Ph.D., Antioch University, 2024, Leadership and Change

This study investigated perceptions about the correlation between the college people attend and long-term happiness. Its inquiry into whether college graduates believe where they go to college affects the chance for long-term happiness is a response to the growing concerns of high school students who are anxious about acceptance into an elite undergraduate college. There is substantial literature demonstrating that graduates of elite schools earn more money and professional success than graduates of standard schools (Rumberger & Thomas, 1993). At the same time, there is evidence that individuals who attend a lower tier school while having similar characteristics to those who qualify for a top school are often as successful and prosperous as are their top-school counterparts (Dale & Krueger, 2011). This study addresses a gap in the existing literature about perceptions of the correlation between the college a person attends and his or her long-term happiness. The data indicates more than one-third of well-off participants in surveys report below-average levels of happiness (Pavot & Diener, 2013). Using a ranking system with four tiers of colleges based on admission rates, an anonymous survey with a seven-point Likert scale and an open-ended question was sent to a class of successful people (community college presidents) to determine respondents' perceptions of the correlation between the college they attended and their long-term happiness. The findings of the survey were clear. Seventy-three percent of respondents indicated that attending Tier 1 and 2 schools has no correlation to long-term happiness. Additionally, the survey results indicate that there is no tier of college attended that diminishes the chance for lifelong happiness. The significance of this study lies in gaining a greater understanding of the importance of the tier of college one attends and in providing the basis for future investigations into the value proposition of higher tier colleges. This dis (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Christopher Voparil PhD (Committee Chair); Daniel Diaz PhD (Committee Member); Beryl Watnick PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Academic Guidance Counseling; Business Administration; Business Education; Community College Education; Community Colleges; Education; Education Finance; Education History; Education Philosophy; Education Policy; Educational Evaluation; Educational Leadership; Educational Psychology; Educational Sociology; Philosophy; School Administration; School Counseling