UNM isn't a top dream school, according to a survey published in the Princeton Review.
The survey, released last week, polled about 8,000 college applicants and 1,500 parents of applicants.
Prospective college students named Harvard in Cambridge, Mass., as the top dream school in the country, while parents voted Princeton as their No. 1 choice.
Rounding out the top 10 were Stanford, New York University, Yale, Brown, Columbia, Cornell, University of Southern California and University of California-Los Angeles.
Despite the results, UNM is a dream school for some students, freshman Karl Upplegger said.
"UNM was my dream school even if I didn't realize it as a senior in high school," he said. "I grew up in New Mexico, and the medical program is one of the best. With all that on top of the cheap tuition, UNM is truly a dream school for me."
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According to the universities' Web sites, Harvard's 2008-09 tuition, room and board is $47,215, and Princeton costs $45,695 per year.
Meanwhile, UNM costs about $16,000 per year.
Although tuition is more affordable at UNM, sophomore Toby Ulery said some students might not think it's a dream school.
"No, I never really saw this school as my dream school," he said. "Out of all my options, UNM was definitely more convenient because of how close to home it was, and the programs that are offered aren't that bad, but it wouldn't be my dream school by any means."
Ulery said UNM does not compare to Harvard, Princeton and other top schools.
"It just doesn't have the same reputation or history as some of the other schools," he said.
Cate Wisdom, a sophomore at UNM, said it's really just about lack of appreciation.
"Although UNM was my back-up school originally, it's only after coming here and learning about all the great programs did it become more of a dream to me," she said. "This University also has a very unique aspect with the Lottery Scholarship, which allows a lot of students to attend that might not have been able to before."
Wisdom said that though UNM ranks low on the list, it ranks high in many areas, including diversity of campus students, financial support and teaching staff.
Wisdom said trumpeting the University would help improve its rankings.
"With a little bit more marketing and an emphasis on our great teachers and diverse campus, maybe one day we will be in the top 10," she said.
