by: Tanvi Ambekar
Opinion Editor

As high schoolers living in Silicon Valley, most LGHS students have worried about where they will go for college. There are many factors that high schoolers take into consideration when choosing a college: distance from home, DoorDash availability, and the party scene are all relevant details. However, I’d like to draw attention to an often overlooked aspect of university selection – the aesthetic of the college campus.

Yes, I know half of high school students tour college campuses before they even know what a GPA is, but the importance of these tours is seriously overlooked. Not only does the layout of a campus determine how fast you’ll have to bike to your 8 AM Scandinavian Art History lecture, but it also determines how much you’re allowed to brag to your grandparents about your college. Who cares if the fountain in the center is rusted and spews sewage; as long as it has that century-old cupid statue with the dramatic backstory, it’s fair game to boast about to your extended family. If you bring them to see the college under the guise that you’ll get accepted, you need to make sure there are adequate buildings, sports facilities, and beautiful parks to show off. Never mind that the fields are bare and snowy for eleven months out of the year; as long as the trees are green on July 8, from 3 – 6 PM, you’re set.

Case in point: every single college east of Missouri. I’ve toured exactly two colleges up until today, and from what I can tell, every East Coast college is just a relic from the 18th century.

My primary example is Harvard University, which I visited in December of 2025. I’ve heard winter is the best time to visit the East Coast, yet not even two minutes after I stepped out of the airport, I wanted to get right back in and fly back to California. I’m pretty sure I got frostbite three separate times while walking around the Harvard campus, despite wearing a thick coat, ski gloves, and wool socks.

The main problem with these colleges is that since they’re so old, they all look the same. I took a look at MIT, too, and I genuinely couldn’t tell the difference between it and Harvard; they’re both just collections of red brick buildings separated with boring cement pathways and perfect green lawns. The only difference between the two Ivies was that MIT students were wearing wire-rimmed glasses and carried thicker textbooks.

Long story short, if you’re choosing a college right now, be selective. Because if it starts snowing on July 7, the day before your family is supposed to visit, your worst fear may come true – embarrassing yourself in front of your great Aunt Helen.