KALAMAZOO

– Where’s the best place to go to college from a student’s point of view?

If you’re in Michigan,

says it’s — in top-to-bottom order:

, University of Michigan, Hillsdale College, Albion College, Hope College, Calvin College, Michigan State University, Michigan Technological University, Grand Valley State University, Wayne State University, Oakland University,

, Central Michigan University and Eastern Michigan University.

In its annual listing of

public and private undergraduate colleges, the business publication says it based its evaluation “on the quality of the education they provide, the experiences of the students and how much they achieve.”

Of the more than 600 institutions considered,

ranked 73,

was 92, Hillsdale was 106, Albion was 147. Kalamazoo’s WMU was ranked 580 overall.

Kalamazoo College, the venerable, private college with 1,389 students and a 13-to-one student-to-teacher ratio, has long been lauded for its academics and the experience of its students.

The overall winner in the third annual listing was Williams College, a 217-year-old private liberal arts school in Williamstown, Mass. The alma mater of U.S. President James A. Garfield, America Online Co-founder Steve Case and late New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, ranked high based on research conducted for Forbes by the Center for College Affordability & Productivity.

It is a small school, with 2,072 undergraduate students and a 7-to-1 student-to-faculty ratio, “affording students the chance to really get to know their teachers and have a unique college experience,” the magazine reported.

Contact Al Jones at

or 269-388-8556.