Schools where balance is possible

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any big state university. Michigan, UCLA, UNC etc. Yes a portion of the kids are high achievers but there is a portion who are not, too (or who weren’t as well prepared, etc). Vs any college like Wash U, Georgetown, etc will be virtually all high achievers.

I taught at UCLA and it was a super competitive environment. It was very hard to get into classes because everything was oversubscribed. And once you were in a class it was all about grades since the classes were huge and there was so few chances to interact with faculty. On top of that, because it's in LA, lots of kids go home for weekends or work off campus, so there was a weak social life outside of Greek life. The school felt like a big, unfriendly cattle call on a pretty campus with great weather. I would never send my kid there.

There you go. From the horses's mouth. The PP saying UCLA was full of slackers a) never attended b) didn't have a kid who attended and c) based their assessment of 10's of thousands of students on 2 acquaintances.

That is the kind of nonsense that ruins threads on DCUM.

I’m the original poster who said it. Spouse and I are from LA and still have lots of family and friends there. My husband went to ucla, niece just graduated and nephew is a sophmore, and many close friends’ kids currently attend. So yes I have close ties and they have all said this. My niece and nephew found their high school more challenging than college their first couple of years, and never found it unmanageable. Niece was history/film studies major and nephew is something related to comp sci.

I hear the exact same thing about UVA. Yes there are high achievers, but plenty of laid back kids and the classes aren’t very challenging (I just heard this from a neighbor whose junior is a government major or whatever uva calls poli sci).

I stand by that there will always be a range of abilities at any state university - ucla to michigan to umd. So I think they are excellent colleges to consider for students who want a more balanced life.

I don't think it's that unusual to find college to be less stressful than high school. You are usually taking fewer classes with less classroom time per class, there's less busy work, and have fewer ECs that are demanding your attention. You're also more likely to be living on or near campus and spending less time commuting.

In college you also can pick your major so you spend more time on stuff you like (and presumably are good at) and less time on subjects you dislike. There are also majors that are easier than others.

Really, I don't think any of your info is specific to state schools. There are a range of abilities at every school.

Agree with this.
Have your incoming freshman do a deep dive on the schedule /available classes before registration opens and get good intell on the grading in the classes.

[Anonymous]

Look on UNIGO. They have survey results, and one of the questions is whether the workload is manageable. You can compare schools.

My kid was also burnt out after the competitive striver vibe in a Montgomery County W school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Look on UNIGO. They have survey results, and one of the questions is whether the workload is manageable. You can compare schools.

My kid was also burnt out after the competitive striver vibe in a Montgomery County W school.

Where did your kid end up? happy?

[Anonymous]

I think there was a thread a little while ago about highly regarded schools that were also fun. Maybe someone can find it. I believe these schools were on the list

Mich
Rice
USC
BC
Tulane
UMiami
Wisconsin
there were others

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think there was a thread a little while ago about highly regarded schools that were also fun. Maybe someone can find it. I believe these schools were on the list

Mich
Rice
USC
BC
Tulane
UMiami
Wisconsin
there were others

That would be great to see. Hoping someone can find it!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lately, I've been hearing my kid talk about the pressure in their high school and not wanting a cutthroat environment in college. Is it school dependent or more major dependent? What kind of school would you look for a good balance or education and time for sports, hobbies and friends? If your kid is smart, but doesn't want to grind, grind, grind at the expense of everything else, what kid of school would you target?

If seeking Big State U, field of study probably determines the stress level.

Agree. My son is an accounting major at a large state university. Seems pretty non stressed.