THE COLLEGE REVIEW, 2023

Just like many of my colleagues and friends, the long and tedious search for the next four years of my life has begun. The decision of where to go to college is likely one of the most important decisions for a young adult, not only in terms of future success, but also in terms of long-term happiness. Many people are also still struggling to find out what path they want to take in life. For most, a college major will come to dictate how the rest of your life will evolve before your eyes: affecting your career, social life, and security. Majors can vary from school to school, with each college having a different name for the same course, and each program will exercise its own degree of rigor and intensity, so making a decision for what's best for your major can feel like a monumental task. So this article will help, at least in part, decode the puzzling world of college applications. My list will omit most of the Ivy League or elite level schools, which are always among the highest ranked schools in any given major, but this list is meant to focus more specifically on the attainable and affordable schools whose programs give you the most bang for your buck. All statistics according to USNEWS or Niche.

Computer Science:

• Carnegie Mellon University

  • Pittsburgh, PA

  • #4 Computer Science

  • #22 National

  • 14% Acceptance

• University of Illinois--Urbana-Champaign

  • Urbana, IL

  • #5 Computer Science (tie)

  • #41 National

  • 60% Acceptance

• University of Washington

  • Seattle, WA

  • #5 Computer Science (tie)

  • #55 National

  • 53% Acceptance

• Georgia Tech

  • Atlanta, GA

  • #8 Computer Science (tie)

  • #44 National

  • 18% Acceptance

• University of Texas - Austin

  • Austin, TX

  • #8 Computer Science (tie)

  • #38 National

  • 29% Acceptance

Communications:

• University of Southern California (USC)

• Los Angeles, CA

• #1 Communications

• #25 National

• 13% Acceptance

• University of Texas - Austin

  • Austin, TX

  • #3 Communications

  • #38 National

  • 29% Acceptance

• University of Florida

  • Gainesville, FL

  • #6 Communications

  • #29 National

  • 30% Acceptance

• University of Georgia

  • Athens, GA

  • #7 Communications

  • #49 National

  • 40% Acceptance

• Boston University

  • Boston, MA

  • #8 Communications

  • #41 National

  • 19% Acceptance

Government / Political Science:

• University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

  • Ann Arbor, MI

  • #4 Political Science

  • #25 National

  • 20% Acceptance

• University of California San Diego (UCSD)

  • La Jolla, CA

  • #8 Political Science (tie)

  • #34 National

  • 34% Acceptance

• University of California Los Angeles (UCLA)

  • Los Angeles, CA

  • #12 Political Science (tie)

  • #20 National

  • 11% Acceptance

• University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

  • Durham, NC

  • #12 Political Science (tie)

  • #29 National

  • 19% Acceptance

• Washington University in Saint Louis

  • St. Louis, MO

  • #12 Political Science (tie)

  • #15 National

  • 13% Acceptance

Business:

• University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

  • Ann Arbor, MI

  • #8 in Business

  • #25 National

  • 20% Acceptance

• University of Virginia

  • Charlottesville, VA

  • #14 in Business

  • #25 National

  • 21% Acceptance

• University of Southern California (USC)

• Los Angeles, CA

• #15 in Business

• #25 National

• 13% Acceptance

• Emory University

  • Atlanta, GA

  • #17 in Business

  • #22 National

  • 13% Acceptance

• Carnegie Mellon University

  • Pittsburgh, PA

  • #18 Computer Science

  • #22 National

  • 14% Acceptance

Economics:

• New York University

  • New York City, NY

  • #11 in Economics

  • #25 National

  • 13% Acceptance

• University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

  • Ann Arbor, MI

  • #12 Economics (tie)

  • #25 National

  • 20% Acceptance

• University of California San Diego (UCSD)

  • La Jolla, CA

  • #14 Economics (tie)

  • #34 National

  • 34% Acceptance

• University of Wisconsin

  • Madison, WI

  • #14 Economics (tie)

  • #38 National

  • 60% Acceptance

• University of Minnesota

  • Minneapolis, MN

  • #18 Economics

  • #62 National

  • 73% Acceptance

ELA / Literature:

• University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

  • Ann Arbor, MI

  • #8 in English

  • #25 National

  • 20% Acceptance

• University of Virginia

  • Charlottesville, VA

  • #11 in English

  • #25 National

  • 21% Acceptance

• Rutgers University

  • New Brunswick, NJ

  • #17 in English

  • #55 National

  • 68% Acceptance

• University of Texas - Austin

  • Austin, TX

  • #17 in English

  • #38 National

  • 29% Acceptance

• New York University

  • New York City, NY

  • #11 in Economics

  • #25 National

  • 13% Acceptance

Nursing:

• Emory University

  • Atlanta, GA

  • #1 in Nursing MA

  • #22 National

  • 13% Acceptance

• University of Washington

  • Seattle, WA

  • #4 Nursing MA (tie)

