Tufts University, located not far from downtown Boston, is comprised of the School of Arts and Sciences, and the School of Engineering that serves both undergraduate and graduate students, and a number of graduate and professional schools, including the highly ranked School of Medicine and Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. All freshmen and sophomores are required to live on campus. Students can participate in such student groups as cycling, which is a club sport; the Beelzebubs, an all-male a cappella group; and the Geological Society. About half of the student body participates in study abroad programs, and approximately a quarter of students are affiliated with Greek life. Tufts official mascot, Jumbo the elephant, is the only school mascot listed in Merriam-Webster dictionary. Tufts also has a permanent art collection that features works by Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol and John Singer Sargent.

Located 100 miles up the coast from Los Angeles, the University of CaliforniaSanta Barbara sits atop cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Students can get involved in any of the more than 400 clubs and organizations on campus, including a Greek community that comprises about 10 percent of undergraduate students. UCSB provides housing to about 30 percent of students in eight residence halls and several university apartment complexes.The UC Santa Barbara Gauchos compete primarily in the NCAA Division I Big West Conference and are known for their successful womens basketball and mens soccer teams. Non-varsity students can join a club team such as cycling, surfing, rugby or ski and snowboard.UCSB encompasses five schools and colleges, the largest of which is the College of Letters and Science, serving undergraduate and graduate students. Graduate programs at UCSB include the highly ranked College of Engineering. The Gevirtz Graduate School of Educationand Donald Bren School of Environmental Science and Management are other notable graduate schools at UCSB. Undergraduate students can apply for admissions into the College of Creative Studies, which emphasizes focused studies in one of eight disciplines: art, biology, chemistry and biochemistry, computer science, literature, mathematics, music composition or physics. Musician Jack Johnson and actor Michael Douglas both graduated from UCSB.