Photo by: Henoc Kivuye
Students are asked to factor in many details when determining whether they think their campus is a happy place.
In a recent article from The Daily Beast, the happiest campuses are determined by four general factors. The factors considered were retention rate, the adequacy of the student health center, the overall student experience and if the students would choose to live their college experience all over again.
While these points may not be the most intimate of questions and factors, they provide an outline for forming an opinion about the overall level of enjoyment on any college campus.
Retention rates play a key role in the eyes of a college’s president, vice presidents and board of trustees since from this percentage they can determine how best to keep students enrolled.
Amy Roberts, director of freshman experience, further explained the retention factor.
“When we say ‘freshmen,’ we typically mean first-time college students,” Roberts said. “So… you have sophomore hours but if it was your first time in college, first-time experience here, you would still be considered in our FTC score.”
While other colleges usually count students who transfer out and graduate elsewhere, Oklahoma Christian has a strict retention rate that limits itself to only students who attend and graduate from the Oklahoma Christian campus.
“Our FTC from last year’s freshmen to if they returned this fall was 76 percent,” Roberts said. “Which was one of our highest fall-to-fall retentions … So if they came the fall of 2012, they came back the fall of 2013.”
Using retention rates is one way of determining the overall happiness of individuals on a certain campus.
“I think by the end of one whole year students really know if OC is right for them, and I think more decide that it’s right for them than not,” Director of Admissions and Recruiting Michael Mitchell said.
Even with retention playing a role in student happiness, it cannot be the sole factor considered. The second factor, student wellness, was rated on a scale of one to 10.
“I believe your happiness can affect your health, but honestly, I feel like health is a natural occurrence; if you’re gonna get sick you’re gonna get sick,” freshman Shelby Wesnidge said. “I feel like people who are healthy tend to be more on the happy side. … [But] just because more students on campus might be sick does not mean the school is less happy.
The third factor is based on the students’ overall college experience. This factor questions whether or not Oklahoma Christian is a place that people genuinely want to be.
“Definitely the faculty and the morals that it has … I definitely feel at home here,” freshman Amanda Kohandani said. “I feel like with any of the faculty or staff, if I was having a problem I could go to them with anything.”
When asked what they would rate their freshmen experiences as on a scale of one to 10, Wesnidge and Kohandani both answered with a 10.
Finally, the survey measured whether or not a student would do his or her college life all over again. This question forces students, as well as alumni, to think back on their experiences.
“I would [repeat my experience] in a heartbeat,” Roberts said. “I mean, I would do it all again. It was so fun, and that’s why I think I came back here to work. We want to give them [students] the experience we [student life office staff] had and give back what was given to us.”
Alumni are not the only ones with an opinion on whether they would re-live their college days.
“Absolutely [I would repeat my same experience],” Wesnidge said. “From when I accepted the opportunity to come to OC, I’ve always felt like I was a part of something. The faculty and the students have always made me feel welcome and I truly feel like I have a family that is sentimental.”
The Daily Beast’s article could give a better structure to how happiness should be measured when it comes to colleges and universities.
“Most people find a way to be happy in every setting,” Mitchell said. “OC’s not perfect, there are ways we can improve and get better, but I think as a campus we genuinely care about our students and I think our students sense that and really do feel a part of the OC family.”
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