I still remember being a restless high school senior waiting to cut my ties and finally make it to college. My sister had chosen a community college for her freshman-sophomore experience just three years before me, and since I followed in her footsteps in most areas I naturally considered taking the same route.

So on a hot day in mid-May back in 2004, my mom and I made the journey just one hour south of Wichita, Kansas, to check out the college that would soon be my new home. While my stay there was short – just two years until I could snag my associates degree – it was memorable. And the following two years spent at Wichita State University securing my bachelor’s degree were even more enjoyable than the first.

When I was looking for schools, my top priorities were proximity, price and degree offerings, among other minor considerations. Out-of-state universities weren’t an option for me as tuition would’ve been outrageous. And along the consideration of price, I also wanted a school that could offer me a scholarship.

Earlier this month, Forbes announced its list of top 650 colleges in America. Among its highest-ranking universities were Princeton, Williams College and Stanford, with Johnson & Wales and Texas Southern University snagging the last spots in 649th and 650th place.

While some have criticized the methods Forbes and other news sources, including US News and Newsweek, use to determine their respective rankings, there’s really no one, tried and true way to determine which colleges are superior. Because the truth is, everyone has their own opinion about what makes one college better than another. Read the rest of this entry »

Have you ever had a professor who was absolutely fantastic? Maybe it was your American history professor, who made the stories come to life by acting them out or using movies to really explain the past. Or maybe it was your chemistry teacher who sang songs about the different elements. Or maybe it was your communications teacher who helped you get over your fear of public speaking.

It doesn’t matter who it was or how they did it, but I’m sure you have had at least one professor who rocked your socks off. Wouldn’t it be awesome if every professor you had was like that? Well, if you attend the right school, this could be the case.

CBS Money Watch recently reported the colleges with the best and worst professors. The schools were ranked based on evaluations from RateMyProfessors.com and from reports by The Center for College Affordability and Productivity.

Many of the schools with the best professors are small, private institutions. Most are liberal arts colleges that have student bodies under 4,000 students. This results in fewer students per classroom and more student to teacher interaction.

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