University of California, San Diego

UC San Diego sits in La Jolla on a coastal bluff above the Pacific, next to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. It is a science-heavy public research university with strengths in biology, engineering, computer science and the marine sciences. Undergrads join one of several residential colleges, each with its own personality and general-education requirements, which makes a large school feel smaller. The campus is also known for Geisel Library, named for Dr. Seuss and his wife.