Sonoma State University was ranked 25th of the Most Beautiful Colleges in California by the Colleges in California website. The top spot is owned by Stanford University and then followed up by Pepperdine University and the University of San Diego. 

The article from collegesincalifornia.net states “Sonoma State is known as being one of the most modern colleges in all of California, as its buildings (using Urban architecture) and landscape were all designed to accentuate this.”  

The ranking was based on student votes and recommendations of the school, previous listings of beautiful college campus in national publications and some editorial judgment made by the article writers at Colleges a California. Sonoma State is set in the heart of wine country and surrounded by trees, plants, grass and flowers.  Among the landscape sit large, concrete and stucco buildings built in Urban architecture style.  

All the buildings are placed strategically to have some sort of view of the landscape.  

“I wanted to attend San Jose State until I came here [Sonoma State] for a tour.  I fell in love with the campus and is the one of the big reasons why I came and why I am back for my Masters,” said Aimee Rodriques, a recent graduate.

While on a campus tour, local resident Shawn Johnson from Windsor said “[The campus] is nice, but the newer facilities standout.”  The tour group was pleasantly surprised when told about the ranking of Sonoma State but a bit unanimous that Sonoma State is nice but nothing special and the newer and future facilities are more exciting.

Over the past 15 years, Sonoma State has worked to modernize its campus with the addition of many new facilities and academic buildings.  The first major change was the addition of the Schultz Information Center that opened in 2000 and replaced Salazar Hall as the campus library.  Following the Schultz Information Center came the introduction of the upperclassman campus housing and the renovation of Darwin Hall.  More recently, Sonoma State welcomed the additions of the Recreation Center, Green Music Hall and new Student Center.

Sonoma State wasn’t always considered beautiful but rather a plain an unimpressive campus.  Walk down the halls of Salazar Hall and one can see the pictures of Sonoma State rising from the dirt with concrete buildings and immature trees just freshly planted.  

“When the school was to be designed, with Urban architecture in mind, a style that would allow the university to have its own unique identity,” cites the Colleges in California article. Has Sonoma State created its own unique identity that is just as unique as the very students, faculty and staff that walk its campus everyday?  That is for each person to answer himself or herself; beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Colleges In California is an online publication with the objective of providing future students with the best information possible to help them find the college that best fits them.  The website has information on admissions, financial aid, scholarships and much more to help future students pursue their college dreams.

The full article and review can be found at:  http://www.collegesincalifornia.net/rankings/beautiful-colleges-in-california.