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© Marshall Astor – Food Pornographer

RateMyProfessors has compiled a list of the top 25 universities that have great professors and campus environments. The ratings giant produced this university honor roll by crunching the numbers in its massive database that contains 10 million ratings for professors from over 6,500 institutions.

In the system they used, professor rankings accounted for half of the overall score and the other half was based on student rankings of their schools on factors like reputation, location, career opportunities, library, food and social activities. Based on the outcomes, it appears that students attending schools in the southern US seemed particularly pleased with their professors and campuses, as eleven out of the top 25 schools are from the South. Also, students attending Brigham Young University, which is run by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, were very happy with their school and it received the number one overall ranking.

© Rainer Ebert

Getting into university is a fantastic opportunity to get ahead in your future career. Nonetheless, not all universities are the same. Each has their own unique flair, and some are better than others in a variety of aspects.

One criteria to use when choosing a university is whether or not it is found on the university league. If you can find the university on the league, then it is a recognized and reputable university. Although, even within the university league, there are rankings that indicate the level of effectiveness each university campus is achieving for a variety of factors, such as academic reputation and quality. An example of a top university league resource is the Good University Guide 2012.

The academic quality of a university is often the top criteria that prospective students use, although some students also consider other reasons such as the geographic location, the social life and the extracurricular activities available.

© americaspower

The University of Virginia has topped the Princeton Review list for the third year in a row as the nation's "best value" in public college. When compiling this list, the Princeton Review takes many factors into consideration. They look for "solid academics" alongside tuition and financial aid available to determine which universities offer the most ban for the buck.

Make no mistake, West Virginia didn't end up in the top spot three years in a row by accident. There has been a concerted effort at that school to bring a college education within reach for the average family. They've been able to bring down the tuition for in-state students to about $8300 a year, which compares very favorable with the $16,140 national average for public schools, and even more so with the $36,900 for private schools.