As an American in debt for what seems the rest of my life for a Harvard degree, I am happy to live in Scandinavia where the quality of living is far superior and the elitism is practically non-existent by the ridiculous American standard.
Folks, save your money. Go to a community college and then finish it at a university or get your degree online.
This whole obsession with sending your kids to four years schools for tens of thousands of dollars is nothing but demeaning and ludicrous.
America's 25 Hot Schools
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HOTTEST FOR CITY LOVERS
New York University, New York, N.Y.
The erstwhile TV show "Felicity" helped make NYU a TV star, but in 2004-05 the campus will be home to some real-life celebrities: the Olsen twins, Mary-Kate and Ashley. Not that NYU needs extra star power. Even after September 11, the school continued to draw applications from more than 17,000 talented students. One of the top attractions is the Tisch School of the Arts, which nurtures future actors, dancers and screenwriters. The business school is also highly rated, and students can take advantage of internships on Wall Street, just a subway ride away. Although NYU doesn't have a campus in the traditional sense (the buildings are scattered throughout Greenwich Village), few students complain. Instead of a single grassy quad, they've got a whole city to explore.
HOTTEST MILITARY SCHOOL
U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md.
At Annapolis, getting in is the easy part—even though that means winning one of about 1,200 coveted tuition-free spots from among more than 14,000 applicants. The four-year curriculum is tough and technically oriented, with core requirements in engineering, natural sciences, humanities and social sciences. Traditions play a huge part in campus life. "When you first show up for classes in the fall, students begin counting down the number of days until the Army-Navy game," says Cmdr. Tim Disher, admissions officer. Graduates become commissioned officers in the Navy or the Marine Corps.
HOTTEST FOR SCHOLARSHIPS
Berea College, Berea, Ky.
Berea's mission is unique among American colleges. The 1,500 students come from families with average household incomes of only $30,000, and 80 percent have grown up in southern Appalachia, a region that spans nine states with some of the most remote and poverty-stricken rural communities in the country. All students get full-tuition scholarships, although they do have to pay for as much of their room, board and books as they can afford (scholarships are available for those as well). Students are required to work—many of them at jobs on campus that are critical to keeping Berea's costs down. Many students are also active in community service and go on to be doctors, nurses or social workers in the region.
HOTTEST FOR SURF-AND-SKI
University of California, Santa Barbara
If there's a more beautiful campus than this one at the edge of the Pacific, we haven't seen it. For many students, that would seal the deal, but UCSB also boasts Nobel Prize winners on its faculty, top research centers in science and technology and an extensive study-abroad program. The number of applicants has doubled in the past decade, with 36,651 applying for admission to the class of 2008 (19,325 were accepted). Aside from the top academics, a big draw for many is the variety of recreation. The campus has its own beaches where students can surf, and the Big Bear ski resort is just a few hours' drive away.
With Jordana Lewis, Cathleen McGuigan and Vanessa Juarez
© 2007
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