<p>Freshmen retention rates
1. Princeton University 99.2%
2. Harvey Mudd College 99%
3. Yale University 99%
4. University of Pennsylvania 98.3%
5. University of Chicago 98.1%
6. Harvard University 98.1%
7. College of the Holy Cross 98.1%
8. Stanford University 98.1%
9. Carleton College 98.15
10. University of Notre Dame 98%
11. Wesleyan University 97.9%
12. California Institute of Technology 97.5%
13. Brown University 97.5%
14. Massachusetts Institute of Technology 97.3%
15. Columbia University 97.2%
16. Duke University 97.2%
17. Pomona College 97.2%
18. Williams College 97.1%
19. Tufts University 97%
20. University of Southern California 97%
21. Vanderbilt University 96.6%
22. Washington University St. Louis 96.5%
23. Dartmouth College 96.5%
24. Johns Hopkins University 96.4%
25. Georgetown University 96.4%</p>
<p>25</a> private colleges with the happiest freshmen - CBS News</p>
<p>Happy or the uncanny ability to endure pain?</p>
<p>Well, the title itself is off base. Retention does not equal happiness. Certainly if a student were very unhappy someplace they would likely transfer, but there are far more factors that go into retention than happiness. A classic example of confusing correlation with causation, if they are even correlated.</p>
<p>CBS News screws up again, no big surprise. Nonetheless, HC should be very pleased about their high retention rate. It does indicate they are doing something right, and also is healthier financially.</p>
<p>^Agreed, I love HC but I doubt that we are the 7th “happiest” college in the nation.</p>
<p>List is not quite right! Very few LAC are noted and therefore it seems that retention rates are the yardstick used to gauge " happiness". Skidmore College , as per Princeton Review " is in the top listing for happiest students and yet does not appear on this list! And there is no way students at MIT are happiest. Come on now!</p>
<p>most students stay at the school not because they are happy there but because they know a degree from those universities will mean good job placement. Most students at the ivys are quite miserable. Usually the classroom academics are competitive and cut throat</p>
<p>Claremont McKenna College (CMC) is missing from the list…</p>