College towns may not be what makes or breaks a decision on where to go to school, but they are an important factor and should be considered.
According to the Princeton Review's "College City Gets High Marks" list, many of the nation's best college towns are big cities. As part of the publication's Best Colleges rankings series, the list is based on an extensive survey of 130,000 students at 379 schools.
When picking a college, one should consider what the town has to offer. For example, prospective drama students should look in the Big Apple for its proximity to Broadway and the plethora of other performance venues.
1. Boston University
Location: Boston Mass.
School Type: Private - research
Acceptance Rate: 37 percent, highly selective
Nearby: A quick ride on the train from downtown Boston
2. Tulane University
Location: New Orleans, La.
School Type: Private - research
Acceptance Rate: 26 percent, highly selective
Nearby: Mississippi River is within walking distance
3. DePaul University
Location: Chicago, Ill.
School Type: Private - Catholic
Acceptance Rate: 60 percent, selective
Nearby: Lincoln Park
4. New York University
Location: New York, N.Y.
School Type: Private - research
Acceptance Rate: 32 percent, highly selective
Nearby: Broadway, off-Broadway, off-off-Broadway, countless other theaters
5. George Washington University
Location: Washington, D.C.
School Type: Private - coeducational research
Acceptance Rate: 33 percent, highly selective
Nearby: Capitol Hill
6. Southern Methodist University
Location: Dallas, Texas
School Type: Private - research
Acceptance Rate: 51 percent, selective
Nearby: Dallas World Aquarium
7. City University of New York - Hunter College
Location: New York, N.Y.
School Type: Public
Acceptance Rate: 31 percent, selective
Nearby: Central Park is two blocks away
8. Columbia University
Location: New York, N.Y.
School Type: Private - Ivy League research
Acceptance Rate: 7 percent, highly selective
Nearby: In between Riverside and Morningside Parks
9. College of Charleston
Location: Charleston, S.C.
School Type: Public
Acceptance Rate: 70 percent, selective
Nearby: The Battery
10. Northeastern University
Location: Boston, Mass.
School Type: Private, research
Acceptance Rate: 32 percent, highly selective
Nearby: Fenway Park