Top 5 Prettiest College Campuses in the Country

There are a lot of things that go into picking the right college. There's the academic experience, proximity to home, price, and of course, what the party scene is like. And yet, one factor that many potential students overlook (but perhaps shouldn't) is the physical beauty of the campus. After all, if you're committing to spending the next four years of your life in a place, it might as well be a place you don't mind looking at.

In honor of the importance of aesthetics we have listed, below, the five most beautiful college campuses in the country, places that will win your heart with the sheer attractiveness of their grounds.

5. Colgate University

No, this school does not look like a tube of toothpaste. On the contrary, the campus of Colgate University, a liberal arts college in upstate New York, is one of the most beautiful in the country, a landscaped hillock complete with forest, pond, and acres of grasssy lawn. More than any other school on the list, Colgate's campus just exudes bucolic charm, the kind of farm-turned-college that anyone with a passion for the rustic would find unbelievably appealing.

4. Sewanee - The University of the South

Looking for a more Gothic vibe? Look no further than Sewanee, the Tennessee University with more Southern charm than you can handle. Sewanee also gets extra-points for uniformity. Almost every building on campus has the same sort of grand, magisterial, gothic look, an aesthetic simultaneously charming and intimidating, just the combination suitable for a college.

3. Elon University

Perhaps the least well-known college on the list, Elon University nevertheless impresses with its idyllic venue, a campus that embodies the very soul of its native North Carolina. From the gushing fountains to the manicured lawns, Elon is perhaps the most well-cared-for campus in the country, a veritable country club in terms of the sheer amount of money and maintenance poured into the grounds. Plus, the academics are nothing to scoff at, just another reason Elon will come to the front of everyone's radar in the coming years.

2. Princeton University

Of course, any list of beautiful campuses would be remiss without a mention of New Jersey's Princeton University, one of the oldest and most elite colleges in the country. From its manicured shrubs, to its almost Arthurian architecture, this school is a real stunner, a remnant of the old style of education left back in Britain when the pilgrims came to the New World. But good luck getting in! Princeton was recently ranked the best college in the country by US News and World Report with a 7.4% acceptance rate, one of the lowest in the country.

1. Kenyon College

And, in the number one spot, the the prettiest campus in the country: Kenyon College, a small liberal arts school in rural Ohio that looks exactly how you'd think an institution of higher learning should look. From its gothic buildings, to its highly centralized layout, to the unbelievable interior of its dining hall (can anyone say Hogwarts), Kenyon truly is the archetype for a college campus, a place that everyone should visit at least once in their lives just to see how awe-inspiring a college campus can really be.