Columbia University

New York, NY

Top academics in the Big Apple make this Ivy extremely selective. They admitted only 11% of their applicants in 2009. While known for its Western Civilization core curriculum which occupies much of the first two years, Columbia has added some non-Western courses. Most undergrads attend Columbia College (4200) while 1400 are in the School of Engineering and Applied Science. English, psychology, political science, history, biology, and chemistry are standouts.