Princeton Review

[Eagle]

Wow, what's this about? I'm certainly shocked, because that hasn't been my impression. Surely, there are a few who aren't there for the right reasons, guess they were the one to answer the survey????
Any comments from the peanut gallery about this?

[Eagle]

"Top 10 Schools with the Least Happy Students"
Article provided by The Princeton Review

[zachogden]

Shocked? I'm not exactly shocked. USCGA isn't always the most fun place to be, but that's okay. We make our own fun when we can (which is typically on the weekends), but we're just not allowed to have the same kind of "fun" that my friends at OSU are allowed to have. I don't really think it's a fair comparison in that it paints the academy as being this awful place, which it really isn't. We're being trained to become officers someday, not bartenders or professional nappers, and that's the bottom line.

[LineInTheSand]

You aren't going to CGA for fun, I'll tell ya that much.

[Eagle]

And one would take for granted that those who sign up know that, too.
It doesn't affect me, though and I will amend my shock to say "disappointment" that some in the Academy would feel that way, when there are many who would love to be Cadets and are waiting or who got turned away. MAYBE IT'S The DARK AGES that's got them least happy.

[J Collins]

Originally Posted by LineInTheSand

You aren't going to CGA for fun, I'll tell ya that much.

My daughter just looked up the report...

CGA #7 and MMA #1... LOL.. the reasons for disliking the CGA were exactly the reasons you go to an academy arent they??? My daughter laughted at the cleaning at MMA.... She loved the fact when she spoke to cadets 2 yrs ago and they told her to bring a 2nd toothbrush.

[zaatarmonster]

For a little context:

The article begins:

So, they may not be full of smiles and high fives, but it's because these hardworking students have decided that buckling down now means enjoying the spoils a little later in life. The Princeton Review's survey of 120,000 college students for "The Best 368 Colleges: 2009 Edition" revealed the top 10 schools with the least happy students. Read excerpts from the students' responses to the survey below.

The section on USCGA says:

If you're ready to "deal with military rules and discipline along with a rigorous engineering education" so that "in four years you get the job you've always wanted," the United States Coast Guard Academy may be the place for you.

The workload is considerable. Cadets note that "It's like a cup of boiling hot chocolate: It smells good, you know it tastes good, but you have wait a long time to let it cool down in order to enjoy it fully." Others simply say that the demands make USCGA "a great place to be from but not always the greatest place to be."

Life at USCGA, unsurprisingly, is highly regimented. One student sums it up: "We have to wake up at 0600 every day whether we have class or not. We have to have our doors open whether we're in our rooms or not from 0600 to 1600. They tell us exactly what we can and can't do, and what we can wear and what we can't. We have military training period from 0700 to 0800 and class from 0800 to1600. We all eat lunch together at the same time in a family-style fashion. Sports period is from 1600 to 1800. Military training period from 1900 to 2000. Study hour from 2000 to 2200. We all have to stand duty and play sports and get a certain number of community service hours. We can't drink on base, and we can't leave during the week. We have to make our own fun, which involves some creativity sometimes (and demerits), but our fun wouldn't appeal to most college students because it's silly and doesn't involve alcohol."

[mnolan]

I don't think anyone should be disappointed even.....realize that the Princeton Review question isn't worded correctly........

My daughter, currently a 4th class, would never say that the USCGA is "fun" nor is she "happy" most of the time. If you look at the article, USAFA, USMA and USMMA were also on the list. Had they extended it past the "top 20" I suspect USNA would be in there as well.

I suspect that both my daughter and many of the other cadets would tell you is that this is one of the most challenging things she has ever done, she is getting the experience of a lifetime and more, and that this is the "right" place for her. And hopefully she is the "right person" for the Academy.

What the Princeton Review should really be asking is "how satisfied", "how meaningful" or "how challenging and purposeful" is your overall experience at college. If they asked it that way, the whole survey would be different. But they asked how "happy" are you.....like everything useful and meaningful in life is there to make you happy....

If the cadets were really unhappy, they would be leaving, and they don't, at least not at anywhere near the rate that those of us teaching at "civilian" colleges see. And there are still a lot more applicants than openings.....That pretty much says it all.

[jt0819]

If you are going to a college just to have fun and drink I can guarantee you that you will not succeed. You will be having fun but you will be wasting your money. If you do somehow make it out with a degree with a terrible gpa good luck getting a job and keeping it. If you are going to the academy I hope you are going because you want to become a leader and show the hard work you did during high school to get there. If you are disapointed you went to the academy then leave. If we are doing a drill together I don't want you working with me if your are going to half a$$ it. Thats my two cents.