I'm amazed at how many people had crappy college experiences.

How do we make sure that doesn't happen to our kids? I've discouraged mine from going to a huge public school where they'll be an anonymous face. The smaller schools seem like much better environments for finding and forming friend groups around a purpose or shared interest. And definitely kids should choose schools where most undergrad students live on campus. The one year I lived off campus with two friends was fine because we were already part of a very strong friend group and we often just spent the night on someone's floor in the dorms. But the kids who just hang out with their apartment mates don't seem to have a great experience. You definitely need to be a joiner and immerse yourself in campus life.

"College should absolutely be fun. You’re doing it wrong if it’s miserable."

I agree! It sucked to be broke but we were a bunch of smart kids thousands of miles from home with bright futures ahead of us. All you need is good company and enough money for tacos or beer to have a great time.

Anonymous wrote:WIth the pandemic, definitely not. College has not been the same experience and my Class of 2024 student is waiting for a "normal year"

My kid had two to years of college and two years of covid college, so no going to bands, hanging out at parties, going to clubs etc. Sad.

College should absolutely be fun. You’re doing it wrong if it’s miserable.

College is kind of like childbirth to me. (And with many other life milestones.) They pretty much suck at the time, but you forget the painful parts and romanticize the rest of it years later as you deal with the realities of getting older.

Loved my college years! I met the best circle of friends from diff parts of the country and worked my whole way through to pay for my apartment. It was the first time I had met people not from my hometown which is all part of personal growth. Met my husband and we have the best memories together. We partied hard but we also worked our butts off trying to balance it all. Definitely a chapter in my life that I appreciate!

Anonymous wrote:I always feel that the best years of my life are the stage I am in at the moment.

This.

Best time of your life? How ridiculous. If going to work for Daddy or one of his friends is how you will define your future, then yeah, sure, all that partying & fun is the point of a college degree.

Can't really even say I enjoyed it while I was in it.
It was very stressful.
Definitely wasn't the best years of my life.

I do have very fond memories and a better appreciation of what I went through after I got through it.


I do admire these tour guides we have who talk about how much they love being in college.
I sure do hope my kids would feel the same.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Best time of my life was after college— had enough money to live my life, had a ton of friends, worked hard sometimes but also had plenty of time to hang out without being stressed about work.

This. The ages of 23-27 were awesome. Got married at 27 and had another wonderful 5 years before work and kids really started to grind me away. But still, the kids have and still give me wonderful experiences that I wouldn’t trade for anything. College was fun but it wasn’t the best. I still keep hoping the best is yet to come.

Same here. Those post college early professional years were great. Finally know what you are doing and gaining confidence, making money, care free with decades in front of you, hanging with friends and going out whenever and wherever.

What a silly question.

Of course it depends on the person and their life circumstances. This is true for all phases of life.

I LOVED having a small child. Some people find that phase of life to be stressful and exhausting.

It wasn't for me, but it may have been for my siblings. They LOVED college. I agree with the poster who said, "I always feel that the best years of my life are the stage I am in at the moment." I have always felt like this except for the last few years just because of Trump, Covid, etc. I'm hoping my children have better college experiences than I did.

Anonymous wrote:College is a nice interlude between being a dependent and being independent and yet having few responsibilities or cares.

However, I was happier post college and pre kids, with my husband and I having fun all the time. Travelling, camping, socializing with friends....

Least happy with young kids, commutes, stressful jobs, expensive mortgage, etc.

Happy again now in my 50s because I moved away from DC to a beautiful place I love.

Where did you move? Will be empty nester soon and looking to move…

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I enjoyed my college time but it was very different. Now have a freshman, and it's stressful: pick a major, keep up with classes, find an apartment for next year, avoid the drunks in your dorm throwing up and fight to find your people within the first 6 months. There is just a lot of pressure for these kids (and yes, I say "kids" and not "adults" b/c living in a dorm in not adulting.)
It's a positive experience and he's happy to be there and it's going fine.
But time of your life? Eh.

Do you mean different than when you were in college? How so? I remember all of the craziness (esp of freshman year) and I agree that it’s a lot but when you are young and energetic and excited to build a new life and meet people you have the energy for it. I had a wonderful time in college but it was one of many, many other great periods of my life.

Different experiences completely. I went to a school with 800 kids, so you just saw everyone at dinner every night and walked over with your hallmates. Classes were so much easier than what my dc is taking now. I lived in the same dorm for all 4 years, 3 with the same roommates. Easy to get to know people.
DC is at 21K people school and not as easy--he's not a drinker/partier so it's been harder to find his people. Hates his dorm and has to find a place to live next year with not knowing people well enough. I think the pressure is much greater than what we experienced.

Anonymous wrote:Best time of my life was after college— had enough money to live my life, had a ton of friends, worked hard sometimes but also had plenty of time to hang out without being stressed about work.

This. The ages of 23-27 were awesome. Got married at 27 and had another wonderful 5 years before work and kids really started to grind me away. But still, the kids have and still give me wonderful experiences that I wouldn’t trade for anything. College was fun but it wasn’t the best. I still keep hoping the best is yet to come.