(Source: Princeton University)So I continue my climb up the ladder of this country's top ten universities, as determined solely by my opinions. We now arrive at number nine (Duke was number 10), perhaps the most controversial choice on my list.



#9: PrincetonPrinceton? I must be joking, right? I'm simply reflecting my Penn Quaker Bias, no? No. While magazines like U.S. News rank Princeton among the elite (as high as number one), I don't think it deserves that honor. Why? It's simple: Princeton is outstanding at what it does, but it doesn't do enough. It doesn't have a law school, business school, medical school, dental school, school of social work, school of education or school of fine arts. Sure, it offers master's degree programs in architecture, engineering, finance, and public affairs (through the world-class Woodrow Wilson School). But as a comprehensive university, it can't compete with Harvard, Stanford, Columbia, Berkeley et al. Princeton is a top-notch college with a relatively limited array of graduate and professional programs. Again, it excels in almost everything it does, but its breadth of offerings doesn't compare with those of others on my list. Keep in mind I'm ranking universities based on their comprehensive excellence, not just on their undergraduate programs, like U.S. News does.

So that's why Princeton ranks ninth, in my humble opinion.