MSN 2008

While the factors that go into creating a college campus full of "happy" students may vary, one thing is for certain: some schools do a better job of it than others. Observing the attitudes of the students on campus will tell you more about a school than all the brochures you've read, virtual tours you've taken, and conversations you've had with eager admissions officers. While you'll still need a campus visit to seal your impressions, The Princeton Review's survey of 120,000 college students for the Best 366 Colleges: 2008 Edition, revealed the top ten schools with the happiest students.

1. Whitman College (Walla Walla, Washington)

At Whitman College, the sheer variety of opportunities to have fun keeps students happy. One student reports, "There is always a ridiculous amount of things going on around campus. Sometimes the trouble is choosing what you are going to do or having time to do all of the things you are interested in. There are tons of clubs (and some really odd ones, like the Ender's Game Alliance and the Flight Club) to get involved in and lots of musical performances, plays, parties, speakers, etc."

Students who considered Whitman College also looked at Pomona College, Carleton College, University of Puget Sound, and Colorado College.

2. Brown University (Providence, Rhode Island)

"The social scene is a lot like the academic scene" at Brown "in that there is a huge variety of options, and people tend to experience most of them. From hanging out to cocktail parties, from hippies partying in their co-ops to kids studying in the library, from fraternity parties to watching a movie, everything you can imagine doing for fun happens." Students agree that "Brown is a school that definitely parties, and Wednesday night through Sunday students here are partying," but not until they get their schoolwork done.

Students who considered Brown University also looked at Amherst College, Williams College, Smith College, and Yale University.

3. Clemson University (Clemson, South Carolina)

"Clemson football and tailgating are the most amazing experiences of college," most Clemson undergrads agree, noting that "Saturdays in the fall there is no question where everyone is." Aside from their intensity for football, "Clemson students approach life 'Southern style': We're pretty laid-back, we like to have a good time, we work hard, and we have pride." The surrounding area offers plenty in the way of outdoor activity, as "Lake Hartwell borders the campus. We're about a half hour from great hiking and mountain biking, and the weather is great most of the time, so we spend a lot of time outdoors."

Students who considered Clemson University also looked at Georgia Institute of Technology, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Auburn University, and Furman University.

4. Princeton University (Princeton, New Jersey)

Princeton University students love that they are in good company. One student writes, "I have friends who are Presidential Scholars, stayed with the UN Secretary General in Paris over fall break, produced hip-hop CDs, or represented different countries at the Olympics. Back home, I would have thought it amazing if I could meet just one of these people. If I stopped thinking of my friends as friends and thought of what they have accomplished, it's mind-boggling and a little humbling."

Students who considered Princeton University also looked at Harvard College, Yale University, Stanford University, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

5. Stanford University (Stanford, California)

It's true that Stanford students "work hard" but they "play hard, too." At Stanford, playing hard comes in various forms. One prominent form, of course, is partying. On any given Friday (or Saturday) night, "You can find most students heading out to one of the many parties that are held around campus." Others choose to hit "local bars/clubs, and, on occasion, [ride] into San Francisco" for the city's nightlife. Given the "perfect" weather, it's hardly surprising that undergrads also like to take it outdoors for a good time. "Running, swimming, and sunbathing are some of the more common outdoor activities."

Students who considered Stanford University also looked at University of California-Berkeley, Princeton University, California Institute of Technology, and Yale University.

6. University of Tulsa (Tulsa, Oklahoma)

All students here complete the cross-disciplinary Tulsa curriculum that one student says "has been incredible in helping me learn to think in a variety of ways, and connect thoughts across curricula." One undergrad explains, "TU is pretty laid-back in my opinion because they trust us to be adults, and we haven't abused their confidence so far." A freshman from California says she had a bit of "culture shock. The fried food and the popularity of football freaked me out at first. But the Oakies take you in." Nearly everyone is "very serious and passionate about what we are studying."

Students who considered the University of Tulsa also looked at University of Oklahoma, Southern Methodist University, Saint Louis University, and Baylor University.

