Stefanie Waldek, Katherine McLaughlin, Elizabeth Stamp, Maya Chawla
Though all of these schools are beautiful, for a college campus to be considered the coolest, we think it has to transcend aesthetics alone. Perhaps the award should go to Mount Holyoke with its strong focus on sustainability. All new constructions on campus are built to meet LEED silver requirements, and older ones have been renovated where appropriate to conserve energy. However, a modernist devotee may push back and say Florida Southern College is the coolest—not just because of the 13 beautiful Frank Lloyd Wright–designed buildings on the ground, but because it’s the site with the highest volume of Wright structures in one place. But nature lovers might argue for the scenic setting of the University of California, Santa Cruz, which overlooks the Pacific Ocean. And, of course, when it comes to cool, it’s hard to beat a campus surrounded by the energy of a big city such as Columbia. All 64 schools on this list are AD-approved; after reading, decide for yourself which campus should be crowned the coolest.
