Best Towns

This past week, the American Institute for Economic Research (AIER) revealed its yearly “College Destinations Index” (CDI), a quantitative ranking of the 75 best towns and cities to live in for college student. These locations were selected from an analysis of 222 metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) with student populations of 15,000 or more.

“Deciding what school to attend should involve more than what the school itself has to offer,” says Keming Liang, AIER’s lead researcher on the project.  “Where to attend college is just as important, because like the colleges themselves, the towns and cities in which they are located vary widely in the opportunities they offer students and recent graduates.”

12 Factors

The AIER considered 12 factors for ranking college communities including student concentration, student diversity, research capacity, degree attainment, cost of living, arts and leisure, city accessibility, creative class, earning potential, entrepreneurial activity, and what they identified as brain gain/drain. These factors led to the scoring which identified which college towns were rated the best.

AIER then divided the schools up by community size with the top three winners in each category identified as follows:

• Major Metros (2.5 million or more residents): San Francisco, New York and Washington, D.C.
• Midsize Metros (1 million to 2.5 million residents): San Jose, Austin and Raleigh.
• Small Cities (250,000 to 1 million residents): Boulder, Co; Ann Arbor, MI; and Bridgeport, CT.
• College Towns (Under 250,000 residents): Ithaca, NY; State College, PA; and Iowa City, IA.

Independent Data

Instead of relying on data supplied by schools which would clearly show a bias toward their towns, the AIER culled information obtained from federal census, labor statistics and the National Science Foundation sources.

Along with the CDI report available for free online, AIER has released a companion guide – “2010-2011 College Destinations” – that ranks all 222 MSAs, profiling the top 40 locations – ten in each of four population categories – and what they have to offer.

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Including Trenton, New Jersey in a College Destinations Index seems odd until you realize that its statistical metropolitan area includes both Princeton and Ewing, home to Princeton University and the College of New Jersey respectively.

When choosing a college, I selected a local state college that had both a solid academic reputation as well as a bucolic campus setting. But it was the nearby parks, lakes and streams which had the most appeal for me, local attractions which helped me choose Ramapo College over two other state schools.  Sure, being just a forty minute drive from the Big Apple helped too!

AIER Survey

I’ve always believed that a significant number of students thought the same way I did when it came to picking a school. After all, when classes are done for the day and you want to get away from campus, where your college is located can make all the difference in the world to you. Well, it seems that I’m not alone in that sentiment as a recent survey by the American Institute for Economic Research (AIER) has revealed that nearby coffee houses, concert halls and other favorite attractions and amenities can contribute to the college experience.

The AIER took a look at 360 US metropolitan statistical areas with an eye toward weighing Academic Environment, Quality of Life, and Professional Opportunities for college students. They then split these areas into four tiers based on population size and then scored each area based on twelve categories including student concentration and entrepreneurial opportunities. The result is featured in their College Destinations Index which doesn’t look at schools specifically, rather at the communities where these schools are located.

College Destinations Index

As AIER mentioned, “The CDI isn’t just for students and their parents. College presidents, admission offices, and alumni can use it to promote their schools, civic planners to tout their regions, and CEOs to plan their next move. What’s more, the amenities that create great college communities also can make these destinations fine places to visit or retire.”

The top major metropolitan area was New York City while the top performers in each of the next three population tiers were San Jose; Boulder, CO; and Ithaca, NY. Again, the survey doesn’t look at specific schools, rather it takes a hard look of the “off campus assets” surrounding a number of colleges and universities.

So, if you’re looking for a college survey or index that comes from a different perspective, the AIER is something that you and your family should explore.

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Pictured: Wikipedia file photo