7. The College of New Jersey (Ewing, New Jersey)

The TCNJ campus "is gorgeous, with tree-lined paths and brick buildings in the Georgian Colonial style," though some students wonder whether construction will ever end." Extracurricular options are varied here. Those involved in the Greek scene say it's "always available and fun." We're told the Greeks and the sports houses are the location of many off-campus parties. Tuesday, a.k.a. "Tuesday Booze Day," is one of the big party nights here. That's because "the school doesn't offer a lot of classes on Wednesday."

Students who considered The College of New Jersey also looked at Villanova University, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey-New Brunswick, Rowan University, and Montclair State University.

8. Bowdoin College (Brunswick, Maine)

Students love how Bowdoin "embraces the intellectual experience in a balanced, healthy way, so that its students are generally very happy. There is an awareness that in college, learning comes from everywhere, so there is a real effort by the Bowdoin administration as well as Bowdoin students to bring speakers, events, and entertainment to the campus so that students can learn in every way possible." Extracurriculars are part of the constant learning; students here "are always doing at least one if not ten things at a time."

Students who considered Bowdoin College also looked at Middlebury College, Bates College, Colby College, and Brown University.

9. Yale University (New Haven, Connecticut)

Yale is extremely demanding academically, but students here still find time for plenty of extracurricular enrichment and fun. One student reports, "People generally study Monday through Thursday, and oftentimes have extracurriculars in the evenings. On the weekends, people tend to study during the day and go out at night." Undergrads tell us that "art, music, theater, and sports are huge, loved, and well funded, as are organizations such as the Yale Daily News, the Slavic Chorus (a cappella is huge here), Just Add Water (a comedy troupe), and the fire-juggling club (best Halloween show in the world!)."

Students who considered Yale University also looked at Harvard College, Princeton University, Stanford University, and Brown University.

10. Thomas Aquinas College (Santa Paula, California)

What do students at TAC think about in their free time? Well, they ponder the usual questions, like, "What is life? Why are we here? What makes the heavens move? Can you prove that God exists?" In general, writes a senior, "Life at Thomas Aquinas College is focused around the academic program," which means that the questions spurred in class regularly carry into Friday and Saturday nights. Official campus parties, such as formal dances and banquet dinners, are also in line with this focus. Off-campus activities "whether it be drinking in the woods or going to the opera, also complement the program."

Students who considered Thomas Aquinas College also looked at Benedictine College, the Catholic University of America, University of Dallas, and Christendom College.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=777132&forum_id=1#9416869)

By Marcella Bombardieri, Boston Globe Staff

Student satisfaction at Harvard College ranks near the bottom of a group of 31 elite private colleges, according to an analysis of survey results that finds that Harvard students are disenchanted with the faculty and social life on campus.

An internal Harvard memo, obtained by the Globe, provides numerical data that appear to substantiate some long-held stereotypes of Harvard: that undergraduate students often feel neglected by professors, and that they don't have as much fun as peers on many other campuses.

The group of 31 colleges, known as the Consortium on Financing Higher Education, or COFHE, includes all eight Ivy League schools, other top research universities like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford, and small colleges like Amherst and Wellesley.

''Harvard students are less satisfied with their undergraduate educations than the students at almost all of the other COFHE schools," according to the memo, dated Oct. 2004 and marked ''confidential." ''Harvard student satisfaction compares even less favorably to satisfaction at our closest peer institutions."

The 21-page memo, from staff researchers at Harvard to academic deans, documents student dissatisfaction with faculty availability, quality of instruction, quality of advising, and student life factors such as sense of community and social life on campus.

The raw data used in the memo come from surveys of graduating seniors in 2002, but are the most recent comparison available and are still consulted by Harvard administrators. On a five-point scale, Harvard students' overall satisfaction comes out to 3.95, compared to an average of 4.16 for the other 30 COFHE schools. Although the difference appears small, Harvard officials say they take the ''satisfaction gap" very seriously.

