University of California, Santa Barbara

Isla Vista is unlike any other college living situation in the country — a densely packed square mile of student housing between campus and the ocean where the party walks to you every Thursday through Saturday night. UCSB consistently ranks among the top party schools nationally, and the social scene is aggressive enough that quieter students sometimes feel out of place. Halloween in IV and Deltopia are legendary (and occasionally chaotic), but what people miss is that the academics are legitimately strong, especially in physics, engineering, and materials science.

The natural setting is extraordinary -- a 1,000-acre peninsula bordered by the Pacific on three sides, with ocean bluffs, a lagoon, eucalyptus groves, and mountain backdrops. The buildings themselves are mostly unremarkable mid-century structures, but the coastal scenery elevates the overall experience to beautiful.