Rowan and Drexel Rank Very High on “Ugliest Colleges” List


Drexel, twice-named the ugliest college in America by various campus-judgers, has improved its standing this year, at least according one “metric.” Complex Magazine has come out with its list of worst campuses, and the dragon’s den has come in sixth this year. (Above: Beautifying Drexel.)

The campus is still being criticized for its “prison-like” dorms and factory-inspired aesthetic. The school’s concrete and brick Disque Hall looms over an open courtyard, and even from outside, the lack of windows is oppressive.

Rowan made the list too. The picture below depicts the school’s Oak Hall, a lovely looking residential dorm on the school’s Glassboro, NJ campus. Not so bad, right? Well, Complex isn’t impressed, and has ranked it the 10th ugliest in America.

This campus is in need of a lot of love. The buildings are falling apart and are covered with water stains from years of rainfall. If the crumbling architecture wasn’t unwelcoming enough, the campus has an unfortunate amount of ill-placed technical equipment and dumpsters.

I don’t know what Rowan’s doing to improve its look–as Complex notes, there used to be a blog devoted to the shoddy state of the campus. But Drexel is in the process of repainting its signature orange bricks, to make itself more like a certain next-door neighbor.

Photos: Drexel.edu; Wikimedia Commons