Which colleges have the highest/lowest suicide rates?

<p>Out of curiousity. I read the Cornell posts and they say they are under the national average, despite what "other people" say...but I'd like to see a list.</p>

<p>I believe Penn's had alot of problems lately.</p>

<p>I don't think a list is necessary. To avoid committing suicide, just put yourself into an environment that you enjoy and can handle. Many people commit suicide at top schools because their depressed before going and the pressure cooker environment leads them to commit suicide, as they feel they have no where to turn to.</p>

<p>I read an article in the times about NYU trying to curb their huge suicide rates.</p>

<p>Penn has high suicide rates! NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!</p>

<p>Who cares if a school you like has high suicide rates ? I mean unless you are a high-risk to commit suicide, I wouldn't care. I'd go to Harvard even if suicide rate was like 15% of student body a year.</p>

<p>lol 15% of student body...that would suck</p>

<p>Its important to note, guys, that some schools have more people compared to others, and logically, have more suicides.</p>

<p>MMEI thats a good point but I assume that a ranking would account for this maybe like rating suicides per 1,000 students and not just the number of suicides.</p>

<p>I heard MIT had the highest rate, but it's still only like 10 kids out of 10,000. you won't unless you're prone to doing it.</p>

<p>I'd imagine Brigham Young would be the lowest, but, I myself couldn't imagine going there, lol...</p>

<p>Yes, suicide is usually tallied by the rate (ie the number of suicides per student body, per thousand etc.). But I just want to warn people that a school like Cornell might get a bad rap for a large number of suicides (through the media and other things), even though they are a very large university.</p>

<p>I am a mom and this subject was brought up by another parent on a tour of another college. At first, I was FLOORED someone would even ask this and then she went on to tell me that she actually RESEARCHED this before she allowed her daughter to apply ANYWHERE! AAAACK! Unfortunately this is a harsh reality with the competitiveness of schools today. </p>

<p>Would I allow a "high suicide rate" to prevent my son from applying to a school? NO WAY! Suicide isn't contagious.... Some children are ill prepared to deal with things like no longer being the "top banana". Some children have never been away from home. Some children "lose it". The one school we toured emphasized the orientation process and how they have counselors available for such "transition" problems. </p>

<p>I have always told my children that no matter how well they do in school, sports, and tests.... There will always be someone smarter, better, and more motivated than they are.... I have repeatedly encouraged them to do THEIR best, not to BE the best..... That's not cutting them down.... That is REALITY.</p>

<p>Suicide comes into play more in grad school where students become very frustrated with their research. I do not have the statistics, but I think it is very uncommon in undergraduate work.</p>

<p>DGIAN You as a parent should take every care in making sure your child is in a safe school. My brother passed away this march by suicide and he showed absolutely 0 warning signs before he went to college. You should be aware of the college’s suicide rate because it shows how well their staff responds to mental illness and problems displayed by their students. Why should you think someone is being over competitive of colleges by asking a question regarding students safety? Suicide is the NUMBER ONE killer of freshman students and more people need to be aware of this problem. If parents know the threat of suicide is there maybe more lives will be saved.</p>

<p>Suicide impacts more people than just the victim. It is extremely painful, not to mention disruptive, to experience the suicide of a friend, a friend of a friend, a class- or dorm-mate, etc.</p>

<p>Actually, contrary to DGIAN’s statement, suicide may very well be “contagious”. And, as a parent, this should be something you’re worried about.</p>

<p>Psychologists, quite obviously, gather statistics on such subjects and, in some instances, it does appear that suicide may be “contagious”.</p>

<p>This thread is almost 6 years old. </p>

<p>Question, glennnn (on your recent post 15): where does one find a given college’s suicide rate? I have been following college admissions a long time and as far as I know there is no reliable source for this information. Colleges are not required to post a suicide rate in their common data sets.</p>

<p>Suicides are usually reported via news releases and campus communications. You might be able to determine how many suicides have occurred over a given period of time at a specific school. I personally would not be comfortable, though, in using that number to decide that a given school is a factor in student suicide, or certainly that a given school constitutes a higher risk of suicide for an individual student. Many schools that have experienced suicides in the past have established strong mental health resources.</p>

<p>I had occasion yesterday to look up suicide rates by gender and was shocked at how much more common suicide is for males than females in all age brackets. I knew it was higher, but not by a factor of 4 or more, depending on the age bracket.

Could you cite the source for this, glennnn? I have read that accidents are the number one cause of death for college freshmen and non-college students in this age bracket alike.</p>

<p>parents with their heads in the sand about how mental health problems develop and progress are not doing their kids any service. Those are the kids who will feel they have no one to talk to when things get really tough.</p>

<p>[College</a> Student Suicide at Suicide.org! College Student Suicide at Suicide.org! College Student Suicide at Suicide.org!](<a href=“http://www.suicide.org/college-student-suicide.html]College”>College Student Suicide at Suicide.org! College Student Suicide at Suicide.org! College Student Suicide at Suicide.org!)</p>