Colleges with Less Happy Students

Hey all! Bit of a weird question, but I keep hearing about 'happiest' campuses, and I'm wondering about the other side. Are there any colleges known for having less happy students? Not that I want to go to a sad college, but it would help me put things in perspective.

It's good you're considering all aspects of campus life, understanding the experiences of students can indeed put things in perspective. While it's important to preface that these perceptions can be subjective and might not reflect every individual's experience, there are a few schools that some surveys and anecdotes have indicated may have less content student bodies.

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology: Despite its stellar reputation for academics, some students have expressed that the rigorous workload can lead to stress and reduced happiness.

2. Johns Hopkins University: Similarly, the rigorous pre-med and engineering programs in particular at Johns Hopkins often result in a high-stress environment.

3. Columbia University: A common critique is that its urban campus can sometimes lack social cohesion, which some students have found isolating.

It's important to look beyond these generalizations, though. There can be undue stress and academic rigor at any university, and on the flip side, many students attend the above institutions and have a joyous college experience. Much depends on the resilience and stress management skills of individual students. So take these perspectives as just a part of the larger picture of each school's campus culture.

Ultimately, what matters most is how well you think you'd fit within a particular college's environment, not broad generalizations about the campus culture. I hope this overview helps!