College Crunch has just unveiled it’s rankings list for the best political science programs. We’ve included the top 5.

1. Harvard University
2. University of California Berkeley
3. Yale University
4. University of Michigan
5. Stanford University

See the rest of College Crunch’s list of Top 15 Colleges for Political Science Majors In 2009

1. United States Military Academy
2. Princeton University
3. California Institute of Technology
4. Williams College
5. Harvard University
6. Wellesley College
7. United States Air Force Academy
8. Amherst College
9. Yale University
10. Stanford University

Click here for the complete Forbes list

Many people who have gone to such a college often decide to move near one later in life. They can be magical experiences.

We just came across this great post listing the 5 best college towns from Studenomics called Top College Towns To Consider This Fall. Make sure to visit them for more details, but here’s the list:

1. Amherst, Mass.
2. Berkeley, California
3. Montreal, Quebec
4. Washington, D.C
5. Boston

Although we really believe that Princeton, NJ should be on this list.

StudentReview – This is the leading site for student reviews. Not all of the reviews are great but there are enough reviews for most schools so that you can get a good feel of what students think. Keep in mind that when a student reviews a college, the student is most likely motivated to do so and this can skew their perspective. But, if enough students think badly or positively about a school it can be enough information to form an opinion.

US News & World Reports – These are professional rankings which include lots of statistical information. The reviews aren’t always representative of what you care about, but they will help you pick from only the best.

MyNextCollege Reviews – We love the forums here and the insight they provide into colleges in various states. Definitely worth checking out.

College Reviews by Teens – Looking for reviews from your peers? College reviews by teens is a fantastic place to get real reviews from real people just like you.

Here are there top 3 online colleges of 2009:

1. Devry University
2. University of Phoenix
3. Capella University

To see the rest of the rankings, click here.

Anyway, we say this only because we like rankings. We think rankings cause colleges to strive for excellence. And while rankings aren’t perfect, they are useful. They serve a purpose.

As it can seem unnecessarily expensive and exhaustive to visit college campuses or do in-depth research outside of pamphlets and Web sites, rankings systems such as U.S. News and World Report’s annual “America’s Best Colleges” carry dangerous weight. But any prospective college kid — not to mention the general public — should take care to evaluate a publication’s methodology before letting those rankings affect their own opinion.

Notice that last sentence. How many students are really going to evaluate a publications methodology? Instead of doing that, we propose that there should be a watchdog group that independently evaluates the ranking systems for quality. That way students will know which publications to trust.

From: Top-College Rankings Oversimplify Research

“I’ve talked to hundreds of seniors in college who have told me that they didn’t realize how important college location was until they got to school. But it should be one of the top considerations for students and parents,” said Todd Hoffman, a college researcher and consultant.

The best place to go to college ultimately comes down to personal preferences. Do you need city life to feel happy? Do you need to be near family? What are your post-graduate plans? All of these things should weigh heavily when choosing a college.

Moral of the story: don’t choose a college based on reputation alone. Some of the best colleges are in bad locations which make it harder to get a job after college not to mention contribute to depression (lack of contentment, no access to favorite activities, too cold, too hot, not near family, etc.) during school. the best place for college comes down to your career goals. But you can’t go wrong in choosing a location that offers low cost of living, abundant job opportunities, and high earning potential.

• Walden University
• Liberty University
• Capella University