Princeton has 8 suicides in 3 years

[Anonymous]

Allegedly the final batch of decision are coming out today at 5pm. This school is a high reach for my child so we are not expecting an acceptance. So I just want to be armed with a few reasons that Carnegie Mellon is not a good school (we will be on an incredibly long road trip when the decision comes out). The only things that I can think of is that it is extremely expensive, located in Pittsburg and is known for being highly cutthroat (rather than collaborative). Other than that, I have nothing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Allegedly the final batch of decision are coming out today at 5pm. This school is a high reach for my child so we are not expecting an acceptance. So I just want to be armed with a few reasons that Carnegie Mellon is not a good school (we will be on an incredibly long road trip when the decision comes out). The only things that I can think of is that it is extremely expensive, located in Pittsburg and is known for being highly cutthroat (rather than collaborative). Other than that, I have nothing.

Dude, you are on the princeton suicide thread!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Allegedly the final batch of decision are coming out today at 5pm. This school is a high reach for my child so we are not expecting an acceptance. So I just want to be armed with a few reasons that Carnegie Mellon is not a good school (we will be on an incredibly long road trip when the decision comes out). The only things that I can think of is that it is extremely expensive, located in Pittsburg and is known for being highly cutthroat (rather than collaborative). Other than that, I have nothing.

Dude, you are on the princeton suicide thread!

weird - the sub-heading is about CMU.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mrs Obama went to Princeton and was very unhappy. Her kids didn't apply there. One went to Harvard and other to U Mich/USC. Obviously if she wanted her girls to attend Princeton, college would've rolled a red carpet for them.

It's debatable whether Princeton would have rolled out the red carpet for both these kids.

Michelle Obama's niece (Craig Robinson's daughter) went to Princeton within the last decade and thrived. Obviously the entire family didn't turn up[ their noses at Princeton.

You've got to be kidding. Of course, Princeton would have rolled out the red carpet for the President's daughters. No questions asked.

I don’t think Michelle liked Princeton. Princeton is too boring

Her brother did and sent his own daughter there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Allegedly the final batch of decision are coming out today at 5pm. This school is a high reach for my child so we are not expecting an acceptance. So I just want to be armed with a few reasons that Carnegie Mellon is not a good school (we will be on an incredibly long road trip when the decision comes out). The only things that I can think of is that it is extremely expensive, located in Pittsburg and is known for being highly cutthroat (rather than collaborative). Other than that, I have nothing.

My post - sorry about that - I accidentally posted it here - rather than in its own thread. I would delete it but i do not know how!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mrs Obama went to Princeton and was very unhappy. Her kids didn't apply there. One went to Harvard and other to U Mich/USC. Obviously if she wanted her girls to attend Princeton, college would've rolled a red carpet for them.

It's debatable whether Princeton would have rolled out the red carpet for both these kids.

Michelle Obama's niece (Craig Robinson's daughter) went to Princeton within the last decade and thrived. Obviously the entire family didn't turn up[ their noses at Princeton.

You've got to be kidding. Of course, Princeton would have rolled out the red carpet for the President's daughters. No questions asked.

I don’t think Michelle liked Princeton. Princeton is too boring

Her brother did and sent his own daughter there.

His daughter obviously didn't have her pick of colleges like her cousins and had an advantage at Princeton due to legacy as she was recruited for basketball team and her father played basketball for Princeton and was a talent scout for Princeton and is in basketball coaching.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Isolation is a key factor . Princeton seems cold, clinical, and drab in terms of campus life or having a college town feel. UPenn, Columbia, Yale, Cornell seem to have more energy

That’s pretty much total nonsense. There is a ton to do on campus, the town revolves around the university, there are more student-geared restaurants and than there have ever been. Columbia and Penn have less vibrant campuses, although being in a major city compensates; New Haven is not a draw; and Cornell is the most isolated of all the Ivies.

Princeton is rigorous, especially in the STEM majors. Don’t go there if you’re looking for a four-year party school. Otherwise it probably offers the best undergraduate education in the U.S. - you get the personal attention that you’d get at a SLAC, but at a major university with top scholars and significant resources to fund research.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Story from Princeton of two sons dying by suicide by train . . . No words. How could you keep on living yourself, as their parents? Heartbreaking. And heartbreaking that so many college students are in such despair. We are at 50,000 suicides per year in the US, so the problem is not confined to college campuses. It is staggering the despair and depression.

There is a small train station on campus; I wonder if it's there

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve never met anyone who raved about their time at Princeton.

That says more about you than it does about Princeton. Princeton alumni are about as loyal as they get, and the reunions are a very, very big deal.

It's -- cult like. I went to Princeton and can say some negative things about the school (grinder, competitive culture even then - sure it's more now) but no one can say there isn't a loyalty that is beyond anything. People really, really rave and have affinity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In my opinion, it seems some students are just not ready for college and especially not ready for a competitive pressure cooker college for whatever reasons. Perhaps they push through high school to get the top grades, EC’s etc and then are just burnt out. Perhaps they think an elite college is the ultimate prize at the end of high school and once they are in they feel their work is done only to find out that they have to continue to grind and the pressure is even more intense. I don’t know. Just wondering. It’s really sad.

It's probably this but even more so a feeling of "so this is it?" You know, that empty feeling that can rear it's head when you achieve your goal and realize that you're not any happier than before. Happiness, contentment, peace have to come from within and not from your external circumstances or anything you've accomplished. I struggle with this. Sometimes the emptiness is larger, the larger the accomplishment.

