Colleges with happy kids

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wake Forest. Superb academics. Beautiful campus. Happy students. Parents dream.

I was a scholarship kid there and left. If you aren’t rich, white, and preppy and don’t have tons of money to blow on the weekends, it’s not for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:William & Mary

Uh, no.

Geeze why so much hate all the time for W&M on this board? Crazytown

Don’t know, but if it makes it easier for my kids to get in, great. It’s an exceptional college experience - we have so many great alumni friends that we met there and also met later and WM is universally adored. Haters can hate all they want.

[Anonymous]

Looking at schools on the previous poster's list and on the Princeton Review's list, it's clear that happy schools are not "one size fits all."

Wake is a much harder fit for a kid who isn't preppy, smart and white. Ditto Auburn. Rice is great if you're small and maybe a bit quirky. I went to Wheaton (another school on the list) and had an amazing experience. But clearly as a Christian school, it's not for everyone.

The moral of this story is to find a school that fits your kid. Stuffing your kid into the top-ranked school they can get into is not a good approach.

[Anonymous]

Barring an obvious mismatch, it’s really on the kid to make the most of whatever academic and social resources any college offers, and figure out ways to find their “happiness” niche. There’s only so much the college (or parents) can do. I warned my kid that no college is perfect and that there will be struggles and adjustments. If there were problems or issues at home, they’re not going to magically disappear at Dream U.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:William & Mary

Uh, no.

Geeze why so much hate all the time for W&M on this board? Crazytown

Because their kids didn’t get in.

[Anonymous]

I haven't read the whole thread, but I would agree with Syracuse and Penn State.

Right now, mental health issues are so severe and pervasive. It really depends on all of our kids, more than it depends on any one school. I think kids with mental health issues should be guided AWAY from the pressure-cooker schools and into more loving/supportive environments. But many of them and many of their parents are so guided by prestige.

Kids need to remember that college is supposed to be at least a little bit fun. And they need to get off their phones and connect.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am college prof and I think that this is a worthwhile question but requires some nuance. I do believe that there are schools with a generally happy vibe and others with an overwhelmingly negative vibe. I, personally, was quite happy at my super intense Ivy (great small department, academic challenge was motivating) but I recognized that there was culture of being dissatisfied and complain-y that probably went hand-in-hand with the competitiveness and striving to be the best. I have taught at a NESCAC where the students are bright but work much less than the Ivy, have much better work life balance, and exude positivity about their college experience. On the downside, the college is fairly homogenous (geographically, racially, socio-economically) and the students who don't fit in are often truly miserable.

So, while I agree that some colleges have a happier vibe and a culture of positivity, I do think the fit is what makes or breaks it.

And, for what it's worth, my own kid decided to go to one of the state schools mentioned above and often for being happy and is really wishing the social scene were different.

Which school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DS is at Loyola MD and his friends all seem happy. That might be due to the fact that they aren't super strivers. They're mostly regular kids. But it is a very nice school and campus.

Glad to hear this! My child recently toured Loyola MD and really liked the vibe (as well as the nice forms and overall campus). It’s definitely on the list.

[Anonymous]

*dorms

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Virginia Tech

There's little evidence to support that claim. My friends who were in engineering there were pretty miserable.

[Anonymous]

Colleges with the best student life in America:
https://www.niche.com/colleges/search/best-student-life/

[Anonymous]

Mine is at Michigan and students seem very happy there as a whole.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:These posts about misery and depression at CMU, Chicago, Cornell (all on my kids list btw) have me thinking...where are kids HAPPY? Besides Brown? (Ideally, a little easier to get into than Brown!)

JMU. Students are happy, Parents are happy, school staff super happy at all times....

Remember, It's cold up North, Colder weather brings misery and depression.

[Anonymous]

Too much drinking for my kid’s taste.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These posts about misery and depression at CMU, Chicago, Cornell (all on my kids list btw) have me thinking...where are kids HAPPY? Besides Brown? (Ideally, a little easier to get into than Brown!)

JMU. Students are happy, Parents are happy, school staff super happy at all times....

Remember, It's cold up North, Colder weather brings misery and depression.

I know 3 boys that left due to mental health issues that weren’t there prior. It is an overwhelming alcohol scene.