The poll, undertaken this spring, is part of a growing effort to measure how well colleges do their jobs. This survey adds an interesting twist, because it looked not only at graduates after college; it tried to determine what happens during college that leads to well-being and workplace engagement later in life.</p>
<p>The poll didn't measure graduates' earnings. Rather, it was rooted in 30 years of Gallup research that shows that people who feel happy and engaged in their jobs are the most productive. That relatively small group at the top didn't disproportionately attend the prestigious schools that Americans have long believed provided a golden ticket to success. Instead, they forged meaningful connections with professors or mentors, and made significant investments in long-term academic projects and extracurricular activities.</p>
<p>"It matters very little where you go; it's how you do it" that counts, said Brandon Busteed, executive director of Gallup Education. "Having a teacher who believes in a student makes a lifetime of difference."
<p>Does anyone really think an elite college will buy them happiness?</p>
<p>I have always encouraged my kids to make close connections with their professors. My freshman D at an elite college has found that to be easy, she has been offered opportunities by several professors for research. My older D also had connections with several professors who took an interest in her and encouraged her to publish her senior thesis, and she was at a larger non-elite U.</p>
<p>Being happy in college may or may not be related to making a good choice for optimizing a student’s choices after graduation. Some students are happy because they get to party a lot for four years. Other students are happy when they get into the graduate program of their dreams.</p>
<p>I think the belief is that there are more opportunities, and hence the odds are greater, to find the right professor, the right research, the right summer opportunity or international travel or whatever at an elite college. They tend to have more resources.</p>
<p>IIRC, Amhearst has an unbelievable math professor who would be a life-changing mentor to have. If you go there and get him as a mentor and you are passionate about math, you are well on your well. But it is also possible that you go there, find that there is no chemistry, or that he has too many mentees this year, or is taking a year sabbatical, so you are not quite well on your way. But had you gone to Caltech or MIT or Stanford or some other schools known for math, you may have far more options and diversify your risk.</p>
<p>Secondly, I remember someone in the MIT thread mentioning that research going on at MIT sometimes looks like science fiction - it is that far out there. So yes, you can do interesting work at Podunk U, and if you are a super genius, you can even get grant money to do that scifi type research. But for mere mortals, it is really hard and less likely to do it by yourself. That is where the elites come in.</p>
<p>Sure, but everyone is not interested in science fiction type research. My kid from a middle of the road U is very happy in her career. I would guess the majority of college students are like her - happy to graduate and go out into the working world. My freshman at elite LAC has already been offered a summer research project. Her school recently announced that a few students got NSF grants for research in grad school, so it is possible if she wants to head that way, but not necessary for happiness in life.</p>
<p>^^^ Science fiction type research was just an example of how some universities may be able to offer a broader and/or deeper range of services and support to the students.</p>
<p>It could just as well as been smaller class sizes, wider selection of courses, etc…</p>