Unhappy students at Northwestern and Penn?

[Anonymous]

Spoke with parents of two freshmen, one at each of the schools. Both attended our private; close friends of ours. And both kids are miserable.

Wishing they had gone to Michigan … where both were admitted.

Saying the students are generally insufferable, focused on their patents/ life alternating inventions or academic research, with little interest in just hanging out, socializing, and being in a normal friend group, without hundreds of résumé building activities every week.

Are these folks outliers?
Or maybe they picked the wrong schools or majors?

[Anonymous]

Weirdo

[Anonymous]

Do you think every kid is happy at the college they picked OP? Some kids don't really investigate a school and just pick at random. Then they are shocked, shocked that they don't like the place.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Weirdo

+1

Northwestern is very social

[Anonymous]

Penn is exactly like this

Has been mentioned extensively for years on here

[Anonymous]

Classes at Northwestern started less than a week ago. Freshmen are getting annoyed about everyone obsessing over their patents and how busy they are with all of their resume building activities? For clubs that probably haven't started yet.

Troll.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Penn is exactly like this

Has been mentioned extensively for years on here

I missed that memo. Where?
DD applying.

[Anonymous]

There are a lot of unhappy freshmen all over —see the other threads. No reason to believe it would be different at Michigan at this point in their first year

[Anonymous]

Parent of a Northwestern student. Northwestern freshmen moved in on the 11th and classes haven't even been in session for a week (they started on the 19th). Seems kinda premature to declare unhappiness and "insufferable classmates" when you've been there for a grand total of two weeks, one of which was freshman orientation week. So yea, I'd say you're either a troll who didn't bother to check the calendar of NU, or (at the off chance this is real) said young adult is very odd and/or has some significant mental health issues.

[Anonymous]

But yes, Penn has a reputation for strivers and unhappiness.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Parent of a Northwestern student. Northwestern freshmen moved in on the 11th and classes haven't even been in session for a week (they started on the 19th). Seems kinda premature to declare unhappiness and "insufferable classmates" when you've been there for a grand total of two weeks, one of which was freshman orientation week. So yea, I'd say you're either a troll who didn't bother to check the calendar of NU, or (at the off chance this is real) said young adult is very odd and/or has some significant mental health issues.

Why does Northwestern start so late?!?!?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Spoke with parents of two freshmen, one at each of the schools. Both attended our private; close friends of ours. And both kids are miserable.

Wishing they had gone to Michigan … where both were admitted.

Saying the students are generally insufferable, focused on their patents/ life alternating inventions or academic research, with little interest in just hanging out, socializing, and being in a normal friend group, without hundreds of résumé building activities every week.

Are these folks outliers?
Or maybe they picked the wrong schools or majors?

My Penn freshman seems to be enjoying it quite a bit. Seems to be hanging out with a variety of kids (live in dorm, or from class, or from some activities of interest). Has gone to multiple frat parties and hangs out with kids. Who knows...maybe my kid is one of the "insufferables"...but I don't think so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parent of a Northwestern student. Northwestern freshmen moved in on the 11th and classes haven't even been in session for a week (they started on the 19th). Seems kinda premature to declare unhappiness and "insufferable classmates" when you've been there for a grand total of two weeks, one of which was freshman orientation week. So yea, I'd say you're either a troll who didn't bother to check the calendar of NU, or (at the off chance this is real) said young adult is very odd and/or has some significant mental health issues.

Why does Northwestern start so late?!?!?

They are on the quarter system. Classes in the spring don't get out until early June.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Spoke with parents of two freshmen, one at each of the schools. Both attended our private; close friends of ours. And both kids are miserable.

Wishing they had gone to Michigan … where both were admitted.

Saying the students are generally insufferable, focused on their patents/ life alternating inventions or academic research, with little interest in just hanging out, socializing, and being in a normal friend group, without hundreds of résumé building activities every week.

Are these folks outliers?
Or maybe they picked the wrong schools or majors?

What's a life alternating invention. Is that the invention where I get to live my alternate life as a mega billionaire? Need to meet that kid.

[Anonymous]

Newsflash, two kids are unhappy at college. OP, you can't really be so stupid as to believe that third-hand reports about 2 students out of about 19k total undergrads offers any useful perspective on student life at either of these schools, can you?