<p>does w&m really have the highest college suicide rate in the country? everyone @ my school keeps saying that (even though they've applied there too) because apparently the work is so much pressure. i tried to look it up, but of course stats on college suicide are hard to find (pr depts. working overtime?)</p>
<p>anyhoo, it's not like it would deter me from going there...i was just curious. any ideas about this--is it true or false?</p>
<p>sounds like viscious rumors to keep friends from applying........</p>
<p>It is false...............and students really are having a great time, studying, partying and having fun, despite the rumors to the contrary!</p>
<p>vicious rumors? rumors, perhaps, but prob. not vicious--my teachers have been talking about it too. oh well--i don't think i'm going to turn manic depressive or anything.</p>
<p>i wonder if there are even official stats.</p>
<p>but it's good to know that it's prob. not true. :)</p>
<p>the suicide rate at W&M is around the national average, at least according to the administration. I don't know why some school get suicide reputations, but they do. I don't mind the reputation, I think it makes the school seem more hardcore, o_O.</p>
<p>I have a couple friends at w&m. They all agree the work is hard (ESP Premed), but the suicide rate isn't anything to worry about. The fact is, sometimes kids can't handle the work or overstress themselves, and commit suicide. However, the rate at w&m is likely passed among teachers and students around the nation because the class sizes are small, making each suicide much more significant. Cornell also has a reputation for suicide and averages about 2/year accd. to wikipedia (which I know isn't necessarily a reliable source either, but there isn't a USNews ranking of suicide colleges, now is there?) but plenty of kids absolutely LOVE Cornell and make it through with no problem. My opinion: ignore the ratings. College work is hard and will be hard at w&m. Some kids will be unable to handle it, but kids don't go killing themselves all over the place because of the work. Otherwise w&m would stop getting thousands of applicants each year.</p>
<p>yeah, i'm sure there's nothing to worry about. just an interesting fact that i wanted to verify. </p>
<p>and there's no doubt that w&m is hard--one of the smartest girls from my school (she may have been valedictorian, i can't remember) flunked out last year. so there must be pressure, but i guess that's at every college.</p>
<p>if she was smart enough to get into W&M, I doubt she flunked out because she couldn't handle the work. More likely she rearranged her priorities.</p>
<p>Worry about things you can control, going to class, getting some sleep,keeping up with assigned work........don't worry about suicide and flunking out.</p>
<p>During my oldest daughter's 4 years at W & M (she graduated in 2005), I believe there were 4 suicides, including 1 student who was enrolled at the Law School. The 2 most recent suicides occurred in the same residence hall within 3 or 4 weeks, so that circumstance may have contributed to the "suicide school" myth. In addition, there were several student deaths due to accidents, and news of these tragedies may be filed in some minds under "dangerous place to go to school." </p>
<p>Some historical perspective - I found this quote from a senior W & M administration official, dated 2002: "in his 35 years at the College, there had been fewer than nine suicides, which is less than half the national average. Sadler also said that before the graduate student Elizabeth John's death last week, it had been six years since the last suicide at the College."</p>
<p>Certain schools, especially those known for rigorous workloads (W & M, Cornell, MIT), seem to pick up unfair reps as suicide capitals, but the actual numbers don't seem to bear this out.</p>
<p>i heard that if your roomate committs suicide, your grades skyrocket.</p>
<p>yea, that's true...</p>
<p>in the movies. Wasn't there a movie where people killed one of their friends to try to get straight A's?</p>
<p>the movie was Dead Man on Campus...</p>