building built by 2010 or so. I took a tour and was able to see the whole school. The class sizes were fairly small, which is a good thing. That way the student can become close with the professors.

As I was walking around I finally came to the library. Inside was a nice area to study and a place with many computers for students to do their work. It all seemed very quaint. The tourguide then took me through the dorm halls and I was able to see what they looked like. They all seemed pretty spacious and enough room for 2 people. From there, I decided that I wanted to go see the athletic facility.

As I walked up the hill I noticed this large building in front of me. As I walked in I could see that this facility was pretty nice. On the right, I looked and saw a large ice hockey arena that was amazing. I love hockey and they have a great hockey team. I then saw their basketball arena and was surprised how nice it was. Apparantly basketball is a large part of the winter sports season at Holy Cross. Holy Cross participates in the Patriot League and also has a great football team. Their field is very nice and makes me want to play a sport there.

About 90% of the undergraduate students live on campus or in some college-owned house. One major thing about the College of Holy Cross is that it does not have any greek life. There are no sororities or fraternities on campus. So if this does not bother you then there is no problem. I was fairly impressed with the College of Holy Cross, but it was not as nice as Boston College. If you have the grades, go to Boston College. Otherwise, Holy Cross would be a great choice and still has great academics.

Right in the Heart of Colorado

Located in the mile high city, University of Denver is an amazing place to go to college. I have been to Colorado many times throughout my life to go snowboarding and it is awesome in the winter. I also hear that Colorado is gorgeous during the summer and there are so many things to do. Denver is a great town that has everything for the college student.

At 2199 South University Boulevard in Denver, Colorado lies the University of Denver, which is ranked #85 on USNews.com's America's Best Colleges of 2008. This school has everything to offer to a student. The school was founded in 1864 and has no religious affiliation. There are currently about 5,122 undergraduate students enrolled and is a private institution. It is in a suburban to urban area and has many shops and other cool places nearby. The cost of the school is close to $40,000 per year including tuition, room, and board.

Like other colleges, the University of Denver is completely wireless, meaning that a student can access the internet from basically anywhere that is affiliated with the college. About half of the students live on campus at DU, 46% to be exact. The greek life at UD isn't really that big with only 15% of males entered in fraternities and only 11% of females in sororities. This is actually close to the numbers of most colleges so do not let that turn you off.

UD is also a great place to go for sports. I know of a couple people at my school who are actually going there for lacrosse. They have everything a student could ask for, such as club sports, intermural, and varsity sports. DU's campus is breathtaking and has a huge tower that stands out wherever one is. If a student wants a great school, with a great town not far away, then University of Denver is the place. Whether it's summer or winter, anyone can have a great time in Denver.

Boston College: Heaven On Earth

wJust last weekend I traveled to Boston to visit some colleges. My main purpose was to visit the College of Holy Cross in Worcester, but I decided to see other colleges as well. We flew in on Sunday morning and met up with my parent's friends. The man asked us what we wanted to see and I said "Boston!" I had never been there before and was eager to see the city. Driving through, I was amazed at how clean and nice Boston seemed. Everyone seemed so nice. We drove past Fenway Park and then by Harvard and Boston University.

After our tour of Boston, we decided to head to Boston College. The daughter of the man we were staying with happened to be a sophomore at BC. He said she would have no objection to giving us a tour. We finally arrived at her dorm, which was actually really nice. She is in the Honors Program, so she got primo housing this year. We walked in and I first noticed how there was a common area in the middle of the dorm. The dorms were coed with girls on one side and guys on the other. The dorm rooms were the nicest that I have seen so far and I was very impressed.

She took us around the campus and first showed us the athletic center. We weren't able to go inside, but I was able to see the stadium which was awesome. She also told us how there was an amazing ice hockey arena and how the basketball games were huge. From there, she showed us the freshman dorms where she stayed last year, and they weren't nearly as nice as the ones she was in the year. There were these houses in the middle of the whole freshman dorm area and it had pool tables, TV's, and places to just relax.

Our "guide" then took us to the school store, which was really nice and had a wide selection of BC fan fare to choose from. Our last destination was the library, which was huge. There were about 5 floors for the student to study on. There was a tech station where someone could bring there laptop and have it fixed in a flash. I was very pleased with BC's campus and liked it the most out of all the colleges I had visited. One thing that was very appealing was that it was so close to Boston and a student could literally hop on the tram and take it 15 min before being downtown.

