Every year, FORBES releases its annual list of America’s Top Colleges, crunching enormous amounts of data to determine which colleges and universities come out on top. But we know that numbers don’t tell the whole story, especially when it comes to why students love their school.
So we asked students to tell us why their colleges are worth it. And over the last six weeks, we’ve been flooded with Twitter and Instagram submissions to our #MyTopCollege competition. By the time our competition ended on July 21, we had over 1,300 unique entries.
Our submissions came from all over the country, from sunny Los Angeles (Loyola Marymount University) to the mountains of Arkansas (Ouachita Baptist University). The schools ranged in size, from tiny Cornell College in Iowa (1037 students) to Michigan State University (over 50,000). But every submission had one thing in common - they showed what can make a college, whatever location or size, feel like a home.
We heard from sorority sisters, budding scientists, and football players. Some racked up major accomplishments at their colleges; others had simpler reasons for loving their campus. Students told us how their school helped them forge friendships, travel the world, launch their careers, and even fall in love.
The Winners
Once again, California State University at Fullerton snagged the top title for large schools. Finishing strong in the last leg of the competition with nearly 100 posts in the final week of the competition alone, CSUF dominated with posts about friendship and fun on campus.
@csuf is #MyTopCollege because of student run organizations that are ranked top 10 in the world https://t.co/gMIbTa3YzZ @csufama #AMA pic.twitter.com/sZnuXzu27A
— Nick Jakel (@nickjakel13) July 14, 2017
Otterbein University finished first in the medium schools category with over three times as many as the next closest finisher. Otterbein stayed strong throughout the competition’s duration with over a dozen posts every week about travel, service and school traditions.
As a last year freshman @Otterbein I was able to participate in research and get hands on experience in the field. #MyTopCollege pic.twitter.com/MODkvD6ljg
— Ange Leone (@ange_leone) July 11, 2017
Virginia’s Sweet Briar College swept the small school category this year. Sweet Briar propelled to the top of the competition with a base of dedicated alumnae who shared their memories of the small women’s college, along with feel-good posts about female empowerment.
#MyTopCollege Sweet Briar is my Top college because there is more to learning than being in a classroom @Sweetbriaredu pic.twitter.com/EjXJCMGQjH
— Caroline Trimmer (@CarolineTrimmer) July 20, 2017
Aside from this year’s winners, a handful of other schools had such strong showings that they deserve honorable mention, including Fresno State University, the University of Iowa, California State University, Northridge, Michigan State University, Franciscan University, Bellarmine University, and the University of Mary. Best of luck next year!
Here are the top ten winners of this year’s #MyTopCollege competition:
- California State University, Fullerton
- Fresno State University
- Otterbein University
- University of Iowa
- California State University, Northridge
- Sweet Briar College
- Michigan State University
- Franciscan University
- Bellarmine University
- University of Mary
