Part 1: Midwest

Bear with me for a moment for I might sound like your counselor, not that there’s anything wrong with counselors—I actually quite like mine.

The vast majority of us are going to attend college after graduating from our beloved CHS. Whether you choose to stay in-state or to choose to go, let’s say, to the East coast for college, you ought to like the campus on which you will most likely be spending most of your next four or so years. And only visiting college campuses in person will give you your best judgment of the “personality,” so to speak, of whichever campus. However, unfortunately I cannot take you onto a college campus tour, so words and pictures will have to do, for now…

In Part 1, this post, there are my top college campuses picks in the Midwest. We’re going to start right at home sweet home—the lovely, scenic state of Indiana. However, let’s skip Purdue University and Indiana University because both are pretty widely advertised in our community, although the latter is probably my personal favorite. Instead, let’s begin with the University of Notre Dame.

School: University of Notre Dame

Location: Notre Dame

Religious affiliation: Roman Catholic

Campus: A private university, the University of Notre Dame is considered a medium-sized school, with around 8,500 undergraduates this year. It located in a small city just north of South Bend, IN with a suburban setting, characterized with classic college gothic architecture, as seen in many of its famous campus landmarks, including the Golden Dome and Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, which was built in 1896 as a replica for the original in Lourdes, France. The campus is also divided into “quads” or quadrangles, by definition a square or quadrangular space or court that is surrounded by buildings.

School: Washington University in St. Louis

Location: St. Louis

Campus: A medium-sized private university, Washington University in St. Louis is located in the large city of St. Louis. In addition to being one of the most prestigious universities in the U.S., it has a plethora of beautiful buildings, such as Seigle Hall and Francis Field, where the 1904 Olympic Games took place.

School: Illinois Institute of Technology

Location: Chicago

Campus: Yet another medium-sized private university, Illinois Institute of Technology is one of the most unique campuses in this post for its architecture, very fitting as they are a college of engineering. Their buildings, unlike traditional quad layouts with brick buildings, were built with mostly steel and glass, giving a very modern feel to the campus.

Colleges at a glance – Part 2 will cover my hand-picked favorite campuses on the east coast.