The TRENDIEST Colleges

We're not talking best. We're not talking brightest. We're talking most desired. After comparing the New York Times' list of 2010-2011 application increases, Collegeprowler.com's "Top Colleges" list (which includes student rankings of academics, the student body, nightlife and campus facilities), Princeton Review's 2010 list of the "Happiest Colleges" and the "New Ivies" lists from Newsweek and unigo.com, we put together a group of schools that, as of 2011, are doing something right.

With drastic application increases and soaring student reviews, we give you 2011's TRENDIEST COLLEGES.

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Macalester College: Trendiest "Quirky Intellectual" School

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The small liberal arts school in Saint Paul Minnesota would have made this list due to the sheer influx of 2011 applications alone. Specifically, from 2010 to 2011, applications increased by 40.63%. (with 4,217 applying in 2010 and 6,071 applying in 2011). In a recent article, Dean of Admissions Lorne Robinson attributed the increase to several changes in the admissions process, namely that Macalester adopted the Common Application and offered to waive the $40 application fee if students filled out the first part of the application by November 15. And though a great percentage of the increase may be attributable to technicalities, the school's appeal isn't unfounded. The school was ranked 22nd in the nation in Washington Monthly's College Guide. It was named "America's Hottest Liberal Arts College" by the 2006 Kaplan/Newsweek "How to Get into College" Guide. It was listed as one of Newsweek.com's 25 "New Ivies." And in 2007, the Princeton Review rated the college as having the #1 best quality of life. Said one student reviewer of her experience, "We're rated among the 10 Nerdiest Colleges in the United States, but we always have fun. Every weekend there are campus-organized dances and other activities, student initiated hang-outs, and off-campus options." Haven't you heard? Nerdy's the new hip. And whatever this school has been doing, it's been working!

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The small liberal arts school in Saint Paul Minnesota would have made this list due to the sheer influx of 2011 applications alone. Specifically, from 2010 to 2011, applications increased by 40.63%. (with 4,217 applying in 2010 and 6,071 applying in 2011). In a recent article, Dean of Admissions Lorne Robinson attributed the increase to several changes in the admissions process, namely that Macalester adopted the Common Application and offered to waive the $40 application fee if students filled out the first part of the application by November 15. And though a great percentage of the increase may be attributable to technicalities, the school's appeal isn't unfounded. The school was ranked 22nd in the nation in Washington Monthly's College Guide. It was named "America's Hottest Liberal Arts College" by the 2006 Kaplan/Newsweek "How to Get into College" Guide. It was listed as one of Newsweek.com's 25 "New Ivies." And in 2007, the Princeton Review rated the college as having the #1 best quality of life. Said one student reviewer of her experience, "We're rated among the 10 Nerdiest Colleges in the United States, but we always have fun. Every weekend there are campus-organized dances and other activities, student initiated hang-outs, and off-campus options." Haven't you heard? Nerdy's the new hip. And whatever this school has been doing, it's been working!

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Comments

[avery t]

06:10 PM on 07/30/2011

what about brandeis?! it's very trendy among jews who didn't get accepted by yale or columbia. or sarah lawrence, which is really trendy among the children of celebrities and drag queens with high iq's.

[Tony581]

07:46 PM on 07/18/2011

I loved my undergraduate years at Yale (Pierson College) and I also had the good fortune to be a professor at Washington U. for 15 years. Both of the schools are wonderful, as are the other ones on this list.

[FSView]

10:33 AM on 07/13/2011

One of the best dressed colleges in the nation- FSU! Check out why we were named #3
http://bit.ly/qH0oG9

[Bruce Wilson]

04:43 PM on 07/11/2011

My late father was a professor @ Macalester & I grew up on the campus. Great school.

[onyourleft]

05:49 PM on 07/07/2011

When my daughter returned from her pre-college visit to Macalester, she said that it seemed like a great fit for her. She actually said, "the people there seemed quirky, but also intellectual." Now she is a rising freshman (class of 2016 since she has opted to take a gap year) and it seems like it's a great match. Go Mac.

[usaf 1832]

04:45 PM on 07/02/2011

Soooo much construction at Case Western and University Circle...the area is becoming a gem very quickly, if not already.

Having the Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland Orchestra, Cleveland Museum of Art, University Hospitals/Rainbow Babies, Botanical Gardens, Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), Cleveland Institute of Art, Cleveland Institute of Music, and Little Italy neighborhood on campus or as neighborhoods doesn't hurt either...

[Michael Giammo]

04:25 PM on 07/02/2011

The neighborhood that Case Western Reserve University is located is completely BOOMING right now -- over $2 BILLION in construction is underway or has been completely within the past 3 years.

This area in Cleveland, known as University Circle, is going to help Case with rankings for years to come.

[adg2015]

12:09 AM on 07/02/2011

How many of these colleges are Stanford? Zero. This poll is bunk.

[veritas88]

08:25 PM on 07/01/2011

Yale students are very happy. But we need more straight guys here! The dating pool for straight females could be A LOT better.

[TheNearlySane]

06:11 PM on 07/01/2011

Macalester People: let's play a game. It's called "Who do you see in this picture?"

[HonkyTonkMan]

12:37 PM on 07/01/2011

That pic of Macalester embodies everything I hate about the Twin Cities. (I live there.)

[Jorjor91]

03:19 PM on 07/01/2011

That's funny because when I was applying to colleges 2 years ago, I didn't even consider Macalester because I live about 20 minutes away (I wanted to far from home), but this article makes me think that maybe I was missing something. And, what exactly do you hate so much the TC's? I happen to love it.

[TobacXela]

10:38 AM on 07/05/2011

I feel similarly! I live in the Twin Cities and decided to go to Connecticut for college (at another "trendy college" on this list, actually) because I didn't want to be too close to home. While I don't regret it, I do get homesick thinking about Macalester! I took classes there in high school and loved it.

[Addy Free]

11:50 AM on 07/06/2011

That's a little incendiary, isn't it? Why don't you tell folks why you feel this way.

[armstrong st]

11:50 AM on 07/01/2011

This is a great list! I'm just wondering how the list was composed. Was there some sort of a poll or was it put together randomly?

Steve from www.essaytask.com

[TrueNorth88]

08:40 PM on 07/15/2011

The list was composed using the percentage increase in 2011 admissions.

[Saif Quadri]

09:49 AM on 07/01/2011

Why isn't Greendale Community College on the list?? lol

[Emerenciana75]

09:29 AM on 07/01/2011

My nephew went to Columbia. Graduated 3 years ago with a degree in screenwrit­ing.

http://bit.ly/jsrvfz

[Christine Friar]

08:13 AM on 07/01/2011

OMG THATS MY REVIEW FROM WHEN I WAS A STUDENT AND NOW I WORK AT HUFFPOST AND AM READING MY REVIEW QUOTED IN AN ARTICLE ABOUT HOW MY ALMA MATER IS TRENDY

[TobacXela]

10:39 AM on 07/05/2011

Are the Caps Lock keys at HuffPost broken?

[sunshinefiasco]

06:19 AM on 08/21/2011

Seriously, I'm not sure whether to be disappointed that a fellow alum is making posts like this, or that a paid writer is making posts like this.