Which schools have kids with happy experiences and outcomes?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Parent of a Vanderbilt senior. I think the work hard / play hard trope is correct. Not every week ends with a trip to Broadway, but when they do go, it sounds borderline euphoric. Then they graduate and have objectively top outcomes.

So bizarre.

[Anonymous]

This is going to be controversial on this board because of location and lack of prestige but.. GWU.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm wondering how and if this is measurable, beyond the "vibe" one gets from visiting a school. I feel like college has become such an industry (this board alone underscores the intensity of admissions!). I want my kid to get a good education, but more than anything, I want my child to take away invaluable lessons about happiness, balance, and values during those four years instead of getting caught up in the noise of the competitive rat-race. Which schools have happy graduates? Which schools have a healthy balance between work and life? How is this measured, and can it be?

I know way too many kids who worked so hard for some kind of elite school, thinking it would solve their problems or magically open doors, and it did none of those things. I know one teenager who took his life after being denied admission to a top college. I know others who have been admitted to psychiatric hospitals due to intense academic pressure. It all feels like too much, and I'm wondering how and where to look for communities that put these four years into healthy perspectives.

Here in the UK, none of the London schools have good student satisfaction ratings. This is a variable that is measured here. Kings College, UCL, have very low student satisfaction ratings. Surprisingly, Oxford and St Andrews are always at the top. And I dont think Cambridge participates. The

I don’t see why that’d be surprising. Oxford is an amazing experience and the type of person who attends Oxford loves learning, especially from some of the world’s best scholars. It’d be unusual if people disliked Oxford

So what is St Andrews excuse? 19 of the last 20 years they had the #1 student satisfaction rating?

DD went to Yale and did not have a good experience. prestige has nothing to do with a good experience.

Would you share with us some more on your DD's experience at Yale? That seems to be in the running for my DD's top choice...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DS is Harvard rising senior and very unhappy. Selected Harvard over Dartmouth and regrets it to this day.

I would love to know more about why your DS is unhappy at Harvard. I graduated from Dartmouth and would have given up a lot to go to Harvard.

[Anonymous]

Kansas State

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm wondering how and if this is measurable, beyond the "vibe" one gets from visiting a school. I feel like college has become such an industry (this board alone underscores the intensity of admissions!). I want my kid to get a good education, but more than anything, I want my child to take away invaluable lessons about happiness, balance, and values during those four years instead of getting caught up in the noise of the competitive rat-race. Which schools have happy graduates? Which schools have a healthy balance between work and life? How is this measured, and can it be?

I know way too many kids who worked so hard for some kind of elite school, thinking it would solve their problems or magically open doors, and it did none of those things. I know one teenager who took his life after being denied admission to a top college. I know others who have been admitted to psychiatric hospitals due to intense academic pressure. It all feels like too much, and I'm wondering how and where to look for communities that put these four years into healthy perspectives.

All of them. The secret is the student and their way of life not the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s so strange to me that people expect actual lists of schools that produce happy young people. That’s just not the way college, or anything else in life, works. It’s a lot more complex than that, but ultimately, it helps to raise your kids to value human connection, to be content with less, and not to have overblown expectations of what college is about.

I'm the OP. I'm not looking for colleges that "produce" happy young people on an assembly line; I'm looking for schools that foster a sense of collaboration and that offer exceptional mental health resources (which I should have said in my original post). Totally concur that how kids are raised matters. But some schools are pressure cookers. (I see Swarthmore and U Chicago come up often in this regard.)

I think a lot of Catholic schools outside of the top 5 are known for this, even Holy Cross of the top 5. Schools like Seton Hall, USF, Seattle University, USD, St. Mary’s, to name a few.

[Anonymous]

I know W&M has been mentioned here previously. In addition to being ranked for having happy students, they also have the highest alumni giving rate of public schools. So that means even after they graduate, W&M alumni think positively about their experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DS is Harvard rising senior and very unhappy. Selected Harvard over Dartmouth and regrets it to this day.

My DD is also a rising senior at H. I’m so sorry your DS is unhappy! Hang in there.

[Anonymous]

Tulane and Wisconsin.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parent of a Vanderbilt senior. I think the work hard / play hard trope is correct. Not every week ends with a trip to Broadway, but when they do go, it sounds borderline euphoric. Then they graduate and have objectively top outcomes.

So bizarre.

FYI: I'm assuming Broadway refers to the super fun street/neighborhood in downtown Nashville, not the theater district in Manhattan.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm wondering how and if this is measurable, beyond the "vibe" one gets from visiting a school. I feel like college has become such an industry (this board alone underscores the intensity of admissions!). I want my kid to get a good education, but more than anything, I want my child to take away invaluable lessons about happiness, balance, and values during those four years instead of getting caught up in the noise of the competitive rat-race. Which schools have happy graduates? Which schools have a healthy balance between work and life? How is this measured, and can it be?

I know way too many kids who worked so hard for some kind of elite school, thinking it would solve their problems or magically open doors, and it did none of those things. I know one teenager who took his life after being denied admission to a top college. I know others who have been admitted to psychiatric hospitals due to intense academic pressure. It all feels like too much, and I'm wondering how and where to look for communities that put these four years into healthy perspectives.

All of them. The secret is the student and their way of life not the school.

Yes, this is very true.

But I have to assume that some schools prioritize and select more of these types of "healthy and balanced" students than their peer schools.

I think that may be what we're looking to learn. Which schools select for this on the front end vs. prioritizing uber-achievement at the expense of demonstrated work/life balance?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parent of a Vanderbilt senior. I think the work hard / play hard trope is correct. Not every week ends with a trip to Broadway, but when they do go, it sounds borderline euphoric. Then they graduate and have objectively top outcomes.

So bizarre.

Are you a chat bot?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: it sounds borderline euphoric.

What are they doing that makes it so euphoric?!

It’s …. a blast when you are 20-21? Not my scene at all as a saggy semi-sober mom, but Nashvegas is a nationally known party destination

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: it sounds borderline euphoric.

What are they doing that makes it so euphoric?!

It’s …. a blast when you are 20-21? Not my scene at all as a saggy semi-sober mom, but Nashvegas is a nationally known party destination

Hahaaa! Nashvegas . I absolutely hate country so it would be hell for me.