America's 25 Hot Schools

HOTTEST FOR HOT AND DRY
Pomona College, Claremont, Calif.
Students at Pomona (one of five colleges in the Claremont University Consortium) like to say they have the best of two worlds: the academically challenging environment of a small New England liberal-arts college with year-round California sunshine. That combination has been drawing more students from around the country, and applications are up 30 percent in the last few years. Students also can tap the academic and social resources of the other Claremont colleges, including Pitzer, Harvey Mudd and Scripps. But none of the colleges will be tapping a keg during "dry week," a tradition at the start of the year during which no alcohol is allowed on campus. "Alcohol isn't the center of the social universe at Pomona," says Bruce Poch, dean of admissions. All those palm trees are enough of a high.

HOTTEST STATE UNIVERSITY
University of Texas at Austin
Austin is the "live-music capital of the world" and home to the University of Texas—a campus so laid-back it should be deemed the capital of flip-flops as well. But don't get the wrong idea: this isn't a place for slackers. With 50,000 students (more than any other school in the country), UT boasts some of the nation's best business, law and engineering schools. If football isn't your thing (that'll change), one of the 900 student organizations should spark your interest. Best of all, even out-of-state tuition (about $12,000) is cheaper than at a private university, making it possible to ditch the ramen and try the barbecue.

HOTTEST FOR GETTING A JOB
Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Hands-on experience is a key part of life at Carnegie Mellon, says Michael Steidel, director of admissions. The 1,360 students in the freshman class apply to one of the school's 12 programs; computer science, engineering and drama are most popular. The school takes pride in being on the cutting edge in every field and encourages students to think about applying what they learn to the real world. "We start working with students as freshmen to get them thinking about what's possible in terms of what your education can do," Steidel says. That approach seems to be paying off both in the number of applications (they've more than doubled in the last decade) and in the value of a Carnegie Mellon degree: about 70 percent of students have a job offer when they graduate (an additional 30 percent go right to graduate school).

HOTTEST FOR ENTREPRENEURS
Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pa.
Although it's probably best known for football, Penn State is also staking a strong claim as a training ground for future entrepreneurs. Six of the campus's 10 undergraduate colleges offer entrepreneurship courses. The Smeal College of Business and the College of Engineering are the most natural partners, with joint programs to show engineers how to run businesses and to teach business students the latest technology. Hotel-management students operate two on-campus hotels and conference centers where they're involved in everything from food service to staffing the front desk. The College of Communications focuses on entrepreneurship in the Information Age. But the creme de la creme (literally) is the Creamery, officially a "working laboratory" for food-science students in the College of Agricultural Sciences. While those students learn the basics of product development and marketing, other Penn Staters savor some of the best ice cream around, like Peachy Paterno (named after the legendary football coach).

HOTTEST FOR HEALTH CAREERS
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, N.C.
One of the top public universities in the country, UNC-Chapel Hill offers students a choice of more than 50 majors. But what really draws future doctors, nurses and other health professionals is the opportunity to study at a campus with all health disciplines in one place. The School of Nursing and the School of Public Health both have undergraduate programs. At the School of Medicine, undergrads can earn degrees in radiologic science or clinical laboratory practice. With all these resources, it's not surprising that biology, psychology and nursing are among the top majors. Linda Cronenwett, dean of the School of Nursing, says "a history of collaboration grew up that enhanced the work of all our disciplines."

HOTTEST FOR INDIVIDUALISTS
Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio
Two schools make up Oberlin—the College of Arts and Sciences and the Conservatory of Music—and an idiosyncratic approach to life and learning is a virtue throughout the campus. Consider the innovative subject matter of some first-year seminars: Death and the Art of Dying, American Mixed Blood, and Destination: L.A. The student-run Experimental College lets undergraduates teach courses of their own creation, like Making Your Own Mobile or Mythology and Epic Storytelling in "Lord of the Rings." This eccentricity gets results: Oberlin graduates have more Ph.D.s than alumni of any other liberal-arts college. They also include comic-strip artist David Rees, New York Magazine editor Adam Moss and opera singer Indira Mahajan.
 
HOTTEST FOR CITY HATERS
Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y.
Technically, Ithaca is a city, but no one would mistake it for Manhattan. Cornell's rural, upstate New York campus is bounded by deep gorges (prompting the bumper sticker ithaca is gorges). Even during the long winters, many students say the scenery is spectacular—a good antidote to a demanding course schedule that students call the toughest of the Ivies. The school's biggest draw is its academic diversity, with top-ranked undergraduate schools of engineering, arts and sciences, architecture, hotel administration, industrial and labor relations, agriculture and human ecology. Another plus is the food, considered to be among the best campus cuisines in the country.