Texas A&M Rated ‘Happiest Campus’ In The Nation
Texas A&M University students are the happiest in the nation, according to a survey cited by the Huffington Post.
The online news outlet posted a survey by The Daily Beast that rated “happiest colleges” on several key factors, awarding scores on the basis of 10 being the highest ranking possible. The Daily Beast is a news reporting and opinion website affiliated with Newsweek magazine.
Texas A&M scored 10 for “Overall Student Experience” and 9.8 in the “Would You Do It Again?” category. It received a 9.3 score for “Best Student Health Center” and 9.2 for “Full-time Freshman Student Retention.”
“If you’re happy and you know it, you may be an Aggie,” notes the Huffington Post article. “That’s because Texas A&M University is the happiest college in the country according to a recent ranking from The Daily Beast.”
Texas A&M’s vice president for student affairs, Lt. Gen. Joe Weber (USMC-Ret,) offered the following observation in response to the survey: “Why is everyone so happy in Aggieland? I’d like to think that it’s because from the very beginning we all work to instill in our students the traditions and camaraderie—the Aggie Spirit—that have served us so well throughout our proud history. It all starts with the likes of Fish Camp (a three-day freshman orientation session), New Student Conference, Fish Orientation Week (for new members of the Corps of Cadets), etc. Over a student’s time on campus, the beneficial side effects of such formative programs have proven to be threefold – Aggies learn to take care of Aggies, Aggies learn to give more than they receive and Aggies commit to core values, high standards and learning for a lifetime. Not a bad formula at all for anyone seeking happiness and according to the surveys, it works.”
Texas A&M Student Body President Reid Joseph has similar sentiments: “This is a tremendous testament to our entire university—especially to our student body, as well as to our faculty and staff who help make it all possible. I’m glad the whole nation now knows what we have known at Texas A&M for a long time.”
The ranking of the happiest colleges puts Texas A&M at No. 1, followed by Stanford and the University of Wisconsin, notes the Huffington Post article. Other schools listed in the top 10 are (in order) Florida State, North Carolina, University of Florida, Brigham Young, University of Georgia, University of Texas at Austin and Kansas State.
The Daily Beast editors say they based their findings on student retention information compiled by the National Center for Education Statistics and student ratings compiled by the College Prowler organization.
Media Contact: tamunews@tamu.edu.
