how is the environment in a prestigious university?

[hughxu]

<p>are the students in big name universities friendly and helpful?
are the students arrogent? because they think they are the best and they have stressful from their coursework.
are the courseloads heavier than ordinary universities?
are the courseworks harder than ordinary universities?</p>

[Masochist]

<p>In every university there are friendly people and helpful people.
In every university there are arrogant students, probably moreso in the Ivies, but there are also very down to earth people. In every university people suffer from stressful coursework, it just depends on the professor. Some universities may have a more stressful or work-heavy mentality than others, IE Chicago is seen as more academic oriented, while another school may not have the same mentality. Even within schools, there is a totally different mentality between schools IE Penn’s Wharton vs CAS.
Coursework in higher level universities tend to be harder and heavier, but it really depends which ones you are comparing. </p>

<p>Define what is a prestigious university first.</p>

[hikids]

<p>Masochist is right, it depends. However, in part ,the level of courses is driven by the quality (academic) of the students. So a top U will by definition have more difficult course work if for no other reason than the students are techinically brighter and use to striving harder.</p>

[integrity09]

<p>There are excellent big name universities, but the name does not necessarily guarantee educational quality nor happy students. COFHE, The Consortium on Financing Higher Education, has 31 member colleges and universities and was founded in 1971 " to examine how selective, private colleges and universities could discuss their commitment to providing exceptional educational opportunities for highly talented students . . . " The results of the COFHE survey are described in the article below:</p>

<p>from The Boston Globe:</p>

<p>“Student life at Harvard lags peer schools, poll finds”</p>

<p>By Marcella Bombardieri, Boston Globe Staff</p>

<p>“Student satisfaction at Harvard College ranks near the bottom of a group of 31 elite private colleges, according to an analysis of survey results that finds that Harvard students are disenchanted with the faculty and social life on campus. . . . . The 21-page memo, from staff researchers at Harvard to academic deans, documents student dissatisfaction with faculty availability, quality of instruction, quality of advising, and student life factors such as sense of community and social life on campus.” </p>

<p>The article also notes that

. . . students can go through four years on campus with limited contact with professors. They often take large lecture classes, divided into sections headed by graduate student ''teaching fellows." Small classes are frequently taught by temporary instructors instead of regular, tenure-track professors. And in many cases, advisers are not professors, either, but graduate students, administrators, or full-time advisers.

</p>

<p>[Boston.com</a> / News / Education / Higher education / Student life at Harvard lags peer schools, poll finds](<a href=“http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2005/03/29/student_life_at_harvard_lags_peer_schools_poll_finds?pg=full]Boston.com”>http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2005/03/29/student_life_at_harvard_lags_peer_schools_poll_finds?pg=full)</p>

<p>Here’s the list of COCHE’s 31 member institutions—an impressive group of schools: [COFHE</a> : Consortium On Financing Higher Education](<a href=“http://web.mit.edu/cofhe/public-sidebar.htm]COFHE”>http://web.mit.edu/cofhe/public-sidebar.htm)</p>