Some schools that you go to you feel such an extreme happiness on campus. For example, at Dartmouth you can feel that students are very happy, and at Cornell, many seem pretty unhappy. When I was at Northwestern I thought they seemed to be a happy, active bunch. But as I read threads and quality of life ratings in college books, I’m not sure that is the case. Are people relaxed and happy, or is the atmosphere more competitive and stressed out? If they are no more stressed out than would be expected of a college of this caliber, what do you think gives Northwestern low quality of life ratings? Thank you!
I can only speak for our kids (senior and a sophomore Wildcats) and their friends, and I can say that they are VERY happy at NU! They work hard but also find time to enjoy their lives. I also think the school’s 97% 4 year graduation rate speaks to the fact that kids really like it there, and that’s in spite of harsh winters like last year’s. One thing about the surveys is that virtually none of the kids who take them have any basis for comparison with other campuses, so their answers don’t really tell you if those same students would give a different campus higher marks or if NU students just don’t give their campus happiness-grade inflation as much as kids on another campus might. 
If you are smart enough to go to NU - or aspire to go to NU - then you realize that happiness - like beauty - is in the eye of the beholder. That said, I agree with Momcares - and I have an alum and a current student at NU. My current student (Deans List in Engineering) has said that NU fosters a cooperative learning atmosphere - He says nobody can do it all alone - and in his group only the pre-med students are cut-throat grade conscious.