Wellesley College has many distinctions: it frequently tops lists of the country's best women's colleges, and it often appears on lists of the top ten liberal arts colleges. The social and academic opportunities available to Wellesley women are further expanded by academic exchange programs with MIT and Harvard.

And while beauty is a rather subjective category, you'll often find Wellesley listed among the country's most beautiful campuses. I have to agree. To see some of the campus highlights, check this Wellesley College photo tour and view some photos I took a few months back.

More College Photo Tours

• Cornell University
• Ithaca College
• Alfred University

For students who want exciting Division I athletics and the low sticker price of a public university, the 9 schools in the Western Athletic Conference are worth a look. The universities span a huge part of the United States, from Louisiana to Hawaii. This article on the Western Athletic Conference includes information on each member institution and links to admissions data such as acceptance rates, test scores, financial aid and costs. You can also check out this SAT chart and ACT chart that compare test scores for students admitted to the WAC universities.

And be sure to explore other Division I athletic conferences: ACC | Big East | Big Ten | Big 12 | Pac 10 | SEC

A couple interesting articles on community college have appeared in the news in recent days. Jaime O'Neill writes for Oregonlive.com about his experiences teaching writing to community college students. He comments on the challenges many of his students have faced overcoming drug-filled and dysfunctional environments. O'Neill values community colleges for giving students a second chance. As he notes, "college admissions personnel tend to value glee club participation over youthful scrapes with law enforcement as indicators of future college success." O'Neill's article is worth a read.

With the economic downturn, of course, more and more students are turning to community college for the perceived cost savings, not for that "second chance" that O'Neill eloquently describes. The finances connected to community college, however, may not be as straight forward as they seem. In the Missoulian, Jennifer McKee has an eye-opening piece comparing the debt students accrue at community colleges and public four-year universities. Despite the significantly lower price tag of community colleges, students attending Montana community colleges took on $7,754 of debt per year compared to $5,127 per year for students attending a public university. For a thoughtful discussion of this difference, check out McKee's article.

For students considering community college entirely for financial reasons, I'd recommend applying to a community college, a couple public universities and a couple private colleges. Once loans, grants and time to graduation are factored in, the four-year schools (even private ones) may end up being the bigger bargain.

Related Reading

• 5 Reasons to Attend Community College
• The Hidden Costs of Community College

One of the weekend's big football rivalries sees Georgia facing off against #7 Georgia Tech. Both are well-respected public universities. Georgia competes in the NCAA Southeastern Conference while Georgia Tech is a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The data below shows how the schools measure up on the admissions front:

University of Georgia:

• Percentage of applicants accepted: 55%
• Middle 50% SAT Reading: 560 / 650
• Middle 50% SAT Math: 560 / 660
• Middle 50% ACT Composite: 25 / 29
• Total Cost (In-State): $16,758
• Total Cost (Out-of-State): $33,070

Georgia Tech:

• Percentage of applicants accepted: 63%
• Middle 50% SAT Reading: 590 / 690
• Middle 50% SAT Math: 650 / 730
• Middle 50% ACT Composite: 27 / 31
• Total Cost (In-State): $16,234
• Total Cost (Out-of-State): $35,376

Both universities are strong academically, although Georgia Tech will probably require a slightly strong high school record to win admission. Both schools are also excellent values, especially for in-state applicants. The University of Georgia made my list of recommended public universities, and Georgia Tech appears on my list of top engineering schools and top public universities. The University of Georgia was awarded a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for its strengths in the liberal arts and sciences.

Related Links:

• University of Georgia admissions profile
• Georgia Tech admissions profile
• ACC, Atlantic Coast Conference
• SEC, Southeastern Conference
• SAT comparison chart for the ACC
• SAT comparison chart for the SEC