Boston College has about 9,020 undergraduate students and is located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. The cost of BC is about $46,000, with room and board. It may seem steep, but you are getting everything out of it. BC has a great athletic program along with amazing academics. Boston College is very selective, but if one has the grades to get in, I would strongly recommend it.

So You Want A Great Liberal Arts School? Lehigh is Just For You

Beautiful campus, great people, wonderful athletic facilities, what's not to like? Lehigh University is a top-notch liberal arts school, which is well-known throughout the nation. As one of my top college choices, Lehigh provides everything that a student needs. The atmosphere is awesome and makes everything seem so peaceful. Lehigh, unlike other schools, does not have a religious affiliation so students will not feel like they are obligated to practice a religion.

Located on 27 Memorial Drive West lies Lehigh University. The school was founded in 1865 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The school has a medium to small student body with about 4, 743 undergrads. Lehigh is located in a nice urban area, so there is plenty to do on the weekends. The cost of Lehigh per year is pretty hefty at $38,000 not including room and boarding fees. U.S. News ranked Lehigh number 31 on the list of Top National Colleges and Universities of 2008.

Lehigh has much to offer including a wireless network system. This means that a student can be pretty much anywhere and be able to access the internet with just a wireless card on his or her pc. This is a great advantage. Say one wants to have some coffee at the on campus coffee shop. He could go there, relax, and access the internet all at once. A lot of colleges offer this, which is very beneficial for the student.

About 70% of the students live in a college-owned or affiliated building. Meaning, that many students live in dorms. Close to 35% of male undergrad students join fraternities, which is actually a large number. For the other gender, about 38% of female undergrad students join sororities. This just shows that the greek life on campus at Lehigh is rather important, so if one is wanting to join a fraternity or sorority, then go for it.

Lehigh also has great athletic facilities and a good athletics program. The athletics participate in NCAA Division I. I know many people that are going to Lehigh for sports and are ecstatic. One of my friends visited and said that the fields and facilities were gorgeous and could not wait to play on them. Many sports are offered for men and women. Lehigh is an all around great school that can provide students with great resources.

Villa-No-Fun?...I Think Not

I recently heard from several people that Villanova University was coined with the name "Villa-No-Fun." However, after visiting Villanova in Philadelphia, that nickname does not seem like it would apply. Villanova is a private university that has a Roman Catholic background. The motto at Villanova is "Veritas, Unitas, Caritas," which means truth, unity and charity. Villanova, is a small to medium sized school and has about 7,300 undergraduate students. The tuition at Villanova ranges from about $35,000 to $37,000.

A couple weeks ago, I visited Villanova and was not sure if I was going to like it or not. I had just looked at Drexel, Bucknell, and Penn State and was ready to look at another school. As I approached the campus, I saw fairly new restaurants and shops that were literally less than 5 minutes away from the school. The first impression I got of Villanova was that it looked beautiful. The old style Romanesque buildings overwhelmed me. I walked up to the admissions office and talked to a senior who was really nice and gave me some general information on the school. She said that most people live on campus for the first three years, and then by senior year, many decide to live off campus. I then decided to walk around the school and just see what it had to offer.

First, I went to this hangout area that had many couches and comfy areas to study. There was also a little coffee shop where one could get drinks or snacks. There was also a huge room with pool table, ping pong tables, and other fun stuff. After that, I walked around the campus and everyone looked like they were having fun. I headed to the athletics building and took a look at the stadium. It was no Penn State, but it was still very nice. Villanova's athletics are Division I and seem pretty good. As I was leaving Villanova, I called up my mother's friend who graduated from Villanova to see if it was really "Villa-No-Fun." He told me that he had a great time and that whoever calls it that does not know what happens at Villanova. That made me feel good and I had a very positive outlook on Villanova as I was leaving.

Villanova is now one of my top college choices for 2008. The medium sized student body, athletics, and atmosphere all blend together to form a top notch university. The people were really friendly and begged me to come there. The only setback is that the fraternities are located off campus, so if someone's looking to visit a notorious frat party, he/she will have to walk a little while. My view of Villanova University changed ten-fold after I visited there. My advice to anyone is to go visit a college before applying to see the actual life on campus. Go to Villanova soon and decide for yourself if it's really called "Villa-No-Fun".