Unhappy students at Northwestern and Penn?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I definitely think some kids don't fit into certain types of schools.

My DC is a high achiever (very high stats from a magnet program), but laid back. Would not have been happy at the high striver type schools. DC is just not wired that way and would've been miserable at such a school.

Your daughter may be laid back but you sure aren’t. Did you really have to tell us that she has “very high stats from a magnet program?”

Barf.

[Anonymous]

I agree this is likely a troll, but I really don't understand posts like this. What's the point of publicly badmouthing a school that you or your child don't have any direct experience with? It happens all the time on this forum. Why do you care? Do you think you're doing a public service? Let people do their own research and make up their own mind about whether a college is a good fit for them/their kid or not. I think posts like this are always more telling about the person posting than about the school(s) they're posting about.

[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?

OP, nobody believes you--and, if they do, then they should be at Michigan.

Penn is very social. Northwestern has the highest retention rate among Penn, Michigan, & Northwestern (although all 3 have high retention rates).

[Anonymous]

OP: I heard the same thing about Stanford, Duke, Harvard, and Princeton--maybe they should all be at Michigan too !

[Anonymous]

I've always heard good things about Northwestern. However, my oldest has a few friends at UPenn who are totally stressed out and not happy--that's the reputation. I told my younger kid not to apply there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I definitely think some kids don't fit into certain types of schools.

My DC is a high achiever (very high stats from a magnet program), but laid back. Would not have been happy at the high striver type schools. DC is just not wired that way and would've been miserable at such a school.

Your daughter may be laid back but you sure aren’t. Did you really have to tell us that she has “very high stats from a magnet program?”

Barf.

yes, because this thread is about kids at elite colleges.

[Anonymous]

Just Northwestern because they wanted Ivies.

[Anonymous]

Not buying the spin, OP. Have a friend at NU (jr now) who is loving it. In theatre program. So many variables, and for some kids it just takes time. If these kids are first years, they could be grousing anywhere because they just haven't found their groove yet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just Northwestern because they wanted Ivies.

The only disappointments I heard were about being wait-listed, then denied at Stanford.

Northwestern's overlap schools:

1) Duke
2) Stanford
3) U Penn
4) Yale
5) U Michigan
6) Princeton
7) WashUStL
8) Harvard

Based on past research, if accepted to all nine schools, Northwestern is preferred over WashUStL & Michigan. Preference between Northwestern & U Penn is almost a 50/50 split.

Northwestern is preferred--according to Parchment--over Brown & Cornell. Northwestern versus Dartmouth is very close/about even.

[Anonymous]

Seems like your plan to tiger your kid into an elite college and UMC status backfired, while the young adults pursuing their dreams and changing the world are living their best life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Penn is exactly like this

Has been mentioned extensively for years on here

Concur. Best friend’s son just graduated (I know so, so many details as if he was my nephew ).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Penn is exactly like this

Has been mentioned extensively for years on here

Concur. Best friend’s son just graduated (I know so, so many details as if he was my nephew ).

Penn is known as the social ivy. It is not the right fit for everyone though.

[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?!?!?

It's a quarter system school. It has always started like this. In fact they are now on a schedule that's about 1 week earlier than the 1980s/early 90s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is more a lesson about preparing students for obstacles and challenges at college. It's not all sunshine and roses. Talk to your kids about the tough times and how to get through them.

Also, it's september 25th. When did they get there? A month ago? Come on.

two weeks ago---it's northwestern, classes only started last week. They are quarter system school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just Northwestern because they wanted Ivies.

The only disappointments I heard were about being wait-listed, then denied at Stanford.

Northwestern's overlap schools:

1) Duke
2) Stanford
3) U Penn
4) Yale
5) U Michigan
6) Princeton
7) WashUStL
8) Harvard

Based on past research, if accepted to all nine schools, Northwestern is preferred over WashUStL & Michigan. Preference between Northwestern & U Penn is almost a 50/50 split.

Northwestern is preferred--according to Parchment--over Brown & Cornell. Northwestern versus Dartmouth is very close/about even.

You left off Notre Dame, which ie preferred over Northwestern 54%-46%.