Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:William & Mary

Uh, no.

Actually a ton of kids love W&M.

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.

Mine are generally happy and very productive at their different ivies : the description fits the bolded. They have friends at non-ivy elites who describe it almost the same. It’s not for everyone but in general they are happy. Most of their very unhappy friends from high school are at large state schools

Georgetown had a reverse merch situation. I've never seen a campus full of more kids wearing other colleges sweatshirts.

Anonymous wrote:When we visited Penn State, nearly every kid we saw was wearing Penn State gear and were plastered with smiles. They also claim to have happy cows that make the best ice cream.

If only it weren't in the middle of nowhere

Funny I had exact same experience yesterday at UConn - if wearing merch is a metric of school spirit it’s pretty high there, great ice cream from local cows (apparently) but found the feeling of being in a big student city dropped in middle of nowhere a little peculiar

When we visited Penn State, nearly every kid we saw was wearing Penn State gear and were plastered with smiles. They also claim to have happy cows that make the best ice cream.

If only it weren't in the middle of nowhere

Gettysburg- it’s literally impossible to go there and not be happy. Every grad I have ever met is successful and happy in life - it’s crazy

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.

Michigan State

I live in Houston. The kids at Rice tend to veer toward a bit quirky, but they are exceedingly happy. I credit the house system and its fostering of camaraderie.

The Princeton Review has a list of schools with the happiest students, based on its own surveys. Auburn is #1: https://www.princetonreview.com/college-rankings/?rankings=happiest-students

The top 25 includes some regional or religious schools not mentioned here often. But it also features DCUM recurring characters like Emory, Williams, Skidmore, Rice, Bowdoin, Tulane, Vanderbilt, and U of Richmond.

Syracuse

Another vote for SEC. Also Wisconsin.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Duke and Davidson

Interesting on Davidson.

What about Wake?

No

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most. Even the ones you wrote about being depressing.

This exactly. I think it really depends on the kid and finding the right fit. There are kids who will be happy at CMU and kids who will be miserable. Similarly, there are kids who will be happy at Tulane or Bama and others who will hate it. That’s why it’s so important to look for the right fit for your kid and not just the ranking.

+1,000

People can post college names all day long here, OP, and it is utterly meaningless. One student can thrive and be happy at college XYZ while another can be miserable there. So many factors are involved, some of them inherent to the individual student, some inherent to the college or university itself. The specific department the student is in (for the major) can play a role. The student's readiness to be away from home, the student's expectations before starting college, the college's ability to deal positively with its student body....Just so many factors. Lists of "happy kid colleges" cannot even begin to help. Instead, as PP says, look for the right fit. And "fit" can be an elusive concept. But one way not to find it is to focus too hard on rankings or prestige, both of which may have nothing to do with whether a college is the right one for your specific and unique kid.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:William & Mary

Uh, no.

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