Only four schools scored lower than Harvard, but the schools were not named. (COFHE data are supposed to be confidential.) The memo also notes that Harvard's ''satisfaction gap" has existed since at least 1994.

''I think we have to concede that we are letting our students down," said Lawrence Buell, an English professor and former dean of undergraduate education. ''Our standard is that Harvard shoots to be the very best. If it shoots to be the very best in terms of research productivity and the stature of its faculty, why should it not shoot to be the very best in terms of the quality of the education that it delivers?"

Harvard officials refused to comment on the survey, but noted that they are already working to address the issues underscored by the data. They also said their internal numbers have improved since 2002. President Lawrence H. Summers has also spoken repeatedly about the need for students to have more opportunity to get to know their professors.

In a report released last April as part of an ongoing review of Harvard's curriculum, the need for more interaction between students and faculty was mentioned repeatedly''Harvard College should be known not only as an institution in which students can sit in lecture halls to learn from faculty who make original contributions to knowledge, but also as a place where they may encounter, and challenge, these scholars directly in seminar and small class settings," the report said.

But right now, students can go through four years on campus with limited contact with professors. They often take large lecture classes, divided into sections headed by graduate student ''teaching fellows." Small classes are frequently taught by temporary instructors instead of regular, tenure-track professors. And in many cases, advisers are not professors, either, but graduate students, administrators, or full-time advisers.

''I've definitely had great professors, but most of the time you have to chase them down and show initiative if you want to get to know them," said Kathy Lee, a junior majoring in psychology. ''I've had a lot of trouble getting to know enough faculty to get the recommendations I need for medical school."

On the five-point scale, Harvard students gave an average score of 2.92 on faculty availability, compared to an average 3.39 for the other COFHE schools. Harvard students gave a 3.16 for quality of instruction, compared to a 3.31 for the other schools, and a 2.54 for quality of advising in their major, compared to 2.86 for the other schools.

Students gave Harvard a 2.62 for social life on campus, compared to a 2.89 for the other schools, and a 2.53 for sense of community, compared to 2.8.

Harvard Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences William C. Kirby recently said that Harvard's ratio of students to tenured and tenure-track faculty is 11-to-1, compared to an 8-1 ratio at Princeton University. Harvard has already boosted the number of faculty by 10 percent in the last five years, from 610 to 672 professors, in part to improve the student-faculty ratio. Kirby's plan now is to expand the faculty to 750 by 2010, and possibly to 800 after that.

In the meantime, Harvard is trying to offer more intimate classroom settings. For example, four years ago it offered only about 30 small seminar classes for freshmen. This year there are 115, most taught by senior faculty, according to Dean of the College Benedict H. Gross.

Students' experiences also vary widely from department to department. Some of the most popular -- and thus overburdened -- majors, such as economics or government, have fairly low ratings on internal student surveys, while small majors like classics and philosophy get better ratings.

On the social front, students complain that Harvard lacks places where students can socialize and has so many rules that it is difficult to hold a party on-campus, where almost all undergraduates live.

The Harvard administration has also been working hard in the last few years to improve social life. The school has been experimenting with popular ''pub nights" on some Fridays, and has allowed campus parties to stay open an hour later, until 2 a.m. They have tried other novelty programs from dodge ball tournaments to speed dating, and doubled the amount of athletic equipment in the main gym used by undergraduates.

Many students are pessimistic that the curriculum review is going to change what some call ''a culture of mutual avoidance," where students and faculty often don't make an effort to meet. Professors and students alike also say there's a hurried and stressful atmosphere on campus that can get in the way of building mentor relationships. After all, Harvard has been trying to improve teaching and advising for years, long before the current administration.

Matt Glazer, president of the student government, said it's hard to have much confidence in the administration's commitment to fixing the problems.

''When the system that has dismal advising is giving recommendations on how to make advising better, the question is why aren't they doing that right now?" Glazer said.

http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2005/03/29/student_life_at_harvard_lags_peer_schools_poll_finds/

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=777132&forum_id=1#9656704)