(Source: University of Chicago)We're up to number seven in our countdown of the 10 best American universities, as determined solely by my completely subjective opinions formed over many years. I offer no scientific formulas for reaching these conclusions, nor have I crunched any numbers and spit out some statistically justifiable order. Nonetheless, we all have views on such matters, and these are mine. Without further adieu, let's visit the next university.



#7: The University of ChicagoEggheads of the world, unite. Actually they do in Hyde Park, home to the University of Chicago. Known for academic rigor and a no-nonsense approach to education, Chicago has produced some of the world's best thinkers and scholars. It has reshaped how we view social sciences such as sociology, anthropology, political science and especially economics, a department in which it's easier to count the faculty without a Nobel Prize. Top schools of law, medicine, business and social service administration add to the university's strengths.

So what's the problem, if any? Take a closer look at the undergraduate division and you'll find bright students who, in many cases, didn't make the admissions cut at other institutions. In other words, Chicago doesn't compete successfully with many of the Ivies and Stanford for the best undergrads. Not long ago, the university was admitting around half of its undergraduate applicants. Now, you could argue that this was the result of a self-selecting applicant pool, but I don't buy it. Simply put, Chicago isn't on the map for many of the nation's top high school students. It should be, given its academic excellence, but its tough reputation and lack of a real intercollegiate athletics program turn many kids away. It may rank among the elite institutions at the graduate and professional level, but its undergraduate reputation doesn't measure up to the very best.

That's why it's Number 7.