Colleges with happy kids
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Anonymous
I am finding hard to believe that someone who received one of their coveted scholarships left because you are walking about from close to 400k. Also not sure on the money element because my kid has spent almost no money while there. The kids stay on campus to eat and work out so really no expense there and social life revolves around greek scene where again no money spent. We were nervous about money but have heard more complaints from friends whose kids spent a lot on restaurants and bars which can quickly differentiate the haves and have nots. Everyone lives on campus so also no differentiating between who has better apartment including decorations. |
Anonymous
No, this is not accurate - it’s very easy to get lost and depressed in the massive sea of students. I’ve known many Penn state main students who dropped out or transferred out. It’s going to get bigger now that they are closing branch campuses (most but not all) |
Anonymous
I have to agree. I wish I’d forced my kids to apply there. It is in the middle of nowhere though, with no train station, so it didn’t make the cut. |
Anonymous
| As a mom of a hs senior, I am also probing this question and trying to sift through contradictory info. We see emory listed as a school ranked high on having happy kids, but when we ask people with kids there now, they say there's a lot of high-pressure pre professional angst and that social life is dead and kids to go georgia tech for parties. What is the truth??? |
Anonymous
Wait, I don't think most people would describe Penn State and Syracuse as loving/supportive. If you're definition of fun is tailgating and partying (and it is for a lot of college students), then sure, they offer a lot of opportunities for fun. But few people would rate them high for being nurturing! |
Anonymous
Disagree. No much more alcohol than VT or UVA. Also, the alcohol scene is mostly in Greek Life. However, Greek life is only about 20% of all students. They also have a few faith based Clubs, my son belongs to their Young Life group and "parties" just fine without alcohol. |
Anonymous
The feedback I’m getting back on Emory is that it is very pre-professional and not the place if you’re looking for a place with a more traditional campus culture (football, parties) or a pure liberal arts emphasis. However, there are a lot of events that don’t center around sports or Greek life. And there is a lot of interest on the liberal arts. One just has to look a little harder for it in the sea of pre-meds and business students. |
Anonymous
Yes, there was a suicide at W&M three weeks ago. I know years ago (decades ago), W&M had a reputation of being #1 in number of suicides. But in the last decade, they were NOT top for suicides. As recently as six years ago, W&M was ranked #1 in the country for happiest students by Princeton Review. That ranking has gone down every year and they are no longer on their top 25 list. My oldest was at W&M from 2018-2022. The school was very strict during Covid. My opinion, the students during that time frame did not have the best experience, which probably caused them to drop out of the rankings. That cohort is graduating this year or next year. So you have an entirely new cohort that is experiencing what W&M was like before Covid. I think W&M will rise in the happiest student rankings. The school has a much better dining provider. They are getting ready to open brand new dorms in the fall. |
Anonymous
Syracuse alumnae here. Happiest time of my life!! "Nurturing and loving" seems like a strange criteria for college. That said, I never felt lost or simply "just a number." I think the reason is because Syracuse is quite self-contained, and campus-driven for such a large school. |
Anonymous
Engineering is pretty miserable everywhere. Though they have all doors open to them when they come out, so they win in the end. Socializing as an undergrad and having a lot of happy time is not the experience of Engineers. Same with premeds but to a lesser extent |
Anonymous
| It is student fit more than school dependent . Princeton has had a lot of suicides in the past 3 yrs. William and Mary has had an uptick the last 18mos. Many top25 schools have had one or more in the past 2 yrs. We are in a mental health crisis |
Anonymous
i heave heard this from numerous people. |
Anonymous
Most use “scholarship kid” to mean financial aid that is need based. Many top schools attach names to need based awards. The rare kids(about 20-22 per entering class) who get a full cost of attendance scholarship could be wealthy or not wealthy: they are not need based. These students get $$extra for summer research and many other special perks. Almost all of the fulbright and rhodes winners are from this subset of Wake students. Zero way a student would transfer out if they got this: they are treated like kings and queens of the campus by faculty and everyone else. |
Anonymous
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If by “happy” you mean party scene, beware: most of the college students who end up at our midatlantic region’s alcohol/drug rehab center come from schools known as happy lower stress party schools:
Uof SC, UTk, Bama (multiple), VCU, Hampden-Sydney, CNU. It is much less common at William and Mary, UVA, and on up the list. |
Anonymous
Yeah, sorry, that's not what I meant. I meant two separate things: 1.) Penn State and Syracuse both have happy vibes. 2.) If I had a kid with known mental/emotional health struggles, I would guide them toward more supportive schools. Not necessarily PSU or Syracuse. I'd think small and not Top 20, but it depends on the kid. |