I think you've hit the nail on the head. I teach at a T10 and one of my students who is struggling with mental health describes feeling this way. I worry about her all the time and I hope she finally achieves a more stable happiness that isn't tied to achievement.

Like an early mid life crisis without the maturity to deal with it as in mid life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our youngest is at Princeton. It feels like there are far more rules and the administration is far less understanding and flexible compared to our oldest child's experience at another Ivy. For instance, Princeton students are forbidden from getting outside tutoring if they are having difficulty in a class (it is considered an honor code violation). The students are supposed to use the student tutors provided by the school, but there aren't nearly enough to go around. So a student having difficulties in a class who is unable to secure one of the few tutors is left to completely flounder or risk getting an honor code violation by seeking outside help. That doesn't make sense to me.

I guess I understand the rationale (probably too many people paid people to do their homework or papers for them) but isn't seeking outside assistance a good skill to encourage in life?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't like all these attacks from alumni on the credibility of anyone who did not have a positive experience at Princeton. Big red flag as to the competitive and possibly unpleasant nature of the place.

Here’s your challenge: the overwhelming majority of students have a great experience and the overwhelming majority of alumni are both appreciative and loyal.

That does not mean every student will have a positive experience, but it does suggest that those who have had a negative experience need to recognize that far more have had positive experiences before trying to portray their own negative experiences as typical, much less anything remotely approaching universal.

And, of course, most people are aware that this is an anonymous forum, and that people with a particular axe to grind or animosity towards a school tend to be the most vocal. It’s not like Princeton, as a general matter, has to work overtime to sell itself.

I have no in / out or beef with Princeton. I am a lowly midwestern state grad. But the sanctimony of your post is kind of proving the PPs point.

I will also say that, no, the kids who are unhappy don't "need to recognize" anything but their own truth. And while positive alumni may > negative, and you don't really cite anything in the way of proof but I'll take you at your word, it is also sounding like it is more than just "atypical" or an outlier as to those who also had a negative or lukewarm view of the place. You can also be grateful for the education, connections, and experiences and see that maybe lots of kids have that view a) that they succeeded despite the negatives and having toughed it out and b) they positives are easier to acknowledge being on the other side of the cap and gown now.

People tend not to go out of their way to document things that are well known, such as the loyalty of Princeton alumni. But if you want some evidence:

https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/the-short-list-college/articles/colleges-where-the-most-alumni-donate

You can try and mischaracterize prior posts all you want, but it's clear people make a special effort to try and tear down the top schools on this sad little forum.

I went to Stanford and I find the environment on campus now to be absolutely horrifying. Not every alumni adheres to cult rules like you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Suicides are at all schools. but more common at "top" schools.. I am guessing the reason is obvious. So sad nonetheless

I went to a "top" school decades ago, and there was one suicide during winter break of my freshman year. I was completely and utterly shocked. But then I found out there was one or two every year. Horrible. And that was years ago, when mental health wasn't as talked about.

Also, college pressures were not as bad as they are now. The pressure kids face when they get into a school like Princeton is absolutely skull-crushing. I'm surprised there aren't more suicides at Princeton.

[Anonymous]

I know something about Princeton's insane pressure-cooker attitude.
Princeton cares most about one thing: its #1 position at the top of the rankings. Anything a student does to possibly damage that reputation is dealt with severely by the administration.
Also the "we're #1 in the world" (not just the US, BTW) attitude is pervasive. It breeds incredible workaholic behavior that's very single-minded, the total opposite of what a broad liberal arts education is supposed to produce.
My heart goes out to the families of these students. No amount of "prestige" is worth losing your life over.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't like all these attacks from alumni on the credibility of anyone who did not have a positive experience at Princeton. Big red flag as to the competitive and possibly unpleasant nature of the place.

Here’s your challenge: the overwhelming majority of students have a great experience and the overwhelming majority of alumni are both appreciative and loyal.

That does not mean every student will have a positive experience, but it does suggest that those who have had a negative experience need to recognize that far more have had positive experiences before trying to portray their own negative experiences as typical, much less anything remotely approaching universal.

And, of course, most people are aware that this is an anonymous forum, and that people with a particular axe to grind or animosity towards a school tend to be the most vocal. It’s not like Princeton, as a general matter, has to work overtime to sell itself.

I have no in / out or beef with Princeton. I am a lowly midwestern state grad. But the sanctimony of your post is kind of proving the PPs point.

I will also say that, no, the kids who are unhappy don't "need to recognize" anything but their own truth. And while positive alumni may > negative, and you don't really cite anything in the way of proof but I'll take you at your word, it is also sounding like it is more than just "atypical" or an outlier as to those who also had a negative or lukewarm view of the place. You can also be grateful for the education, connections, and experiences and see that maybe lots of kids have that view a) that they succeeded despite the negatives and having toughed it out and b) they positives are easier to acknowledge being on the other side of the cap and gown now.

People tend not to go out of their way to document things that are well known, such as the loyalty of Princeton alumni. But if you want some evidence:

https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/the-short-list-college/articles/colleges-where-the-most-alumni-donate

You can try and mischaracterize prior posts all you want, but it's clear people make a special effort to try and tear down the top schools on this sad little forum.

I went to Stanford and I find the environment on campus now to be absolutely horrifying. Not every alumni adheres to cult rules like you.

Horrifying how? Do you mind elaborating? DH was a grad student and had a good time but remembers a really different and very stressed out undergrad culture?