  • #55 National

  • 53% Acceptance

• Vanderbilt University

  • Nashville, TN

  • #6 Nursing MA (tie)

  • #13 National

  • 7% Acceptance

• Ohio State University

  • Columbus, OH

  • #8 Nursing MA (tie)

  • #49 National

  • 57% Acceptance

• University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

  • Ann Arbor, MI

  • #8 Nursing MA (tie)

  • #25 National

  • 20% Acceptance

Chemical Engineering:

• Georgia Tech

  • Atlanta, GA

  • #2 Chemical Engineering (tie)

  • #44 National

  • 18% Acceptance

• University of Minnesota

  • Minneapolis, MN

  • #6 Chemical Engineering

  • #62 National

  • 73% Acceptance

• University of Delaware

  • Newark, DE

  • #7 Chemical Engineering (tie)

  • #89 National

  • 70% Acceptance

• University of Texas - Austin

  • Austin, TX

  • #8 Computer Science (tie)

  • #38 National

  • 29% Acceptance

• University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

  • Ann Arbor, MI

  • #10 Political Science

  • #25 National

  • 20% Acceptance

Biology:

• University of California- San Francisco

• San Francisco, CA

• #9 in Biological Sciences

• #105 National

• 71% Acceptance

• Washington University in Saint Louis

  • St. Louis, MO

  • #15 Biological Sciences (tie)

  • #15 National

  • 13% Acceptance

• Rockefeller University

  • New York City, NY

  • #17 Political Science (tie)

  • Not Nationally Ranked

  • 12% Acceptance

• University of California- Davis

  • Davis, CA

  • #17 in Biological Sciences (tie)

  • #38 National

  • 49% Acceptance

• University of California Los Angeles (UCLA)

  • Los Angeles, CA

  • #17 in Biological Sciences (tie)

  • #20 National

  • 11% Acceptance

Psychology:

• University of California Los Angeles (UCLA)

  • Los Angeles, CA

  • #3 in Psychology (tie)

  • #20 National

  • 11% Acceptance

• University of Illinois--Urbana-Champaign

  • Urbana, IL

  • #5 Computer Science (tie)

  • #41 National

  • 60% Acceptance

• University of Wisconsin

  • Madison, WI

  • #14 Economics (tie)

  • #38 National

  • 60% Acceptance

• University of California- Davis

  • Davis, CA

  • #17 in Biological Sciences (tie)

  • #38 National

  • 49% Acceptance

• University of California - San Diego (UCSD)

  • La Jolla, CA

  • #8 Political Science (tie)

  • #34 National

  • 34% Acceptance

Video Production:

• Washington University in Saint Louis

  • St. Louis, MO

  • #1 Video Production

  • #15 National

  • 13% Acceptance

• Carnegie Mellon University

  • Pittsburgh, PA

  • #2 Video Production

  • #22 National

  • 14% Acceptance

• University of Southern California (USC)

  • Los Angeles, CA

  • #3 Video Production

  • #25 National

  • 13% Acceptance

• New York University

  • New York City, NY

  • #5 Video Production

  • #25 National

  • 13% Acceptance

• University of Miami

• Coral Gables, FL

• #6 Video Production

• #55 National

• 28% Acceptance

Theater:

• New York University

  • New York City, NY

  • #1 in Performing Arts

  • #25 National

  • 13% Acceptance

• University of Southern California (USC)

  • Los Angeles, CA

  • #2 in Performing Arts

  • #25 National

  • 13% Acceptance

• Northwestern University

  • Evanston, IL

  • #3 in Performing Arts

  • #10 National

  • 7% Acceptance

• American Musical and Dramatic Academy - New York

  • New York City, NY

  • #4 in Performing Arts

  • Not Nationally Ranked

  • 22% Acceptance

• Carnegie Mellon University

  • Pittsburgh, PA

  • #6 Performing Arts

  • #22 National

  • 14% Acceptance

Music:

• Curtis Institute of Music

  • Philadelphia, PA

  • #1 in Music

  • Not Nationally Ranked

  • 5% Acceptance

• Northwestern University

  • Evanston, IL

  • #2 in Music

  • #10 National

  • 7% Acceptance

• The Juilliard School

  • New York City, NY

  • #3 in Music

  • Not Nationally Ranked

  • 7% Acceptance

• University of Southern California (USC)

  • Los Angeles, CA

  • #4 in Music

  • #25 National

  • 13% Acceptance

• New York University

  • New York City, NY

  • #7 in Music

  • #25 National

  • 13% Acceptance

Foods / Culinary:

• Culinary Institute of America

  • Hyde Park, NY

  • #1 Culinary

  • Not Nationally Ranked

  • 98% Acceptance

• Johnson & Wales University - Providence

  • Providence, RI

  • Not Nationally Ranked

  • 45% Acceptance

• Metropolitan Community College

  • Omaha, NE

  • Not Nationally Ranked

  • 100% Acceptance